In an ongoing effort to preserve and protect the natural resources of the Galveston Bay estuaries, the Galveston Bay Foundation is hosting the 10th annual Marsh Mania on Saturday.
Marsh Mania, a volunteer-based event, serves as a dual function. The organizers seek to not only restore the wetlands via grass planting and new habitat creation, but to educate those involved on the crucial importance of the wetlands and its unique place in the ecosystem.
Vanessa Mintzer, director of Community Programs for the Galveston Bay Foundation, spearheads the volunteer effort.
‘It’s a unique opportunity,’ Mintzer said. ‘Marsh Mania is just volunteers getting together to restore the marshlands.’
Such restoration is a grave necessity, as wetlands in and around Galveston have been severely depleted in recent history, said Courtney Miller, grants administrator for the Galveston Bay Foundation.
‘We’ve lost 35,000 acres of wetlands in the past four decades, due to ground pumping mostly. What we’re trying to do is get as much of that back as possible,’ Miller said.
The organization is making great strides toward their stated goals of restoring the natural marshlands around the Galveston Bay Area.
‘Over the past 10 years, we’ve restored (marsh) at more than 48 locations. With 5200 volunteers, we’ve saved or created about 125 acres,’ Miller said.
Marsh Mania began as Marsh Bash, a one-day event in 1999 that set national records when nearly 1,500 volunteers worked to improve wetland conditions at nearly eight sites throughout the Galveston Bay area.
Since Marsh Bash, the event has blossomed into a two-day event, strategically incorporating some of the most needy wetland areas around the bay, including Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Texas City Prairie Preserve, Nassau Bay Peninsula, Isla del Sol and Snake Island Cove.
In the previous 10 years, the event has also included Armand Bayou, though this year they are opting out due to the successes in the previous decade. Mark Kramer, stewardship coordinator at Armand Bayou’s Nature Center, is thrilled with the progress that has been made.
‘We accomplished our goal that we set out about 10 years ago, so Armand is out. The thing to remember is that it’s a bay-wide event. It’s not focused on any one site. This is still very important work,’ Kramer said.
The success of the event depends on the turnout of volunteers. Last year’s Marsh Mania garnered nearly 500 volunteers over two weekends, who worked to plant more than 112 eighteen-gallon buckets of smooth cordgrass, a plant that grows in colonies along the edges of marshes. The cordgrass prevents valuable wetland resources from eroding away over time.
This year’s Marsh Mania will be held over two weekends, April 25 and May 30. As always, it is fueled by the turnout and dedication of volunteers.
All those interested in volunteering are encouraged to contact Vanessa Mintzer at [email protected] or by phone at (281)332-3381, ext. 207.’
