"Please Help Save Our Home"

I always thought that the idea of helping out the community and volunteering in various opportunities would be fun, but never really put myself out there and committed to actually volunteer. Until I started my freshmen year at IMPACT Early College High School. Once I joined the Spanish club they invited all new members to volunteer at Exploration Green. Not really knowing what to expect I went on to do more research on what Exploration Green was about. Turns out that Exploration Green used to be an old golf course until 2001 when it closed down.

I remember the first tree planting experience on September 10, 2016, was mostly composed potting up and repotting plants. One of the most consuming work was trying to wipe out a massive weed infestation.  No real action on tree planing was happening yet. It was still an astonishing experience to learn more about different plants we don't see very often and how they all help out the ecosystem. After seven hours of hard work and dedication, it was so satisfying to see how all our hard work paid off.  It might not seem like much, but little actions have big impacts. If we take a look of today's progress over 700 trees have been plated and it now has 2,650 wetlands plants planted. Phase one was recently completed in March 2018 and phase two was completed in April 2018.

November 12, 2016

I enjoyed the experience so much that I continued to volunteer.  The plan was to create a multi-purpose green space that would be benefiting the community by helping with flood issues that were a great threat to the Bayou City area.  It would not only be a park, but a place that reinhabits a nursery for native trees, ponds, wetlands, and trails that allow for people to enjoy nature's beauty.

Overview of Exploration Green.

This place faced a great danger of not existing and turning into more housing. It was bought for reconstructions, but many local citizens along with the Clear Lake City Water Authority worked on preserving the space. In my belief Exploration Green is a great use of space for our environment. Improving pollution and flooding around the area. Over 150 homes have been reported saved from flooding since the Exploration Green project.

PIcture from the Houston Chronicle news

It's kinda disappointing to say that this place still has three other phases left in order for it to be done and it is already threatened to be endangered. A small portion of the community doesn't agree on having wonderful wetlands near them, so the project has been stopped temporarily.

I hope that the small portion of the community that doesn't agree with the project could see what a unique an magnificent place it is. It's beautiful how the community worked hard and got to see the place come to life day by day.