"Muckers" outing - Gilbert property near Sweeny
12-3pm, Saturday, March 14, 2015
Location:
200 block of County Road 791
Coordinates 29.115578, -95.707845
Map
Meeting place: Hanson Riverside County Park
Hwy. 35 at San Bernard River
Coordinates 29.112013, -95.675554
Map
The Gilbert property is a 13-acre wooded section on the west bank of the San Bernard River a few miles north of Sweeny. The property is owned by Dr. Lawrence "Larry" Gilbert, Professor of Integrative Biology at University of Texas, and Director of the Brackenridge Field Laboratory and Stengl "Lost Pines" Biological Field Station. The property has recently been impressed with a conservation easement managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Permission has been obtained to visit the site. This property is notable because it is the location where a specimen of Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) was found and reported to the University of Texas Herbarium in 1993 (the only such report of this species from Brazoria County). Other specimens of this locally-rare species have now been found about two miles upstream, and are now the subject of DNA and soil testing.
The primary purpose of this visit is to botanize the site, looking especially for any unusual species (including Flowering Dogwood, since the period of bloom is mid- to late-March). Small groups may be formed to walk transects of the property. Efforts will be made to document and GPS map any specimens, and otherwise report any findings to Dr. Gilbert and the USFWS. This is one of the few totally wooded areas along the San Bernard at this point, with most surrounding land being ranch pastures.
Because the site is remote, and parking areas are obscure and limited, it is proposed that all participants meet at the public parking at of Hanson Riverside County Park (a nearby yet well-known location), and carpool/caravan to the site.
Please wear sturdy outdoor clothes, and bring water bottles, snacks, and any equipment desired (binoculars, snake sticks, compass, notebooks, smart phones, etc.). Lunch can be enjoyed at the park before departure at noon (sharp). The Gilbert property is without facilities of any kind. Inclement weather may cause cancellation at the last minute, since there is no shelter except an old barn-like cabin.
Contact: Chris Kneupper, 979-964-4000
Timesheet Code: USFWS