Harris County Precinct 4

Translation

Canoeing

Spring Creek Greenway Web Site

Greenway Brochure
and Map (PDF)

March 2012

Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner R. Jack Cagle officially opened the second phase of the Spring Creek Greenway trail on March 9, 2012. “I am proud to be a part of this project that involved the work of many people who share the vision of preserving and protecting the green spaces for Harris and Montgomery counties,” stated Cagle.

This nearly 10-mile greenway trail now connects Harris County Precinct 4’s Pundt Park in Spring, Texas and Jesse H. Jones Park and Nature Center in Humble, Texas. The Stahl Preserve, a 146-acre nature preserve with a large pristine fishing lake, magnificent magnolia trees, and many other wildlife and plant species, is nicely located between the two parks.

Land purchases along Spring Creek began in the 1980s and shortly thereafter Jesse H. Jones Park and Nature Center became a reality. Now, 30 years later, the land purchases and continual development have grown to a concept that will include 33 to 40 linear miles and protect up to 15,000 acres of wooded preserve.

Visit the Spring Creek Greenway trail today to experience the great outdoors! Whether it is biking or hiking, bird or wildlife watching, canoeing or kayaking, or riding horses there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Public entry to the Spring Creek Greenway can be gained at Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center located at 20634 Kenswick Drive in Humble or Pundt Park located at 4129 Spring Creek Drive in Spring. Both parks open at 8 a.m.

"Greenways allow us to treat land and water as a system, as interlocking pieces in a puzzle, not as isolated entities."

Edward T. McMahon, American Greenways Program

Goals:

To connect Precinct 4’s existing park land along the south side of Spring Creek with remaining undeveloped land. This distinctive undertaking will eventually result in a 33-mile, 8,000- to 10,000-acre linear park/trail system on the north and south sides of Spring Creek and will feature canoe launches, equestrian trails, natural surface and paved multi-use trails, parking areas, picnic areas and playgrounds, rest areas, and more.
A water trail—a marked interpretive trail along a contiguous stretch of the creek—with historical and ecological information will benefit canoeists, kayakers, nature lovers, and the general public.

While Precinct 4 can only focus on acquiring property on the south side of Spring Creek, Bayou Land Conservancy and Montgomery County have been diligently working to secure the property on the north side of the creek, which is in Montgomery County.

Note: A 7.5 mile trail from Pundt Park (south of Lexington Woods in Spring) to Jones Park and a 2.5 mile trail from Jones Park to Highway 59 will allow a continuous 10-mile trail along Spring Creek.

Benefits:

Spring Creek is one of only two creeks in Harris County that remain in a state of undeveloped wilderness: Clear Creek is the other. All other Harris County creeks and bayous (i.e. Greens, White Oak, and Buffalo Bayous) have either been channelized or concreted.

Spring and Cypress Creeks feed into the San Jacinto River, together affecting the Lake Houston watershed, a major drinking water supply for Houston and Harris County residents. The Spring Creek Greenway project will have a direct impact on the water quality of the Lake Houston watershed.

This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for the public to enjoy natural beauty and outdoor recreation—such as fishing, canoeing, bird watching, etc.—so close to home.

Additionally, ponds, tributaries, wetlands, and secondary creek banks—like Spring Creek—are extremely important for slowing velocity, trapping sediment, and filtering pollutants during major flooding.

Due to the limited industry and development along Spring Creek, pollution value is low, which is a major contributing factor to it being considered a “healthy creek.”

White bass are plentiful in the winter, while hybrid bass, catfish, and shad are plentiful at other times of the year.

Bald eagles, herons, and egrets, along with many other avian species and wildlife, inhabit the area.

Project funding:

Initial estimates for the cost of land is $4.5 million, and the Harris County Flood Control District is essential in securing grant funds to offset county funding. Associations and organizations that support green space preservation, such as the Bayou Preservation Association (BPA), The Park People, and Bayou Land Conservancy, are also essential in securing funds and partnering with Precinct 4 to make a project of this magnitude possible.

Final cost estimates for infrastructure, personnel, and maintenance cannot be determined at this time.

Precinct 4 has allocated $2.1 million to develop Pundt Park, which will be a recreational park facility with a pavilion, picnic areas, playground, parking lots, and rest rooms. Plans also include a trail system around two naturally beautiful ponds located on the property.

History:

Originally initiated in 1982 as the “Cypress Creek Parks Project” by then Harris County Judge Jon Lindsay, Harris County purchased much of the existing land along Spring Creek. After former Commissioner Jerry Eversole realized only a few tracts of land along the floodplain were needed to connect the creek side property from Pundt Park to Highway 59, he sought out partners to accomplish this worthwhile goal that will benefit generations to come. It was also at this time that the project scope was widened to the current plan and renamed the Spring Creek Greenway.