Restoring Park Land -- Big Bend NP TX - Flora and Fauna Information Signs on Waymarking.com

This sign is located at an area of damaged former farmland that the NPS is trying to restore to grasslands that will support wildlife, limit flash flooding, and heal the landscape from decades of erosion.

The sign reads as follows:

"RESTORING PARK LAND

Can damaged lands be restored? The vast desert in front of you was once viable rangeland. By the time this land was purchased by brothers Edward and Houston Harte in 1958, the area was dramatically altered by overgrazing, field crop production, and modifications to drainage. Despite consultation with the Soil Conservation Service, the Harte brothers were unable to halt soil erosion and restore desert grassland habitat.

Restoration of native grassland continues with a long-term National Park Service project known as “Grasslands Not Badlands.” Habitat restoration is a complex science and a time-consuming process. Over the years, and through trial and error, park staff have researched and developed different techniques to encourage growth of native grass species. A successful method has evolved to plant strips of vegetation perpendicular to the flow of water across the landscape. These strips slow the flow of runoff after it rains and let the soil absorb more moisture. This prevents soil erosion. Will the park succeed in restoring desert grasslands? It will take many years but the National Park Service scientists will continue to refine their techniques as they attempt to heal damaged landscape.

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in 1984 the Harte brothers generously donated their 67125-acre North Rosillos ranch to the Nature Conservancy (highlighted in green above) with the intent that the land ultimately go to Big Bend National Park. In 1989 the Nature Conservancy fulfilled the brothers’ wish by conveying 56,720 acres to the park. It was the single largest donation since the parks establishment in 1944.

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Lost soil exposes the base of plants, including roots, leaving the plant on the pedestal of soil.

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The National Park Service has developed a technique to shade bare soil (as seen above) with brush in order to create cooler, more favorable conditions for grass seeds to take root."

A nearby sign is tied into the waymarked sign above, since it tells the story of flash floods, that accelerate erosion and are a persistent danger in the many dry washes that criss-cross the Chihuahuan desert:

"FLASH FLOOD

Few people witness flash floods, that this dry wash shows the aftermath. The wide, steep sided channel demonstrates the flood’s scope and power. From the streambed rubble of plant debris, gravel, and occasional bones, you can envision a muddy torrent churning but the prudent shrubs, tons of rock and sand, and struggling desert creatures.

Within minutes, the torrent becomes a trickle, and the next day the wash is completely dry again – waiting. Sudden walls of water have etched many arroyos in the Big Bend landscape."

Visit Instructions:
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Date Logged Log User Rating   12/26/2016 Benchmark Blasterz visited it