2006: 59

2006

AANNNNUUAALLRREEPPOORRTT

CoastalCenter

Bulletin

HOUSTON COASTAL CENTER ANNUAL REPORT

2006

GLENN D. AUMANN, DIRECTOR

CONTENTS

1. INSTITUTION

2. PROPERTY IDENTIFICATION

3. PROGRAM OF USE

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON COASTAL CENTER

DEVELOPMENT OF THE CENTER

FUTURE OF THE CENTER

FACILITIES

ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS

RESEARCH PROGRAMS

RESEARCH PROJECTS

RESEARCH PAPERS

PAPERS PRESENTED

RESEARCH GRANT APPLICATIONS

4. IMPROVEMENTS MADE

5. MAINTENANCE

6. ENCUMBRANCES

7. CIVIL RIGHTS

1

1. INSTITUTION: The University of Houston, Houston, Texas.

2. PROPERTY IDENTIFICATION:

The University of Houston Coastal Center occupies a portion of Camp Wallace, a

property consisting of 1,603.2 acres out of the Phillip Gayatt Survey in Galveston

County, Texas, located on the north side of State Highway 6 and the west side of FM

2004, immediately west of La Marque, Texas.

By means of a Deed Without Warranty, dated October 24, 1960, 1,052.6 acres were

conveyed by the Federal Government to the University of Houston. This portion of the

property was later reduced to 715.5 acres by Quitclaim Deed dated April 4, 1972.

By means of a Deed Without Warranty, dated July 11, 1961, the remaining 550.65

acres of the former Camp Wallace was conveyed to the University of Houston. This por-

tion of the property was reduced to 210 acres by Quitclaim Deed dated April 4, 1972.

On April 27, 1980, the above referenced Deeds Without Warranty for 925.5 acres

were amended by extending the period of time to which utilization restrictions apply for

a period of eight years.

The extended period of restrictive use on the above referenced 715.5 acre portion

expired on October 24, 1988, and the extended period of restrictive use on the above ref-

erenced 210-acre portion expired on July 11, 1989. Letters received from the United

States Department of Education, dated November 3, 1988 and August 18, 1989, stated

that the last Annual Report submitted (1988) and the most recent on-site survey of the

property disclosed that the program of utilization was consistent with the purposes,

terms, and conditions of the transfer. Hence, there will be no need for furnishing an

annual utilization report in the future concerning subject property.

3. PROGRAM OF USE:

The University of Houston Coastal Center serves for those research or education-

al activities which (a) stimulate the improvement of the declining quality of urban

coastal areas, (b) investigate and guide man’s use and development of near-urban coastal

areas consistent with conservation and sound environmental management, (c) seek to

obtain basic knowledge of the coastal environment, and (d) provide for broadly- or spe-

2

cially-educated leadership for these important phases of American life. The Center is the

site for field and laboratory studies that cannot be performed efficiently on the main

campus and for those procedures that require security, acreage, or time that make them

inappropriate for the main campus. The Center serves as a support facility for fieldwork

in the bays and along the Gulf Coast.

The Center serves the University-at-large, including the various colleges, depart-

ments, institutes and programs of the University of Houston, the University of Houston-

Clear Lake, and the University of Houston-Downtown. By prior arrangement with the

Director, the facilities are available to faculty and students of educational institutions of

Texas and other states. Joint regional environmental studies have been made with the

University of Texas at Austin, The University of Texas School of Public Health at

Houston, The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston,

Rice University, Southwest Texas State University, Texas A&M University, the National

Marine Fisheries Center at Galveston, the Nature Conservancy, Armand Bayou Nature

Center, Texas Parks and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Geologic Service, and the

Welder Wildlife Foundation.

The University of Houston provides funds to administer and maintain the facility

plus a modest annual budget to initiate research programs that may eventually attract

external funding. Educational activities at the Coastal Center have been funded by vari-

ous public and private agencies, including the American Cancer Society, Department of

Defense, Department of Energy, Gulf Universities Research Corporation, Environmental

Protection Agency, Gulf Coast Hazardous Substance Research Center, National

Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Institutes of Health, National

Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service, National

Science Foundation, Sea Grant Program, Moody Foundation, Texas Higher Education

Coordinating Board, Welch Foundation, Wray-Todd Foundation, The Nature

Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Welder Wildlife Foundation.

3

DEVELOPMENT OF THE CENTER

The long-term Academic Plan of the Coastal Center was formulated as a result of the rec-

ommendations of a committee of the faculty appointed by President Hoffman in 1968. The

development of the Coastal Center began with the construction of an environmental field lab-

oratory on the site in 1969. Major research programs utilizing the Coastal Center facilities

were initiated in 1970. Annual reports were prepared for the University of Houston Board of

Regents and the Federal Government from 1973 through 1988. A compilation of data from

those 16 annual reports documents the ecological education and research utilization of the

Houston Coastal Center. A summary of that documentation reveals that the University provid-

ed the Coastal Center with an operating budget totaling $954,417 over those 16 years. External

funding in force for research conducted in association with the Coastal Center during those 16

years totaled $12,819,402. Graduate education associated with the Center resulted in 40

Master of Science theses, 24 Doctoral dissertations, and a grand total of 290 publications in

books and refereed journals. Utilization of the Center for undergraduate education is noted in

the annual reports but has not been summarized. Following notification of expiration of the

extended period of restrictive use in 1988, submission of the annual report to the Federal

Government is no longer required. The annual report for the years since 1988 continue to be

published for the University Administration and scientists involved with the ongoing research

at the Center.

4

FUTURE OF THE CENTER

The University of Houston has made a commitment to the Coastal Center to support the

long-term research required for solutions to environmental problems. Studies started since the

1990’s are assured of full protection through 2009 from alternative administrative uses of the

land and the facilities. The University of Houston Coastal Center provides security from pub-

lic disturbance and maintains records of current and past activity so that long-term studies are

possible.

Future development of the facilities is dependent on the requirements generated by the

research initiated by faculty and graduate students and by the needs of national agencies for

the study of environmental problems. Many environmental studies require large areas with

buffer zones, protection from public activities, and a long-term commitment to the study pro-

gram. The long-term commitment to ecological studies by the University of Houston assures

funding agencies that the initiation of funding is a reasonable step to the solution of major eco-

logical problems.

In accordance with the above statements, several long-term studies are continuing at this

time. They are listed as research programs in a following section of this report.

FACILITIES

The University of Houston Coastal Center has approximately 925 acres of coastal

prairie, shrub, ponds, and woodlands. Buildings on the Center include the Coastal

Environmental Laboratory with office and research space, the Coastal Center Research

Laboratory, an Equipment Storage Building, and a Residence for the caretaker. Roads built to

support the former military occupancy are maintained to provide easy access to all parts of the

Center. Several coastal habitats that support many natural and introduced species are available.

Both experimental and observational sections are maintained for use by students and faculty.

The Director’s office is maintained on the University of Houston campus.

5

ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE

The administrative structure of the University of Houston Coastal Center provides for

the unification of the administrative responsibility and the designation of a Director respond-

ing to the Office of the President. This allows the clear focus on programs that support the

graduate education and research requirements of the diverse interests of the University.

BOARD OF REGENTS

CHANCELLOR/PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT DIRECTOR ACADEMIC DEANS

FOR ADMINISTRATION Coastal Center

FACILITIES RESEARCH INSTRUCTION

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The total budget for the Coastal Center activities is derived from a variety of sources.

The Coastal Center Operation budget is utilized to cover expenses incurred in administering

the Center and to provide partial support for initiating faculty and student research projects.

The Coastal Center Grounds Maintenance budget (p. 7) covers the salaries of a full-time care-

taker, temporary employees, and routine maintenance of buildings, roads, and fence lines.

Major repair and major equipment purchases are in addition to the base budget and are pro-

vided as the need arises. Salary monies for the faculty and graduate students involved with

teaching and research functions at the Center are provided by their Colleges and Departments.

Grants, contracts, and private funds awarded to faculty members provide a substantial portion

of salary, equipment, and supply monies expended for environmentally related studies con-

ducted in affiliation with the Coastal Center.

6

ORGANIZED RESEARCH

Coastal Center Operations: (1-1-27013)

Budget 2005-2006 Budget 2006-2007

Salaries

Student Support $45,000 $45,000

Professional 38,000 38,000

Subtotal = $83,000 $83,000

Maintenance and Operations

Research Support $18,283 $18,283

Operational Support 6,000 6,000

Contracts & Capital Equipment 2,000 2,000

Subtotal = $26,283 $26,283

Total = $109,283 $109,283

Student salary support supplemented by teaching fellowships.

Total supplemented by external grants and contracts in force totaling over $2,000,000.

7

GROUNDS MAINTENANCE

Coastal Center: (1-1-64629)

Budget 2005-2006 Budget 2006-2007

Wages: Non-Students $40,759 $40,759

Maintenance and Operation

Supplies 14,429 14,429

Travel 0 0

Total = $55,188 $55,188

8

COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

The University of Houston Coastal Center develops cooperative research and instruc-

tional programs with other institutions which provide maximum utilization of resources. The

use of the Center for educational purposes by other institutions is provided on the same basis

that space and services would be provided on the University campus.

Texas Gulf Coast tall-grass prairie, utilized as grazing land, dominated the Houston

Coastal Center site prior to World War II. The land came into possession of the United States

Military in October of 1940, and an army basic training center, Camp Wallace, was built on

the upland prairies near Hitchcock in Galveston County. Construction began in November

1940 with a 3.9 mile railroad spur off of the Gulf, Colorado, & Santa Fe tracks, 17 miles of

oyster shell roads, oyster shell parking lots, and utility infrastructure. The shell was dredged

from Red Fish Bar, the last remaining vestige of the barrier reef across Galveston Bay, and

was transported up Dickenson Bayou by barge and trucked to Hitchcock. Camp Wallace

opened on February 1, 1941 and by May 1941 approximately 10,250 military personnel and

civilians trained, worked, and lived there in the 399 buildings. It was also used as a German

Prisoner of War detention camp throughout the WWII. On April 30, 1944 the control of Camp

Wallace was transferred from the Army to the Navy, and it became a naval boot camp and dis-

tribution center. From September 1945 to September 1946, Camp Wallace became a naval sep-

aration center where 50,000 Navy officers and enlisted men were debriefed before being dis-

charged. On October 15, 1946 the site came under the custody of the War Assets administra-

tion and in 1947 the U.S. Government declared Camp Wallace surplus. The buildings were

removed, leaving behind the roads, parking lots, concrete foundations of several buildings,

and many species of non-native plants. Approximately 300 acres of the original land purchase

were not utilized for roads or building structures. This portion of the Houston Coastal Center

comprises a remnant of the original native prairie that occupied the entire site prior to 1940.

In August 1995, a group concerned about ensuring a future source of grasses indigenous

to the Houston Gulf coastal prairie began work to establish a native grass seedbank for the

region. The need for a seedbank became apparent during discussions about using native grass-

es to help re-vegetate Sims Bayou after the completion of a major Corps of Engineers flood

control project. Also, naturally occurring stands of native grasses in the Houston area are dis-

appearing due to agriculture, noxious weed/brush encroachment and urbanization. The only

cost-effective method of establishing native grasses on any large-scale project is to use seed.

It is preferable to use the seed of local ecotypes and genotypes; however, there is no bulk seed

9

source of these local types. The goal of the seed bank is to establish local ecotypes and geno-

types where the seed can be readily collected for either extending the seed bank area or for

sowing on large scale projects.

The Coastal Center has become widely recognized for the prime prairie remnant within

its borders. Representatives of several agencies and organizations, including Texas Parks and

Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Sea Grant, the Nature Conservancy, the Trust for Public

Land, the Brazoria Wildlife Refuge, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Native Prairie

Association of Texas, have visited the prairie several times. All are in agreement that the

prairie is an invaluable resource as a seed bank in efforts to restore native prairie flora to other

selected sites in the Gulf Coast region. A selection of photographs on the Environmental

Institute of Houston web page (http://www.eih.uh.edu/coastalcenter) provides a visual sample

of the prairie vegetation throughout the year.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Houston Coastal Center have

entered into a cooperative agreement to maintain the biological integrity, ecological process-

es, and historic assemblage of coastal prairie flora and fauna for any anticipated conservation

effort that may provide direct or indirect benefit to the coastal prairie landscape. The Coastal

Center has conveyed to the Service a conservation easement, encompassing approximately

279 acres of coastal prairie, shrub, and woodlands, for a period of at least seven years. The

Service and the Coastal Center have appointed a Steering Committee charged to develop a

master management plan with specific objectives and practices designed to obtain basic

knowledge concerning coastal prairie maintenance and restoration. The Steering Committee

members are drawn from the University of Houston, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The

Nature Conservancy, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and the U.S. Geological Survey Biological

Resources Division. The management plan will serve as the guiding instrument for the con-

servation easement area and will provide flexible management objectives, recommendations,

and guidelines for its cooperative use. The master management plan is an evolving conceptu-

al model. It recommends certain actions, practices, and strategies for achieving Coastal Center

management objectives as determined by the Steering Committee.

Regardless of whether or not the recommendations of the Steering Committee are imple-

mented in a given year, the impact of management actions and practices on the Coastal Center

easement area must be regularly and critically evaluated. These evaluations will assist the

Steering Committee in determining whether to change current practices, adopt particular

aspects of this or another management plan, or modify an existing management plan.

10

Irrespective of the particular management regime implemented, the following long-term

objectives have been adopted to secure the Coastal Center easement area for its purpose into

the future.

1. Maintain the current and/or enhance native species complement and diversity of

coastal prairie flora and fauna within the easement area.

2. Allow, within the limitation of management objectives, natural processes to proceed

in the easement area.

3. Minimize the likelihood of introducing additional non-native flora and fauna within

the easement area.

4. Minimize the impact of researchers using the Coastal Center by establishing and

enforcing regulations and guidelines for research on the easement area.

5. Increase public awareness of the intrinsic value of the bio-diversity already present

within the easement area.

The following criteria should be used to assess whether current management practices

on the easement area are achieving these objectives, or require modification:

A. Conduct annual surveys to the biota (or representative taxa) on the easement area to

determine if a stable or increasing level of native bio-diversity is present.

B. Conduct annual surveys of the abiotic resources present within the easement area to

assure that the quality of the substrate is not diminished due to use, erosion, or man-

agement practices.

C. Conduct annual surveys of easement area users to determine the reasons for their vis-

its, the frequency of their visits, and their awareness of the biological and ecological

value of the easement area.

D. Publish a summary of all uses made of the easement area every two years.

The following projects have been completed in an effort to meet the long-term objectives:

The total easement consisting of approximately 279 acres has been subdivided into seven

areas. Fifteen 100-meter transects have been placed within the seven sub-areas with GIS docu-

mentation and permanent marker posts. The history of past management practices in the areas

represented by the transect lines has been noted and the initial floral survey has been complet-

ed for each transect. The vegetation analysis employed a list of 48 species of plants commonly

found in coastal areas that were indicative of high, neutral, or low prairie quality. Plants asso-

11

ciated with low quality are introduced exotic species. Neutral species are native, but associated

with succession to other non-prairie ecosystems. The high- quality species are grasses and forbs

associated with mature coastal prairies. One square meter areas located at random compass

positions and distances from evenly-spaced points along each transect have been sampled in the

Fall of 1999 and 2000, in the Spring of 2000 and 2001, and in the Fall of 2001, Spring and

Summer of 2002. A diversity/quality index of the seven areas has been established.

Portions of the easement area have been maintained for the past 30 years with a mowing

regimen designed to control invasive species such as the Chinese tallow and other woody

plants. The Steering Committee noted that a historic assemblage of native species remain on

approximately three-fourths of the total area with this past management plan. The controlled

burn conducted on Area 2 in Spring 1999 had little or no effect in controlling re-growth of tal-

low, wax myrtle, or other woody species, but did shift the species composition to more forbs

and less grasses during the 1999 growing season. The grasses have become more dominant

during the 2000 and 2001 growing seasons. As a consequence of the discussion, the

Committee recommended cessation of burning and establishing a mowing regimen designed

to enhance production of seed from native grasses, since restoration of native prairie in other

Gulf Coast locations will depend heavily upon seed from the Coastal Center. In accordance

with the recommendation, all seven areas were mowed during March and April of 2001, dur-

ing February and March of 2002, during March and April of 2003, and during April and May

of 2004. Areas three, four, five, six, seven and eight were mowed during April and May of

2005. Areas one and two were burned on February 17, 2005. Areas one, three, four, five, six,

seven and eight were mowed during January and February of 2006. Area two was burned for

a meteorological experiment in February of 2006.

A herbicide, Grazon P+D, is being utilized on selected tallow trees in all of the areas. The

herbicide is applied to cut stems of small growth or stumps of larger trees. Beginning in Spring

2006 the herbicide has been applied directly to small tallow trees in area 2. Grazon P+D is effec-

tive in killing the treated tallow with a slight indication that adjacent vegetation is also impact-

ed. Steven Mitchell, Texas Parks & Wildlife, began a study in July 2003 to determine what

impact, if any, took place. A vegetational analysis of three different sites was done and applica-

tion of herbicide was applied. The post vegetational analysis showed no significant difference

from untreated plots. Grazon P + D has been utilized in 2004 to clear mature tallow from a ten

acre plot, which will be referred to as Area 1, near the entrance gate . It has become a routine

tool for removing tallow from several of the other established prairie plots on the property.

12

The wet conditions during November and December of 2004 aborted plans to combine

seeds as it was not possible to put heavy equipment on the prairie. Small amounts of selected

seeds, notably aloe, cone flower, and several grasses, were hand-picked by groups from the

Native Prairie Association of Texas and by staff from the Houston Arboretum. Weather condi-

tions in the Fall of 2005 were similar.

The University of Houston Coastal Center serves as one of 15 survey sites for Project

Prairie Birds, a citizen science project sponsored by Texas Partners in Flight, Gulf Coast Bird

Observatory, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and Raven Ecological

Services. The project was conceived when a group of colleagues became concerned about the

lack of hard data on the precise habitat requisites for several species of sparrows, particularly

the Henslow’s Sparrow, a species that winters in the Houston area. Approximately 20 species

of birds in this region live only in continuous, undisturbed grassland. As the grassland contin-

ues to be bisected and isolated into smaller fragments, the birds become rarer. The University

of Houston Coastal Center survey site includes 10 permanent transects placed in different

areas of the approximately 300 acres of prairie habitat on the Center. Sumita Prasad, Avian

Monitoring Program Coordinator for the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, is compiling the data

for Project Prairie Birds.

Dr. Evan Siemann (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University) has established

observational and experimental sites on the Houston Coastal Center to address questions in

population, community and ecosystem ecology with an emphasis on the ecology of exotic

plants. The research has several areas of emphasis:

Effects of resources on plant invasions: Changing abiotic conditions may be responsible

for the success of alien plants. In other words, a change in dominant plant types or species may

reflect poor adaptation of native plants together with pre-adaptation of the alien species to a

new set of abiotic conditions. To address such questions he has used the alien Chinese tallow

tree (Sapium sebiferum, “Sapium” hereafter) which is invasive in the southern United States.

Experimental nitrogen additions indicate that anthropogenic nitrogen addition may promote

Sapium invasion into Texas grasslands. In addition, once pioneer trees are established in grass-

lands, they may favor their seedlings in competition with grasses by increasing nitrogen avail-

ability and reducing light availability. This positive feedback may accelerate the transition

from coastal prairie to Sapium forest.

13

Ecological effects of enemies on plant invasions: A recurring question in ecology is

whether a lack of enemies (herbivores and diseases) in an alien plant’s introduced range pro-

vides an important advantage in competition with native plants. In simple terms, an alien plant

may have additional resources available for growth that native plants are losing to enemies.

The mechanism in this case is a phenotypic response to a benign environment. After several

experiments, there is some understanding of the role of low herbivory in Sapium invasions in

Texas. Simple phenotypic reallocation of resources normally lost to enemies does play a role

in its invasive success. However, Sapium has a substantial performance advantage over native

tree species even when differences in herbivory are eliminated.

Evolutionary effects of enemies on plant invasions: Differences in enemy impacts

between an alien plant’s native range and introduced range may still play an important rote in

plant invasions. Experiments have begun to test whether evolutionary changes in plant defens-

es and growth have allowed Sapium and other invasive plants to escape conventional ecolog-

ical constraints. The highlight of this work has been the finding that there are genetic differ-

ences in growth and defense between Sapium collected in its native and introduced ranges and

grown in a common garden and among Sapium populations in North America that differ in the

time since Sapium introduction. A combination of low allocation to defense, high growth and

low herbivory (which native plants cannot achieve) may allow Sapium to be extremely suc-

cessful in North America. This intriguing pattern is consistent with a major hypothesis of inva-

sion ecology and we believe it is a model system that can be used to thoroughly test its pre-

dictions. This area of research will be the primary focus for the next few years.

The Coastal Center served as one of the monitoring sites for the location of wind profil-

ing instruments in October, 2000 to conduct measurements for the Texas Air Quality Study

2000 (Tex AQS 2000). As part of the continuing EPA project, “Development of Joint Multi

Pollutant Air Quality Modeling Facilities and Air Monitoring Stations for the Houston-

Galveston Metropolitan Area”, the Air Quality Group at the University of Houston has select-

ed the Coastal Center as one of its three measurement sites designed to characterize surface

energy exchanges in a coastal environment.

With a combination of unique Gulf Coast location, openness, security, and other well-

established infrastructures, the Houston Coastal Center has served as a prime field laboratory

for faculty and students from the Institute of Multi-Dimensional Air Quality Studies (IMAQS)

at the University of Houston. Over the past two years, researchers from IMAQS have conduct-

ed a variety of research activities at the Coastal Center, including among others, the establish-

14

ment of an air chemistry research lab and a boundary layer measurement facility consisting of

a 42-m micrometeorological flux tower and several other measurement platforms.

The micrometeorological tower is the first of its kind in Texas and the neighboring Gulf

States. It provides continuous measurements at various heights of mean meteorological vari-

ables such as wind speed, direction, temperature, and moisture, as well as turbulent momen-

tum and heat fluxes. In addition, instruments on the tower also measure the amount of mois-

ture and carbon dioxide from the largest undisturbed field of coastal prairie to the atmosphere.

The tower measurements are augmented by several other nearby surface and boundary layer

observational platforms including near surface radiation and soil heat and moisture flux obser-

vations and wind profiling using a remote sensing instrument called Sound Detecting And

Ranging (SODAR). Data from the tower and these other measurement platforms are being

used by IMAQS researchers to study the atmospheric boundary layer structure and its evolu-

tion in a coastal environment, the energy exchanges between the prairie field and the atmos-

phere, the sea breeze and associated internal boundary layer, and the diurnal and seasonal vari-

ations of carbon dioxide fluxes from coastal prairies.

The new air chemistry laboratory has set up a 40-foot trailer at the Coastal Center. The

lab is currently equipped with an ozone analyzer. Being upwind of Houston, the ozone ana-

lyzer at the Coastal Center measures background ozone concentrations, which is a prerequi-

site for understanding the development of ozone episodes in the Houston area. The ozone

observations serve as important input to, as well as verification data set for, the daily air qual-

ity forecasting generated at IMAQS. More instruments will be added to the air chemistry lab

in the near future to measure other chemical species.

The combined IMAQS meteorology and air chemistry facilities at the Coastal Center

presents a unique opportunity to advance our understanding of Houston air quality problems

by establishing linkages between background ozone concentration and ozone episodes and

between coastal meteorological phenomena and air pollution. Scientists from many other

institutions have expressed interest in using the data from the site or deploying additional

instruments at the site. It is anticipated that the Coastal Center will serve as a ‘super site’ dur-

ing the second Texas Air Quality Study in the summer of 2006 and the measurements will help

answer key questions regarding Houston air quality.

These atmospheric research activities at the Houston Coastal Center have also provided

educational opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students, and helped attract stu-

15

dents into the newly established graduate Atmospheric Sciences Program in the Geosciences

Department at the University of Houston.

The impact of prairie fire on atmospheric moisture and CO2 concentration.

Understanding the impact wild land fires have on water vapor and CO2 concentration in

the lower atmosphere is limited at best. Potter (2005) presented observations suggesting that

combustion of plant fuels during forest and range fires adds significant moisture to the atmos-

phere, and theoretical arguments in support of the hypothesis that this moisture can have a sig-

nificant effect on the dynamics of the fire’s convective plume. That combustion of plant fuels

creates moisture is not in question—plant tissue is largely a hydrocarbon and combustion (oxi-

dation) of any hydrocarbon will yield some measure of water, as well as carbon monoxide,

carbon dioxide and other compounds. Potter’s estimate suggested that some fires may add 1

to 5 g/kg of water vapor to plume air. The amount of this water, in terms of the water vapor

mixing ration (grams of water per kilogram of air), has not been measured for an actual fire,

so that the relevance of Potter’s theoretical arguments has remained uncertain.

Obtaining direct observations of any moisture enhancement due to fires is difficult,

largely because of the dangers born of the fire environment. In many cases, either the

researcher or the equipment is in danger of injury, damage, or destruction. In others, the dura-

tion and location of a fire may preclude instrument deployment. While aircraft may fly

through fire plumes, their altitude and speed may dilute any moisture signal to such an extent

that measurements are inconclusive.

In February 2005, a prescribed burn of the prairie surrounding the instrumented flux

tower at the Coastal Center presented a rare opportunity for measuring possible moisture flux,

in addition to heat and CO2 fluxes produced by grass fires. The flux tower’s location within

the burn perimeter and the placement of a tethered balloon sounding system downwind of the

burn allowed measurements of water vapor mixing ratios as well as temperature perturbations

due to the burn. Taking these measurements at various heights and times provided an oppor-

tunity to test Potter’s hypothesis.

The prairies at the Coastal Center consist of a mixture of native grasses including big

blue stem, little blue stem, and other grasses and forbs. At the time of the prescribed fire,

which occurred on the morning of February 17, spring vegetation was beginning to emerge

and the dead grasses from the previous year remained exposed and available for the fire to

16

consume. The soil, however, was saturated, and the standing water at the base of the tower pro-

vided a small protective area for the tower where fire would not penetrate and risk damaging

the instruments. The instruments mounted on the tower at multiple levels collected both mean

and high frequency data within the fire plume, enabling the calculation of not only the increase

of the mean temperature and moisture, but also fluxes of heat, moisture, and carbon dioxide

produced by the fire. In addition, with northwesterly winds on the day of the burn, a tether-

sonde system located in the far southwest corner of the prairie measured vertical profiles of

temperature, humidity, and winds downwind of the burn.

Measurements showed an increase in water vapor within the plume air ranging from 1.93

g kg-1 obtained from a tethersonde profile to 2.08 g kg-1 from high-frequency data collected

by the instrument on the tower. Bulk estimates ranged from 2.0 g kg-1 to 2.9 g kg-1 and agree

well with those measured. The measurement of mean turbulent fluxes showed significant

increases due to the fire plume where CO2 flux increased from –0.08 mg m-2s-1 to 171.0 mg

m-2s-1 , sensible heat flux increased from 38.4 W m-2 to 1183.5 W m-2, and latent heat flux

increased from 29.7 W m-2 before the fire to 376.6 W m-2 within the plume.

Overall, the data suggested that prairie grass fires may produce an increase in water

vapor of approximately 2 g kg-1 which agreed well with the theoretical estimates using a bulk

aerodynamic model. This was, to our knowledge, the first direct observational evidence from

in-situ measurements that prairie fire or other types of grass or range fire can add relatively

large amounts of water vapor to the lower atmosphere, which together with the intense heat-

ing produced by the fire, may significantly modify the dynamics of the fire environment.

17

Atmospheric Dynamics of Intense Grass Fires:An Overview of the FireFlux Experiment

Craig B. Clements and Sharon ZhongInstitute for Multidimensional Air Quality Studies,

Introduction and Background

A pilot study was conducted in 2005 that was aimed at testing equipment reliability in agrass fire (Clements et al. 2006). While this pilot study appears to be one of the first studiesto measure in-situ turbulence and moisture enhancement within a grass fire, the overall instru-mentation and experimental design were not as complete as needed to fully document thenature of the mean and turbulent flows, the plume dynamics, and the fire-atmosphere interac-tions. Therefore a more intensive study was conducted with collaboration from researchersfrom the USFS Southern Research Station, USFS North Central Research Station, and theUniversity of Utah.

Objectives

While significant advance has been made in the past decade on modeling fire behaviorand fire spread using computer models, comprehensive data sets for validating these modelsare lacking due mainly to the extreme difficult in obtaining in-situ measurements within a fire.Taking the advantage of an existing tall, fully instrumented flux tower in one of the largestnative prairies in the Gulf region and based on the experience gained from the pilot study, acomprehensive field experiment was conducted. The objectives of the experiment were:

1. To collect in-situ measurements of fine-scale moment, heat, and moisture fluxes, tur-bulence at the fire-atmosphere interface during an intense grass fire,

2. To better understand the turbulent and dynamic nature of grass fires, and

3. To employ this data set to verify fire spread and fire dynamical models

Site, experimental design, and instrumentation

A comprehensive field study was conducted at the University of Houston’s Boundary-LayerResearch Facility located at the Houston Coastal Center near the Galveston coast of southeast

Texas. This facility operates a43-m flux tower, Dopplersodar, and a suite of chem-istry measurements. The 43 mtower is located on the northend of a native tall-grass gulfcoast prairie.

Site description

The experimental burntook place at the HoustonCoastal Center (HCC) locat-ed in central GalvestonCounty near La Marque,Texas approximately 45 kmsoutheast of the Houston Metropolitan Area and 22 km from the western shores of GalvestonBay. HCC has a number of small to medium sized prairies that are categorized as Texas GulfCoast Tall-Grass Prairies consisting of a mixture of native grasses including Big Bluestem(Andropogon gerardi), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), and Long Spike Tridens(Tridens strictus). The experimental prairie (Figure 1) is 155 acres (0.63 km2) in size and con-sists of 90% native species and is considered one of the largest, undisturbed coastal prairieson the Gulf Coast of the United States. The length of the prairie is approximately 970 m fromthe north road to the south road (calculated using ArcGIS). The average prairie width isapproximately 400 m. The main tower is 134 m east of the site trailer and 700 m from thesouth edge of prairie (Figure 1). Typically, the prairie is managed as such that it is cut everyyear in the fall and burned every 2–5 years. The prairie was burned the previous year onFebruary 17, 2005. During October 2005 the southeast corner approximately 150 m x 75 mwas cut to a height of 15 cm, but by the time of the experimental burn the grass increased inheight to approximately 25 cm.

The experiment was designed to document the flow and turbulence characteristics of boththe fire-atmosphere interface and the plume within the fire perimeter and downwind of theburn area.

The experimental burn was conducted on February 23, 2006. Equipment was operationalduring the period leading up to the burn day and continuously afterwards. During this timeperiod, forecasts were made based on the regional weather forecast operated at the Universityof Houston using the MM5 model at 4 km resolution to determine the most favorable condi-tion for the burn.

Tim Becker

Figure 1. Ignition team starting the head fire.

18

19

Prairie Fuels Sampling

Total fuel loading was estimated through destructive sampling of ten 0.38m by 0.38m blocks.Location of the ten samples was determined via a random walk process. The fuel loading forthe burn unit is estimated to be 1.08 kg m-2 (or 4.8 tons per acre).

Fuel moisture values were measured by oven drying three samples plus a fourth samplecollected the morning of the burn. The dead fuel moisture content can be estimated to bebetween 11 and 19%.

Experimental plan

The experimental plan was aimed at having all instrumentation operational at least twodays before the burn took place. Permission to burn required strict weather conditions to bemet with moderate north or northeast winds and relative humidity not exceeding 70%. Thedays leading up to the burn were extremely moist with over 90% relative humidity and strongsouth winds. On the forecasted burn day, both the scientific and burn crews met onsite and dis-cussed the procedures of the burn.

The experimental prairie was cut extensively to allow for safety corridors along each edgeof the prairie. Initially, it was planned to have no back burning occurring onsite on the day ofthe burn and ignite only a headfire that was allowed to spread through the instrumentation inorder to simulate a nature wildland grass fire as closely as possible.

The north edge of the prairie consists of a region of Chinese Tallow trees directly north ofthe main tower. To simplify ignition a 2.5 m wide path was cut just south of the tree lineapproximately 100 m north of the main tower. This cut was across the entire length of theprairie in an east-west direction roughly 450 m long.

On February 23, the burn was planned as a ‘go’ and due to the state-wide burn ban with theexception of Galveston County, the burn boss felt it necessary to initiate a back burn along thesouthern edge of the prairie. In addition, a limited amount of black lining was conducted aroundeach Sodar to protect them from accidental burning. There was no black lining around the towers.

The ignition crew consisted of two teams each starting in the center of the ignition linedirectly north of the main tower. At approximately 12:43:39 CST ignition was started (Figure1) and each team walked along the line, one to the east and one to the west. The east team car-ried a handheld GPS unit to document the timing of the ignition line. As the headfire ran withthe wind, video and still digital SLR cameras were operated by a number of individuals locat-ed on the west side of the prairie. Video and still photography used to document the spread

20

rate and fire behavior in the region of the main tower were located on the roof of the storagegarage 140 m east of the main tower. In addition, digital IR imagery and digital video wasobtained from the eastern most north tower approximately 10 m above the ignition line.

Instrumentation and measurements

A large amount of instrumentation was deployed during the experiment in order to captureand characterize the turbulent nature of the atmosphere during a grass fire. High-resolutiontower based turbulence measurements were made at two locations within the burn perimeterwhile other measurements including vertical profiles using two Sodars and a tethered balloonsystem were made downwind of the burn unit.

Main tower description

The main tower is a 43 m guyed tower manufactured by Radian, Inc. (Rohn-type, 45G),was extensively equipped at multiple levels (Figure 2). Four 3-D sonic anemometers (R.M.Young 81000) were deployed on the tower at 2.1 m, 10 m, 28.5 m, and 43 m above the prairie.At the 10 m and 28.5 m levels, two LI-COR 7500 open-path gas analyzers were collocatedwith the sonics to measure both CO2 and H2O concentrations (Figure 3). The sonic anemome-ters and the 7500 analyzers were sampled using two Campbell Scientific, Inc.(CSI) CR-5000

Figure 2. Lower levels of instrumentation anddata logger enclosures on the main 43m tower

Figure 3. 3-D sonic anemometer and Li-Cor7500 H2O/CO2 open path gas analyzer.

21

dataloggers. One datalogger was used for the 10 and 28.5 m levels and the other for the 2.1 and43 m levels. The sampling rate used for the sonic anemometers and the LI-COR 7500s was 20Hz. Fifteen type-T fine-wire thermocouples were mounted on the tower from 0.1 m to 43 m andsampled at 20 Hz and averaged to 1 Hz using a CSI AM25T multiplexer. In addition to the 1Hz averaged thermocouples, at the 2 m level a very fine-wire thermocouple (Omega—modeltype) was mounted near the sonic path and was sampled at 20 Hz. Net radiation was measuredusing a Kipp & Zonen CNR1 four-component net radiometer located at 6.9 m.

The soil properties were measured 3 m northeast of the base of the tower using two soilheat flux plates (REBS, HFT-3) located 8 cm below the ground surface, a soil temperaturethermocouple probe (CSI TCAV) located 3 and 10 cm below the surface, and a soil water con-tent probe (CSI CS-616) located 4 cm below the surface.

Mean winds, temperature and humidity were measured at four heights on the tower, 2 m,10 m, 20 m, 43 m using R.M. Young 5103 anemometers and CSI CS-500 temperature/RHprobes. These instruments were sampled at 1 Hz using a CSI CR-23X datalogger.

All data was transferred in near real-time to one computer located inside the data acquisi-tion trailer over Ethernet via buried fiber optic cable. All datalogger clocks were locked to theclock on the PC which was running CSI Loggernet 3.1.

The sonic anemometers were mounted on the end of tower cross arms that extended 1.4 meast of the tower. Mean instruments were mounted on cross arms that extended south westfrom the tower. The R.M. Young 5103 propeller anemometers were mounted 1.4 m from thetower and CS-500 probes were mounted 0.4 m from the tower and housed in a 6 plate radia-tion shield. The line of thermocouples were mounted on the southwest leg of the tower and ateach level extended outward approximately 10 cm.

A 10 m tower was placed 300 m south of the main tower with the hope that the head firewould pass through this tower as well (Figure 4a and 4b). An area of reduced fuels (cut grass)extended around the tower out to 4 m from the base. Two R.M. Young 81000 3-D sonicanemometers located on the tower at heights 2.3 and 10 m AGL. One CSI KH20 hygrometerwas co-located with the 2 m sonic. In addition, mean temperature and relative humidity weremeasured with a Vaisala, Inc. HMP45C probe. Soil moisture, soil heat flux and soil tempera-ture were measured using a similar set up as that used at the main tower. These instrumentswere placed just below the ground surface close to the edge of the cut fuel line approximate-ly 3.4 m from the base of the tower. The soil heat flux plate (REBS HFT3) was placed at 7.8cm below the surface and the soil moisture probe (CSI CS616) was place 2.5 cm below theplate. Soil temperature was measured using a single CSI TCAV thermocouple array with twoprobes located at 3.8 cm and the other two located at 11.4 cm below the surface. Fuel temper-

22

Figure 4a. 10 m tower located 300 m south of the main tower. The fuel was cut around the baseof the tower and can be seen in the photo.

Figure 4b. South tower showing thermocouples in grass for fuel temperature measurements.

23

atures were measured using three 24 AWG ceramic Type-K thermocouples placed ~ 4 m northof the tower within the fuels at heights of 0.47 m, 0.89 m and 1.4 m AGL. Three 40 AWGType-T thermocouples (Omega, Inc.) were used on the tower at 2, 5, and 10 m AGL. Thesethermocouples were averaged to 1 Hz. In addition a very fine-wire thermocouple (Omega,Inc.) was installed at the sonic path at 2.3 m. All sensors were sampled using a CSI CR5000datalogger at a rate of 20 Hz. The Type K thermocouples were averaged to 1 min and 1 s. Thesamples from the T/RH were averaged to 1 min. The raw 20 Hz samples of the two sonics,fine-wire thermocouple and KH20 were stored. The 40 AWG thermocouples were averaged to1 s and the soil sensors were averaged to 1 min. All data were stored on a 2 Gb memory cardwithin the datalogger while communications to the logger were made via a CSI RF400 RFmodem using Loggernet 3.1to check datalogger time. The same computer used for data acqui-sition on the main tower was used to communicate to all towers onsite. Power was providedby one 12V deep cycle battery and 128 W solar panel.

In addition to the tower measurements, two 3-D Doppler SODARS were operated for theexperiment (Figure 5). One SODAR is operated continuously on site. This Soder is a mediumrange sodar (Scintec, Inc. MFAS-64) and consistently provides wind profiles up to 600 mAGL with 10 m vertical intervals. The first range gate is set to 30 m AGL, but usually the 40m level is more reliable. The minimum averaging period for this sodar is 10 min. The secondsodar deployed for the experiment is a mini sodar (Remtech, Inc. PAO) and was operated onthe day of the burn only starting at 0600 CST. This sodar was positioned approximately 150m east of the south tower in the cut area.

Figure 5. Operations trailer and Doppler SODAR enclosure (right)

24

Radiosondes where launched on site at 12Z on the morning of the burn. Vaisala, Inc. RS-92 GPS radiosondes were used with the DigiCora III MW21 receiving system. While multi-ple radiosondes launched throughout the day and specifically at the time of ignition werewanted, the same receiving station is used for the Vaisala tethersonde system and did not allowfor this since the tethersonde system had to be operating.

The tethersonde system was used in the tower mode with five sensors located at fixedheights rather than using the system to profile using one sensor. The sensors, Vaisala, Inc.TTS111 tethersondes, measure winds, temperature, humidity, and pressure sampled at 1 Hzindividually, but with five sensors this sample rate was reduced due to the time it takes tosequence through each sensor. The sondes were located at 3 m, 10 m, 50 m, 80 m, 130 m AGL(see Figure 6 and 7).

Background meteorological measurements were made using a basic weather station locatedup wind and outside of the burn perimeter (Figure 1). This site consisted of a 3 m tripod thatincluded a Vaisala, Inc. HMP45C probe to measure temperature and relative humidity and R.M.Young 3001 cup and vane sensors to measure wind speed and direction. Data were sampled at 1Hz and stored as 1 min averages to a CR-23X datalogger. Data were then transferred to the maindata acquisition computer via a CSI RF400 modem. The datalogger time was automaticallychecked by the data acquisition computer to match that of all the dataloggers in the experiment.

Figure 7. Tethersonde system. Balloon and allfive sensors can be seen.

Figure 6. Tethersonde system showing winchand first tethersonde sensor

Preliminary Results

Observed Fire Behavior

The evolution of fire behavior and fire-front propagation was documented with time lapsephotography using a tripod mounted digital SLR camera (Canon Rebel XT). Figure 8 showsa photo of the fire front as it approached the main tower. Flame heights are estimated from thetime series of photos to be approximately 16-20 feet above the ground.

The fire burned the entire prairie in approximately 10 minutes. After the main head firewas ignited the crew then ignited the far northeast corner north of the initial ignition line. Asthis new fire moved south a large dust devil formed on the east side of the prairie over thenewly burned area. Figure 9 shows a photo taken of the dust devil. Equipment damage waslimited surprisingly due to the use of fireproof blankets around the tower bases (Figs. 10, 11,12, 13). Some instruments did melt however, since they were exposed to the heat. In addition,the tethersonde balloon broke free from its tether due to severe turbulence associated with thefire plume.

25

Figure 8. Head fire as it approaches the main tower. View is from west to east.

26

Figure 9. A dust devil formed (right hand plume) as the northeast corner was burned.Laura Hightower

Figure 10. Base of main tower after burn. Notice fire proof blankets. The anemometer tail didwarp due to the extreme heat. Also note how close the burn came to the tower base.

27

Figure 11. Burned prairie. Marker stakes show that the entire fuel bed was burned to theground. The view is toward the south and the 10 m sodar can be seen on the right.

Figure 12. Post burn photo of south tower (10m). Solar panel was exposed shortly after the firehad completed in order to maintain power to the sensors.

28

Acknowledgements

This work would not be possible without the help from the following individuals duringthe field experiment: Tim Becker, Meong-do Jang, Susan Street, Monica Patel, Dae-gyun Lee,Ryan Perna, and Neil Jody are thanked for field support and photography and videography.Burn boss Mark Kramer from the Armand Bayou Nature Center is thanked for his coordina-tion and management of the burn and the HCC director Dr. Glen Aumann is thanked for hissupport of this and other research projects at HCC. Scott Goodrick from the USFS SouthernResearch Station, Athens GA is thanked for the Digital IR camera, in field fuels sampling andoverall collaboration with this study. Xindi Bian, Warren Heilman, Brian E. Potter JayCharney from the USFS Northeast Research Station are thanked for collaboration and the useof the USFS minisodar.

Figure 13. USFS Mini Sodar that was placed in a reduced fuels zone within the prairie burn unit.South tower can be seen in distance.

29

Figure 1.

Figure 6.Figure 5.

Figure 4.Figure 3.

Figure 2.

Vegetation Re-growth After the Prescribed Burn

The February 23, 2006 prescribed burn of Area 2 provided an opportunity to document the veg-

etation prior to the burn and re-growth over the next five months. Figures 1-6 are representative

pictures taken on January 30, 2006. Little blue stem, big bluestem, bushy bluestem, long spike

tridens, switch grass, rattlesnake master, cone flower, liatris and a mixture of other grasses and

forbs provide a dense cover. Wax myrtle and baccharis provide a touch of green to the landscape.

30

Figure 7.

Figure 12.Figure 11.

Figure 10.Figure 9.

Figure 8.

Figures 7, 8 and 9 provide three views of the burned prairie on February 24, 2006. Dry con-

ditions, a twelve mph wind and good fuel load resulted in surface temperatures over 600

degrees C. Figures 10 and 11 show the remains of the vegetation and one of many fire ant hills,

whose occupants do not appear to be fazed. Figure 12 shows a cluster of Chinese tallow

saplings. A close inspection reveals that some of the stems have been mowed in prior years

and what is standing represents growth during 2005.

31

Figure 13.

Figure 17.

Figure 16.Figure 15.

Figure 14.

Figures 13-17 were taken on March 16, 2006. Rattlesnake master, eastern gama grass, and

other early plants are providing a green cover around the burned stems of wax myrtle, Chinese

tallow and baccharis.

32

Figure 18.

Figure 23.

Figure 22.

Figure 21.

Figure 20.

Figure 19.

Figures 18-24 were taken on April 1, 2006. Yellow indigo and

rattlesnake master are well represented. Figure 20 shows

Chinese tallow re-growth from rootstock. This burn and earli-

er observations reveal that a hot burn does not kill the below

ground portions of the tree. Figure 22 shows re-growth of wax

myrtle. Spring flowers on the prairie and bluewing teal on the

pond are shown in Figures 23 and 24.

Figure 24.

33

Figure 25.

Figure 29.

Figure 28.Figure 27.

Figure 26.

Figures 25-29 were taken April 17, 2006. The competition for space continues. Milkweed is

in bloom (Figure 26), liatris is becoming recognizable, rattlesnake master is well on its way

Figure 27) and Rubus has found a home in a fire ant hill (Figure 28).

34

Figure 30.

Figure 31. Figure 32.

Figure 34.Figure 33.

Figures 30-34 were taken May 2, 2006. Eastern gama grass (Figure 30), along with mimosa

and rattlesnake master (Figure 31) are in flower. Yellow indigo has set fruit (Figure 32). Liatris

and rattlesnake master are becoming dominant members of the assemblage (Figures 33,34).

35

Figures 35-39 were taken May 17, 2006. Eastern gama grass is widespread and stands out

among the grasses with its flowering heads (Figures 35, 36 and 37). Wax myrtle is also becom-

ing more evident as new growth emerges from the roots at the bottom of the burned stems

(Figures 35 and 38). Chinese tallow is also becoming easy to spot (Fgure 39) as it reaches up

through the liatris and big blue stem. Eastern gama and liatris dominate the prairie landscape

(Figure 36).

Figure 35.

Figure 38. Figure 39.

Figure 36. Figure 37.

36

Figures 40-46 were taken June 6, 2006. Liatris and rattlesnake

master are beginning to flower (Figures 41 and 45). Patches

of yellow are beginning to show with cone flower and sun

flower in bloom (Figures 40 and 44). Guara is flowering

(Figure 43) and Indian plantain is reaching the top of sur-

rounding vegetation (Figure 42). Honeysuckle provides a

tasty lunch for those who can find it (Figure 46).

Figure 40.

Figure 45.

Figure 46.

Figure 41.

Figure 44.

Figure 43.

Figure 42.

37

Figures 47-51 were taken June 27, 2006. Big and little bluestem, knot root bristle grass, and a

profusion of other plants are filling in the remaining open ground. The taller species have

reached a height of nearly four feet.

Figure 47.

Figure 51.Figure 50.

Figure 49.

Figure 48.

38

Figures 52-59 were taken July 6, 2006. Indian plantain has

reached over six feet and is flowering (Figure 53). Cone

flower, knot root bristle grass, and mimosa have set seed

(Figures 54, 55, and 56). Long spike tridens in flower amidst

the guara, rattlesnake master, and tallow (Figure 58 and 59).

Figure 52.

Figure 57.

Figure 58.

Figure 59.

Figure 56.

Figure 55.

Figure 54.

Figure 53.

39

Figure 60.

Figure 64.Figure 63.

Figure 62.Figure 61.

40

Figures 60-70 were taken August 2, 2006. Liatris in flower dominates the prairie (Figures 67,

68, 69). Snow on the prairie (Figure 66) has appeared, switch grass and big blue stem are

beginning to flower. The annual progression continues, but deadlines for annual report make

this the last entry for the year.

Figure 68.

Figure 70.

Figure 67.

Figure 66.Figure 65.

Figure 69.

41

INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS

Instructional programs that use the University of Houston Coastal Center area are limit-

ed by the necessity to control the access of individuals into and out of the research areas.

Nevertheless, approximately 200 acres have been designated for instruction and are used to

demonstrate research procedures or to allow the student to perform certain field exercises

which cannot be done elsewhere. The area consists of a Chinese tallow forest, a grassland area,

and several drainage ditches. The diversity of habitats make this area especially suitable for

ecological observations and studies. Sampling techniques, animal marking techniques, and

animal behavior studies are learned on individual and class projects by University of Houston

students as well as by students from other colleges and universities.

During the 2005-2006 academic year, 18 faculty, 17 graduate students, and 22 visiting

scientists used the Coastal Center and its resources for their research or as a base for research

along the coast and in the estuaries. Support from the Coastal Center budget for individual

projects included travel, specialized equipment, supplies, and stipends. Students and faculty

from the University of Houston, University of Houston-Clear Lake, University of Houston-

Downtown, Southwest Texas State University, Rice University, the University of Cincinnati,

and Oklahoma State University utilized the Coastal Center for environmentally-related stud-

ies during the year. Personnel from Armand Bayou Nature Center, The Nature Conservancy of

Texas, the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory the U.S. Geologic Survey, Texas Parks and Wildlife

Service, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Native Prairie Association of Texas con-

tinued their studies on the Center.

42

RESEARCH PROGRAMS

The support of long-term studies designed to answer basic ecological and environmen-

tal questions continues to be a major objective of the Houston Coastal Center. Dedicated study

areas, laboratory space, shop facilities, and field equipment are provided for these research

programs. Salaries for research personnel, supplies, and specialized research equipment are

funded by external research grants and contracts. Annual reports for each of these programs

are kept on file in the Coastal Center library. The programs are:

Chinese Tallow tree invasive mechanisms.

Past climates and present-day storm dynamics from stable isotope ratios of natural

waters and water vapor in the atmosphere and of fossils and tree rings.

Ecological interactions of the imported fire ant.

Prairie maintenance and restoration.

Microbiological studies on free-living cellulolytic nitrogen-fixing

organisms of the Family Azotobacteraceae and related Diazotrophes.

Groundwater studies of the northern Texas Gulf Coast.

Project Prairie Birds.

Characterization of surface energy exchanges in a coastal environment.

Air quality modeling and measurements.

43

RESEARCH PROJECTS

Cooperative interaction between the Coastal Center, various Colleges and Departments

of the University of Houston, other educational institutions, and governmental agencies result-

ed in a variety of research investigations which utilized the facilities of the Coastal Center dur-

ing the past year. The following is a list of investigators and titles of projects which received

logistic and/or financial support from the Coastal Center during 2005-2006.

Aumann, G. Prairie maintenance and restoration.

Allain, A. and J. Grace. Vegetational analysis and soil sample study of Area 4B. (U.S.

Geological Survey).

Banga, T. and R.M. Capuano. Chemistry and source of fluids in the vicinity of capped salt

domes of the Texas Gulf Coast.

Byun, D., and S. Zhong. Institute of Multi-Dimensional Air Quality Study.

Banga, T. and R.M. Capuano. Chemistry and source of fluids in the vicinity of capped salt

domes of the Texas Gulf Coast.

Capuano, R.M. and A. Chakraborty. Carbon tracers to identify areas of surface water recharge

and salt water upwelling in sand aquifers underlain by oil and gas reservoirs.

Davis, B. Cross-kingdom infective ability of the fungal pathogen, Fusarium oxysporum.

Gonzales, J. (Houston Arboretum & Nature Center). Establishment of demonstration prairie

plot by transfer of plants and seeds from the Houston Coastal Center.

Jurtshuk, Jr., P. Identification of the microbiological isolates from the ground water/aquifer in

the Coastal Center with focus on bacterial succession.

Jurtshuk, Jr., P. Cytochrome oxidase analyses and comparative acetylene reduction studies on

free-living nitrogen fixing organisms of the Family Azotobacteraceae and related

Diazotrophes.

44

Lawrence, J.R. and S.D. Gedzelman. Stable isotope analysis of rain, water vapor, fossils, and

tree rings from the tropics and subtropics: Storm dynamics and paleoclimatology.

Lindsay, S.V. and R.M. Capuano. Saltwater contamination pathways into the

Chicot/Evangeline aquifers of Brazoria County, Texas.

Lyons, P. Soil microbial communities within the coastal prairie ecosystem. (University of

Houston-Downtown).

Marquardt, E.S. Constraints on host use by a parasitic plant.

Kramer, M. Collection of Aloe seeds for diversification of prairie composition. (Armand

Bayou Nature Center).

Pennings, S.C. Community ecology of coastal salt marsh plants.

Pennings, S.C. Multiple symbionts: interactions between mycorrhizal fungi and parasitic

plants colonizing the same host.

Siemann, E. and W. Rogers. Do genetic differences in growth and defense contribute to the

success of an invasive plant species:Experimental tests. (Rice University).

Siemann, E. and W. Rogers. Does herbivory on an invasive tree species along a biogeograph-

ic gradient depend on time since introduction? (Rice University).

Siemann, E. and W. Rogers. Chinese tallow invasions into the endangered coastal

prairie:Causes and consequences. (Rice University).

Siemann, E. and W. Rogers. Does lack of herbivory and disease explain the success of an exot-

ic plant species:Experimental tests. (Rice University).

Sutton, P. Monitoring of mosquito species and population density on the Coastal Center

(Galveston County Mosquito Control).

Wellington, G.M. and E. Borneman. Investigation of coral diseases and mottling syndrome at

the texas Flower garden banks and settlement of coral larvae for SECORE.

45

Wiernasz, D.C. Susceptibility of the imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, to non-native fun-

gal pathogens; host choice evolution in the pathogenic fungus, Fusarium oxysporum.

Zhong, S. Measurement and characterization of atmospheric boundary layer turbulence, near-

surface energy fluxes and CO2 fluxes over Gulf Coast vegetation.

Zhou, H. Monitoring micro-seismic events along the Gulf Coast using broadband seismo-

graphs.

46

RESEARCH PAPERS

The following research papers have been published or submitted for review during the

past year by investigators working on research projects associated with the Coastal Center.

Banga, T., Capuano, R.M., Bissada, A., and D. VanNieuwenhuise. 2006. Source, maturity and

compartmentalization of oil and brines in the S. Liberty Salt Dome, Texas Gulf Coast.

American association of Petroleum Geologists National Meeting, technical Program

Abstract No. 103764.

Borneman, E.H., and G.M. Wellington. 2006. Pathologies affecting reef corals a the Flower

Garden Banks, Northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Gulf of Mexico Science 1:95-106.

Bossdorf, O., H. Auge, L. Lafuma, W.E. Rogers, E. Siemann, and D. Prati. 2005. Phenotypic

and genetic differentiation in native versus introduced plant populations. Oecologia

144:1-11.

Callaway, R.M., Pennings, S.C. and C.L. Richards. Parasitic plants: Parallels and contrasts

with herbivores. Oecologia, in press.

Cassidy, Martin. 2006. Occurrence and origin of free carbon dioxide gas in the earth’s conti-

nental crust. Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Houston.

Clements, C.B., Potter, B., and S. Zhong. 2006. In-situ measurements of water vapor, heat and

CO2 fluxes within a prescribed grass fire. International Journal of Wildland Fire 15(3):1-8.

Cole, B.J., Hines, J.E., Parker, D. and D.C. Wiernasz. 2006. Mating for variety increases

colony activity in the harvest ant, Pogonomyrex occidentalis. (submitted to Molecular

Ecology).

Cole, B.J., R. Edward, C.T. Holbrook, L. Holm, J, Heyward, and D.C. Wiernasz. Foraging

effort and foraging success in the western harvester ant, Pogonomyrex occidentalis.

(submitted to behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology).

DeWalt, S.J., E. Siemann and W.E. Rogers. 2006. Microsatellite markers for an invasive

tetraploid tree, Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera). Molecular Ecology Notes 6:505-507.

47

Donahue, C., Rogers,W.E. and E. Siemann. 2006. Restoring an invaded prairie by mulching

live Sapium sebiferum (Chinese tallow trees): effects of mulch on Sapium seed germina-

tion. Natural Areas Journal 26:244-253.

Donovan, D.A., Pennings, S.C., and T.H. Carefoot. Swimming in the sea hare Aplysia brasil-

iana: cost of transport, parapodial morphometry, and swimming behavior. Journal of

Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 328:76-86.

Glynn, P.W. and G.M. Wellington. Responses of coral reefs to El Niño-southern oscillation

sea-warming events. In Geological approaches to coral reef ecology: Placing the current

crisis in historical context, R.B. Aronson (editor). In press.

Glynn, P.W., G.M. Wellington, B. Riegl, E.H. Borneman, E.A. Wieters. 2006. The scleractin-

ian coral fauna of Easter Island revisited: 1999-2005. Pacific Science, in press.

Hartley, M., W.E. Rogers, J.B. Grace and E. Siemann. 2006. Responses of prairie arthropod

communities to fire and fertilizer:balancing plant and arthropod conservation. American

Midland Naturalist, in press.

Hartley, M.K. 2006. Insect community response to Chinese Tallow (Sapium sebiferum). PhD.

Dissertation, Rice University, Houston, TX.

Hyeong, K. and R.M. Capuano. 2005. Identification of multiple fluid sources and fluid flow

patterns in the vicinity of salt domes of the northeast Texas Gulf Coast. Applied

Geochemistry, submitted.

Johnson, A. 2006. An investigation of the allelopathic potential of Chinese tallow (Sapium

sebiferum). MS thesis, Rice University, Houston TX.

Jurtshuk, Jr., P., M. Larios-Sanz, M. McKinley and E.R.B. Moore. 2006. Comparative

cytochrome oxidase and nitrogenase analyses on members of the Family

Azotobacteraceae and other free-living Diazotrophes. Applied and Environmental

Microbiology, resubmitted with revisions, 7/2006.

Larios-Sanz, M. and P. Jurtshuk, Jr. Taxonomic and phenotypic diversity in members of the

Family Azotobacteraceae and other free-living Diazotrophes examined by cytochrome

48

oxidase analyses. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology, submitted, 2006.

Pennings, S.C. Local and geographic variations in Spartina-herbivore interactions. In review.

Pennings, S.C., Clark, C.M., Cleland, E.E., Collings, S.L., Gough, L., Gross, K.L. Milchunas,

D.G., and K.N. Suding. Do individual plant species show predictable responses to nitro-

gen addition across multiple experiments? Oikos 110:547-555.

Pennings, S.C., and B.R. Silliman. Linking biogeography and community ecology: latitudinal

variation in plant-herbivore interaction strength. Ecology 86:2310-2319.

Pennings, S.C., and E.H. Borneman. 2004. Indirect effects of interactions among species on

coral reefs. In: Birkeland, C. (ed.) Life and death of coral reefs. In press.

Pennings, S.C. and D.J. Moore. Variation in salt marsh primary production on multiple tem-

poral scales. In review.

Pennings, S.C. and J.C. Simpson. Like herbivores, parasitic plants are limited by host nitro-

gen content. In review.

Rogers, W.E. and E. Siemann. 2005. Herbivory tolerance in native and invasive ecotypes of

Chinese tallow tree (Sapium sebiferum) under different resource levels: support for the

Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability hypothesis. Plant Ecology 181:57-68.

Sharitz, R.R. and S.C. Pennings. Development of wetland plant communities. In: Ecology of

Freshwater and Estuarine Wetlands, D. Batzer and R.R. Sharitz (eds). University of

California Press. In Press.

Siemann, E., W.E. Rogers and S.J. DeWalt. 2006. Rapid adaptation of an invasive plant and

its insect herbivores. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B. In press.

Siemann, E. and W.E. Rogers. 2006. Recruitment limitation, seedling performance and per-

sistence of exotic tree monocultures (Biological Invasions, typeset to 13 pages).

Wiernasz, D.C. and B.J. Cole. 2006. Optimal offspring size and reproductive allocation in the

western harvester ant. (Submitted to American Naturalist).

49

Wiernasz, D.C. and B.J. Cole. 2006. Assembling phenotypes: genetic diversity and disease

resistance in harvester ants. (submitted to Science).

Zhong, S., H.J. In and C.B. Clements. 2006. The impact of model physical parameterizations

on simulated boundary layer structure in a coastal environment. Mon. We. Rev. (In revi-

sion).

Zou, J., Rogers, W.E. DeWalt, S.J., and E. Seimann. 2006. Chinese tallow tree (Sapium

sebiderum) ecotype effects on ecosystem carbon and nitrogen processes. Oecologia, in

press.

50

PAPERS PRESENTED

The following list includes meetings attended and papers presented by students and

faculty working on research projects associated with the Coastal Center.

Banga, T., Capuano, R.M., Bissada, A. and D. VanNieuwenhuise. Source, maturity and com-

partmentalization of oil and brines in the S. Liberty Salt Dome, Texas Gulf Coast.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists Annual Meeting, 9-12 April 2006,

Houston, TX.

Borneman, E.H. and G.M. Wellington. 2006. Apoptosis in diseased reef corals. Proceedings

10th International Coral Reef Symposium, Okinawa. pp. 142-146.

Borneman, E.H. 2006. Coral reef guinea pigs: Developing a sustainable harvest regime for

Indonesia’s stony coral fishery with application to other coral exporting nations.

Proceedings 10th International Coral Reef Symposium, Okinawa. pp. 1692-1697.

Borneman, E.H. 2006. Morbidity and mortality resulting from the collection, holding, ship-

ping and culture of marine invertebrates: A continuing hotbed of biotic and abiotic

organism death factors. World Aquaculture Society and Marine Ornamentals

Conference, May 2006, Las Vegas, NV.

Borneman, E.H. 2006. Reproduction in aquarium corals. Proceedings 10th International Coral

Reef Symposium, Okinawa. pp. 50-60.

Borneman, E.H. 2006. Coral reef guinea pigs: Developing a sustainable harvest regime for

Indonesia’s stony coral fishery with application to other coral exporting nations.

Proceedings 10th International Coral Reef Symposium, Okinawa. pp. 1692-1697.

Bruckner, A.W. and E.H. Borneman. 2006. Apoptosis in diseased reef corals. Proceedings

10th International Coral Reef Symposium, Okinawa. pp. 142-146.

Clements, C.B., S. Zhong, G. Aumann, B. Potter, M. Jiang, S. Street and M. Patel. 2005.

Measurements of water vapor and CO2 fluxes produced by a prescribed prairie fire

using a micrometeorological flux tower and tethered balloon sounding system. Fire and

Forest Meteorology Symposium, 25-27 Oct. 2005, Canmore, AB, Canada.

51

Clements, C.B., B.E. Potter, and S. Zhong. In-situ measurements of water vapor, heat and

CO2 fluxes using a micrometeorological tower and tethered balloon system within a pre-

scribed prairie fire. Preprints, Joint Sixth Symposium on Fire and Forest

Meteorology/19th Interior West Fire Council Meeting 25-27 Oct. 2005 Canmore, AB,

Canada.

DeWalt, S.J., W. E. Rogers and E. Siemann. Genetic reconstruction of the introduction of

Chinese Tallow tree to the United States. SEEPAGE Meeting, 2005, Greenville, N.C.

Hartley, M.K., J. Grace, L. Allain, W.E. Rogers and E. Siemann. Responses of prairie arthro-

pod communities to fire:balancing plant and arthropod conservation. Interagency

Invasive Species PI Meeting, 2005, Washington, D.C.

Lawrence, J.R. Let’s develop climate proxies that relate to human experience, namely records

of storm activity (American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco CA,

December, 2005. Abstract 12D.2.

Lawrence, J.R. and S.D. Gedzelman. The potential of stable isotope analysis of water vapor

as a dynamic tracer of water transport in the atmosphere. The Doug Lilly Symposium of

86th American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, 29 Jan.-2 Feb., 2006, Atlanta

GA, Abstract PI.3.

Lawrence, J.R., S. Sarmiento, S.D. Gedzelman and K-Y Kong. Stable isotope ratios of rain

and vapor in Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Katrina (2005). 27th Conference on Hurricanes

and tropical Meteorology, 24-28 April 2006, Monterey, CA. Abstract 7B.4.

Nijjer, S., W.E. Rogers and E. Siemann. Impacts of fertilization on mycorrhizal allocation and

effectiveness in Western Gulf Coast grasslands. Texas Academy of Sciences, March 2,

2006. Beaumont, TX.

Pennings, S.C. 2006. Sea-level rise and ecosystem services of tidal marshes. Sigma Xi

Symposium, Texas A&M University, March 30, 2006.

Pennings, S.C. Latitudinal variation in plant-herbivore interactions. University of Houston,

Downtown. February 4, 2006.

52

Peterson, D., E. Borneman, and M. Brittsan. 2006. 2nd SECORE Workshop: Conserving the

threatened Elkhorn Coral, Acropora palmata. AZA Communique, in press.

Siemann, E. How do herbivores and plant traits influence the success of an invasive plant

species: experimental tests with Sapium on multiple continents. Plenary talk,

Interagency Invasive Species PI Meeting, 2005, Washington, D.C.

Siemann, E., W.E. Rogers and S.J. DeWalt. Rapid adaptation of an invasive plant and its insect

herbivores. Interagency Invasive Species PI Meeting, 2005, Washington, D.C.

Siemann, E. Rangeland Science Dept., TX A&M University, April 4, 2005.

Wiernasz, D.C. 2006. Why study selection in the field? What long-term studies can tell us.

Plenary Talk, International Union for the Study of Social Insects, 2000 Congress.

Wiernasz, D.C. 2006. Chasing the Red Queen: polandry and fitness in harvester ants. Invited

Symposium, International Union for the Study of Social Insects, 2000 Congress.

Zhong, S., C.B. Clements, G. Aumann, and B.E. Potter. 2006: Turbulence fluxes produced by

a prescribed burn of a large prairie. 26th Conference on Agriculture and Forest

Meteorology, Amer. Met. Soc., 21-25 May, 2006. San Diego, Ca.

Zhong, S., H.J. In, C.B. Clements, M.D. Jang, A. Quishi, and C.B. Lee. An observational and

numerical study of boundary layer structure in a Gulf Coast environment. 17th

Symposium on Boundary Layers and Turbulence. Amer. Met. Soc., 21-25 May, 2006.

San Diego, CA.

53

RESEARCH GRANT APPLICATIONS

Capuano, R.M. Studies of carbon tracers to identify areas of surface water recharge and salt

water upwelling in sand aquifers underlain by oil and gas reservoirs. Houston Coastal

Center, $7,500, funded.

Clements, C.B. 2006 Houston Advanced Research Center Graduate Scholar. $5,400, funded.

Cole, B.J. and D.C. Wiernasz. Mating for variety:activity and fitness in Pogonomyrex harvester

ants. Program in Animal behavior, National Science Foundation, $110,000, funded.

Cole, B.J. and D.C. Wiernasz. Mating for variety:activity and fitness in Pogonomyex harvester

ants. National Science Foundation. REU supplement, $6,000, funded.

Hollibaugh, T., Pennings, S.C., and M. Alber. GCE II: Georgia coastal ecosystems. National

Science Foundation, $4,920,000, November 2006-November 2012, funded.

Jurtshuk, P. Jr., Coastal Center nitrogen fixing Streptomyces isolates. Houston Coastal Center,

$3,000, funded.

Lawrence, J.R. Stable isotopes studies of present and past tropical cyclone activity. $9,000,

Houston Coastal Center, funded.

Pennings, S.C. 2006. Collaborative proposal: Latitudinal variation in top-down and bottom-

up control of salt marsh herbivores. National Science Foundation. January 2007-

December 2009. Submitted.

Pennings, S.C. Effects of sea level rise and climate variability on ecosystem services of tidal

marshes, south Atlantic Coast. Craft, C. (PI), Joy, s. (Co-PI), Pennings, S.C. (Co-PI),

Park, D. (Co-PI) and J. Ehman (Co-PI). USEPA, $749,974. Funded. January 2005-

December 2007.

Pennings, S.C. Multiple symbionts: Interactions between mycorrhizal fungi and parasitic

plants colonizing the same host. Houston Coastal Center, $14,500, funded.

Siemann, E. and W.E. Rogers (1/1/06-12/31/10) A long-term experimental deletion of a dom-

54

inant invasive plant: responses of a southeast forest ecosystem, National Science

Foundation, $310,160. Funded.

Siemann, E. and W.E. Rogers. (9/1/03-8/31/06). Does herbivory on an invasive tree species

along a biogeographic gradient depend on time since introduction?. USDA, $195,000.

Funded. (Rice University).

Wellington, G. and E. Borneman. Investigations of coral diseases and mottling syndrome at

the Texas Flower Garden banks and settlement of coral larvae for SECORE. Houston

Coastal Center, $14,380, funded.

Wiernasz, D.C. and B.J. Cole. Genetic diversity and disease transmission. Texas Coordinating

Board Advanced Research Program. $200,000, funded.

Wiernasz, D.C. Granivore activity on the invasive grass Bromus tectorum: a factor in estab-

lishment or exclusion. Center for Invasive Plant Management. , funded.

Wiernasz, D.C. The capability of Fusarium oxysporum as a multi-host fungal pathogen.

Houston Coastal Center, $5,415, funded.

Zhong, S. Development of joint multi-pollutant air quality modeling facilities and air moni-

toring stations for Houston-Galveston metropolitan area. Environmental Protection

Agency, $1,000,000, funded.

Zhong, S. Characterization of upwind boundary conditions for the Houston area through con-

tinuous measurements at the Houston coastal Center in support of TexAQS-II. Houston

Coastal Center, $13,000, funded.

Zhong, S. and C.B. Clements. Repairs to field equipment and summer salary for C.B.

Clements. Houston Coastal Center, $14,337, funded.

Zhong, S. Tools for estimating contributions of wildland and prescribed fires to air quality in

the southern Sierra Nevada, California. USDA, $80,659, 5/1/06-12/31/08, funded.

Zhong, S. Rawinsonde launches, tethered-balloon ozone soundings, and micrometeorological

flux measurements and analyses. TCEQ, $193,234, May 2005-Dec. 2006, funded.

55

4. IMPROVEMENTS MADE

The Coastal Center Research Lab (BLDG. # 752), with 900 square feet of space,

was constructed in 1968 to house the ionospheric radio wave propagation experiments.

This building now serves a variety of research projects. A new roof was installed in

FY2003. A 10 x 40 foot trailer and a 42-m micrometeorological flux tower and several

other measurement platforms were purchased and installed immediately east of BLDG.

#752 in 2005. They serve as the air chemistry lab and boundary layer measurement facil-

ities for the Institute of Multi-Dimensional Air Quality Studies at the University of

Houston.

The Coastal Center Environmental Laboratory (BLDG. # 751), with 2,700 square

feet of space, was constructed in 1969. This building contains laboratories, offices, and

various support rooms for scientific research. A new roof was installed in FY 2003. An

upgrade of the lighting system and new drop ceiling was completed in 2005.

The Coastal Center Equipment Storage (BLDG. # 753), with 3,000 square feet of

space, was constructed in 1972. This building houses a shop and storage for field equip-

ment. The south wall siding of the shop was replaced in FY 2003. A concrete slab work

area was installed in 2005.

The Caretakers Mobile Home (BLDG. # 754), was replaced in FY 2003 with a new

1,100 square foot mobile home.

The Coastal Center Research Scientist Residence (BLDG. # 755), was declared

surplus and sold in FY 2003. Commercial development in the immediate area, with the

addition of several motels, eliminated the need for this building.

A new greenhouse was constructed in the Fall of 2003 on the site where building

#755 was located.

The well houses located near buildings 751 and 753 were re-sided and re-roofed in

FY 2003. A new foundation and repairs to the water supply system were completed in

2005.

Major equipment purchases in FY 2003 included a new tractor with front-end

56

loader and a new all terrain vehicle. Major equipment purchases in 2006 included a F-

150 truck, replacing the 1998 F-150.

5. MAINTENANCE.

Routine maintenance of the buildings, equipment, and fence lines around the prop-

erty is performed by a full-time resident caretaker and temporary employees. A regular

program of roadside and property line mowing has been established. The caretaker is

responsible for security and vehicular traffic control. The University of Houston Plant

Operations is on call for maintenance of utilities and major road repairs.

6. ENCUMBRANCES.

The Deed to this property reflects that conveyance was made and accepted subject

to certain easements. These include an easement granted to Houston Lighting and Power

Company, which runs to June 28, 2004; a pipeline easement to Trunkline Gas Company;

and easements to public roads and highways, public utilities, railroads and pipelines

existing prior to December 28, 1942, when the land was acquired by the Federal

Government by condemnation.

Oil and gas deposits in and upon this land were conveyed to the Department of

Interior by Public Land Order 1062, dated February 2, 1955, and were subsequently con-

veyed to various individuals and oil companies for the purpose of removing said oil and gas.

Houston Oil Producing Enterprises, Inc. (HOPE) presently operates a stripper well

and a tank farm on the P. Gayatt survey A-71, Galveston County, TX. Houston Oil

Producing Enterprises, Inc. drilled No. 3 Camp Wallace in 1986. Drilling terminated at

9,560 feet, the hole was plugged, and the site was abandoned. Houston Oil Production

Enterprises, Inc. (HOPE) was granted permission in 2002 to drill Camp Wallace Well

No.4, P. Gayatt Survey A-71, Galveston County, TX. The well was put into production

in the spring of 2004.

Williams Exploration Company drilled a gas and oil well during July 1985.

Drilling terminated at 9,000 feet, the hole was plugged, and the site was abandoned.

The Daniels Corporation was granted a surface lease agreement for $600/year on a

370’x 220’ tract of University property in Fall 1993. Federal Gayatt #2 was drilled to 9,600

feet and placed in oil production. Holding tanks were constructed on the surface lease.

57

The Daniels Corporation was granted permission to drill Federal Gayatt #3 on the

same site occupied by Federal Gayatt #2. The well was slant-drilled to a depth of 9,050

feet and placed into production in 1998. Federal Gayatt #3 was taken out of production

in 1999. HillCorp Energy Company purchased the Daniels Corporation in 2000 and

Federal Gayatt #3 was plugged in 2003.

An easement was granted in 1992 to the City of La Marque by the Board of

Regents for the purpose of maintaining the North-South drainage system through the

property. A section of the ditch extending from the north fence line to the first road cross-

ing was improved at the expense of Gulf Greyhound Partnership, Ltd.

The University granted Galveston County Drainage District No. 2 a lease to

improve and maintain the East-West and North-South drainage through the Coastal

Center property in Spring 1994. This lease supersedes and extends the lease granted to

the City of La Marque. Phase one of the proposed ditch was completed in 1998. Phase

two, widening of the channel to its final width and depth, began in April 1999. This proj-

ect continues.

The University granted Texas-New Mexico Power Company a 5’ x 30’ electric util-

ity easement out of Lot 1, Share H of the P. Gayatt Survey in 1993.

The University of Houston System Board of Regents donated 2.019 acres of land

in the northwest corner of the Coastal Center property to the Texas Department of

Transportation for a right-of-way easement for FM 1764 in 1997. The Department of

Transportation completed construction of a low-water crossing on the drainage ditch

south of FM 1764 and relocated the new right-of-way fence line in 1999 as a condition

of the donation of land.

HillCorp Energy Company and Houston Oil Production enterprises, Inc. resur-

faced the roadbed from the entrance gate to their production facilities in 2004. The

roadbed was regraded, packed and oiled in August, 2005.

The University of Houston granted Hillcorp Energy company a 5’ wide, 4,851’

long pipeline easement extending from the northwest corner of the Coastal Center to the

southern property line on April 14, 2005.

58

7. CIVIL RIGHTS.

The University is in full compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

(PL88-352) and all requirements imposed by or pursuant to the Regulation of the

Department of Education regarding the Camp Wallace Property.

59

COASTAL CENTER BULLETIN

The Coastal Center Bulletin is an official publication of the University of Houston and

provides for publication of original work which is not published elsewhere and which con-

tributes to those research or educational activities which (a) stimulate the improvement of the

declining environmental quality of urban coastal areas, (b) investigate and guide man’s use

and development of near-urban coastal areas consistent with conservation and sound environ-

mental management, (c) seek to obtain basic knowledge of coastal environment, and (d) pro-

vide for broadly- or specially-educated leadership for these important phases of American life.

Priority is given to (1) Annual Report of the Coastal Center, (2) preliminary summary

reports of papers where publication will be delayed by backlogs in major journals, (3) instruc-

tional materials, (4) papers which summarize data that provide potential baselines to future

and to continuing research, and (5) papers which summarize data normally not published in

research journals because of page limitations and page charges.

GLENN D. AUMANN

EDITOR