Coastal Marshes

Below you can find resources for teaching about coastal marshes in your learning environment.

Overview | Benefits | Conservation | Wildlife | Cultural Connections

Local Resources | Activities/Lessons | Videos

Overview

Marshes rim the upper Texas coast, and provide a transition between prairies and bays.

A salt marsh lines the salty water of the bay. It’s a muddy, mucky place with changing salinity, temperature and water levels. It’s dominated by Spartina alterniflora, which hides small shell- and finfish.

A brackish, or intermediate, marsh is characterized by plants that tolerate both salt and freshwater conditions due to occasional strong storm surges that flood inland areas with salt water. As the climate changes and sea levels rise, there is concern for the viability of these marshes due to a continuous presence of saltwater.

Freshwater marshes are adjacent to prairies, and cannot support saltwater intrusion. These are common near Sabine Lake by Port Arthur. They require large amounts of rainfall runoff to maintain low salinity. This habitat is severely affected by drainage alterations upstream.

Here’s more information about the difference between a wetland, marsh and swamp.

The best way to see a marsh is by kayak, due to the sticky mud. Contact Artist Boat for an educational trip.

Benefits

Courtesy of Texas Coastal Exchange:

Coastal marshes act as protective barriers for inland areas against the storm surges of strong storms by absorbing wave energy. They capture floodwaters and release them slowly, lessening the impact of floods. Vegetation protects against erosion by stabilizing sediments and lessening the power of wave action. It provides habitat for birds, shellfish and juvenile finfish and acts as a nursery for bay organisms. Plants filter out excess nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, pollutants and pathogens. They are also a carbon SINK because they remove carbon dioxide (called blue carbon) from the atmosphere and store it in their roots and wood, as well as the soil. This rich, organic soil holds an enormous amount of water and stimulates plant growth, creating a positive feedback loop.

Conservation

Blue carbon is any carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems, in both plants and sediment. Coastal habitat accounts for half of the total carbon sequestered in ocean sediment, and oceans cycle about 80% of the global carbon. Projects are being developed all along the Texas coast to protect and restore coastal habitat to offset carbon emissions.

Teaching tip: Calculate your Carbon footprint using various online tools, and find ways to reduce the footprint of your school.

Teaching tip: Participate in Galveston Bay Foundation’s Wetlands Connections program.

Wildlife

Alligators galore! Once an endangered species, these cold-blooded creatures rebounded nicely when hunting and trapping seasons were closed. Brazos Bend State Park’s website has many alligator resources for the curious.

Historically, the marshes were full of otters (Lutra canadensis) and muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus), but they are far less common today. Muskrats eat cattails, an abundant plant. Ribbon snakes are excellent swimmers, and make a great snack for Great Blue Heron or Great Egrets. Many of the birds are protected by federal and state laws; Texas Parks and Wildlife differentiates between wild and game birds.

A pesky invasive is the nutria (Mycocastor coypus). Originally from South America, nutria were introduced by fur traders and by people using them to control vegetation.

Cultural Connections

“Native Land Digital creates spaces where non-Indigenous people can be invited and challenged to learn more about the lands they inhabit, the history of those lands, and how to actively be part of a better future going forward together.” Visit this interactive map.

Local Resources

Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge is on the bay and is operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Contact the refuge to schedule a “Wonders of Wetlands” program.

Armand Bayou Nature Center near Clear Lake features multiple ecosystems as a living laboratory. Immerse your students in this spectacular space.

Artist Boat on Galveston Island operates guided kayak adventures, Eco-Art workshops, and summer camps in the bay.

Bolivar Flats Shorebirds Sanctuary on the Bolivar Peninsula (a short ferry ride from Galveston Island) is free to visit. Contact Houston Audubon for more information.

The Galveston Bay Estuary Program (GBEP)  has a variety of resources about Galveston Bay available. Both the GBEP and Back the Bay websites provide general information about Galveston Bay. The Galveston Bay Regional Monitoring Database contains data specific to the bay, and both the Galveston Bay Report Card and the State of the Bay report have information on health and importance of the bay.

Galveston Island State Park is a great place to fish, hike, geocache, survey wildlife with iNaturalist or test water quality. Contact the park to customize your experience.

Trinity Bay Discovery Center near Beach City on the bay is operated by the Galveston Bay Foundation. Participate in a customized experience.

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department offers teachers a chance to borrow a local trunk filled with activities and materials.

Activities/Lessons

Elementary School

Conduct a Wetland Audit either on campus, or visit a wetland near you. Resources from National Wildlife Federation:

K-2 Conducting a Wetlands Audit | K-2 Baseline Audit | K-2 Post-Action Audit

3-5 Conducting a Wetlands Audit | 3-5 Baseline Audit | 3-5 Post-Action Audit

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: Freddie the Fish (story about impact of urban runoff on habitat)

Virtually Wild! Communities Wetland Activities that correspond with videos from Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

Middle/High School

Texas Aquatic Science is an online curriculum & textbook.

Conduct a Wetland Audit either on campus, or visit a wetland near you. Resources from National Wildlife Federation:

6-8 Conducting a Wetlands Audit | 6-8 Baseline Audit | 6-8 Post-Action Audit

9-12 Conducting a Wetlands Audit | 9-12 Baseline Audit | 9-12 Post-Action Audit

Texas Gateway Resources for Biology, TEK 10.C (System Organization featuring Salt marshes)

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: Coastal Controversy (6-12, role play a meeting of people concerned about erecting a fence) and Web of Life (6-12, Food Webs)

“Wetlands” is a comprehensive unit plan created in the NASA Climate Change Research Initiative program that introduces students in grades 9-12 to the ecosystem and economic services that wetlands provide. The unit provides hands-on and laboratory investigations that evaluate human impacts on saltmarsh ecosystems while integrating field work activities using GLOBE, My NASA Data and many other NASA educational resources, content and platforms.

Videos

More videos about Freshwater Wetlands or Coastal Marshes on the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition’s YouTube Channel.