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Washington, DC - Congressman Gene Green (D-Houston), today secured $350,000 and $400,000 in appropriations for Buffalo Bayou and Brays Bayou, respectively, through the FY 2006 Science-State-Justice-Commerce Appropriations bill.
Congressman Gene Green requested the $750,000 total in appropriations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection program for the City of Houston to acquire property along Buffalo Bayou and Brays Bayou.
The City of Houston’s acquisition of this property along the Buffalo Bayou will allow for restored wetland habitats, increased wildlife habitats and improved water quality along the Bayou. The property totals 1.5 acres and would allow for the expansion of Hidalgo Park, located in a primarily Hispanic Houston neighborhood that has traditionally lacked greenspace. The park’s expansion will facilitate plans to link Hidalgo Park with Buffalo Bend Nature Park, for which Congressman Green secured necessary land acquisition funding in 2003.
“Buffalo Bayou is a historically significant symbol of Houston,” said Congressman Gene Green. “The Buffalo Bayou Partnership has begun to revitalize the Bayou in a manner that balances the conservation of its wetlands and waterways with the need for recreational development in the City of Houston”
The property along Brays Bayou totals two acres and would represent the first step in securing a major portion of the undeveloped floodplain and the banks along Brays Bayou, from its confluence with Buffalo Bayou to Mason Park.
“The City of Houston has identified this area along Brays Bayou as an ideal location for a greenbelt park,” continued Congressman Green. “The City also plans to acquire adjacent tracts to widen the greenbelt and create a functioning linear park. This is ideal for families in our community. The resulting park would create a gateway to historic Harrisburg.”
In a letter to Chairman Frank Wolf and Ranking Member Alan Mollohan of the Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and State, Congressman Green reiterated “the importance of purchasing the area surrounding both Buffalo and Brays Bayou in order to continue its preservation of Houston’s historical system in a manner that balances the need to conserve the Bayou’s wetlands and waterways with the recreational and business development needed to transform the Bayou’s into an active and vibrant urban waterfront centers.”
In continuing the tradition of public and private financial support for this project, the City of Houston has committed to providing a $750,000 funding match to ensure that this property is properly conserved and protected from development.
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