(bird chirping)
>> WHEN YOU WERE ON THE CREEK
YOU FELT LIKE YOU WERE A
THOUSAND MILES FROM ANYWHERE.
IT KIND OF TEARS ME UP TO
SEE WHAT PEOPLE ARE MISSING
TODAY ON THE BAYOUS.
THEY JUST NEED TO
KNOW WHAT THIS WORLD WAS LIKE
BEFORE MAN BEGAN TO DESTROY IT.
(music)
>> THIS IS CLEAR CREEK,
ON THE SOUTHERN BORDER OF
HARRIS COUNTY,
JUST A COUPLE MILES FROM
HOUSTON'S OUTER BELTWAY.
THIS SLOW-MOVING CREEK IS
CALLED A BAYOU,
BUT IT'S VERY DIFFERENT FROM
THE OTHER BAYOUS AROUND
HOUSTON.
ALTHOUGH HOUSES AND
SUBDIVISIONS POPULATE
ITS BANKS,
CLEAR CREEK STILL SUPPORTS
AN ABUNDANCE OF BIRDS,
FISH & WILDLIFE.
BUT THINGS ARE CHANGING
ALONG THE CREEK,
AND FOR MUCH OF THE WILDLIFE
THAT CALLS THIS BAYOU HOME...
TIME MAY BE RUNNING OUT.
♪
>> IT'S WONDERFUL TO WAKE UP
IN THE MORNING ON CLEAR CREEK,
ACTUALLY EVEN GO TO BED AT
NIGHT ON CLEAR CREEK
BECAUSE YOU HEAR THE
BARRED OWLS CALLING OUTSIDE.
THE EASTERN SCREECH OWLS WILL
BRING THEIR FAMILIES THROUGH.
IN THE MORNING YOU WAKE UP
TO THE DAWN CHORUS OF ALL
THE BIRDS.
BEING ON CLEAR CREEK OFFERS THE
ILLUSION OF BEING IN A TOTALLY,
TOTALLY DIFFERENT HABITAT.
AND IT'S VERY TROPICAL.
YOU COULD BE IN SOUTH AMERICA.
YOU COULD FEEL LIKE YOU'RE
IN SOUTH AMERICA.
FOR MYSELF, IT TRANSPOSES ME,
TAKES ME AWAY FROM MY
EVERYDAY WORLD.
AND IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT
KIND OF WORLD.
AND YOU CAN JUST GET LOST IN IT.
YOU FLOAT ALONG A CREEK,
FOR INSTANCE, AND YOU
CAN BE ANYWHERE.
AND THE AMAZING THING IS
THAT CLEAR CREEK IS RIGHT
HERE INSIDE HARRIS COUNTY.
I MEAN, IT'S RIGHT HERE.
IT'S ACCESSIBLE TO US.
IT'S OURS.
>> THIS IS A REAL REFUGE IN
HERE, IT'S A GORGEOUS PLACE,
BUT IT'S ONE OF THE FEW AROUND.
♪
AND THESE BIRDS, WHEN THEY'VE
FLOWN SAY, ACROSS THE
CORNER OF THE GULF OF MEXICO,
GET TO THE TEXAS COAST,
THIS IS JUST THE KIND OF
HABITAT THEY NEED.
THEY NEED A PLACE THAT THEY
CAN DROP IN AND REST,
GET SOME SHELTER, FIND FOOD.
SO THAT ANY TIME YOU LOSE
THIS KIND OF HABITAT AS
A WAY STATION ON A
MIGRATORY ROUTE,
YOU'RE EFFECTING THAT
POPULATION GREATLY.
YOU CAN GET SOME IDEA,
JUST FROM THE NUMBER OF HERONS
AND EGRETS THAT ARE FEEDING
ALONG HERE,
HOW PRODUCTIVE THIS IS.
WE'RE SEEING FISH SWIRL.
THERE'S BIRDS FEEDING ALL
ALONG THE EDGE.
I CAN HEAR ALL KINDS OF
SONGBIRDS SINGING,
CAROLINA WRENS AND CARDINALS,
CHICKADEES.
THERE'S TREMENDOUS PRODUCTIVITY
IN HERE.
AND THEY'RE NOT MAKING ANY MORE
OF THIS ANYMORE.
(birds chirping, water lapping)
>> THIS PARTICULAR CLEAR CREEK
IS ONE OF THE ONLY REMAINING
UNALTERED CREEKS.
I MEAN, WE'D BE SELLING
MONEY TO GO SEE WHAT A BAYOU
USED TO LOOK LIKE BEFORE
WE MESSED AROUND WITH THEM.
YOU COULD PUT A GATE
ACROSS IT AND CHARGE,
I THINK PEOPLE WOULD PAY TO
GO SEE IT.
IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
TO LOSE THE BEAUTY
THAT CAN'T BE REPLACED.
TO LOSE THE ECOSYSTEM
THAT CAN'T BE REPLACED.
TO LOSE THE FISHERIES,
FISHERIES ARE DWINDLING
WORLD WIDE AND HERE YOU HAVE
A NURSERY GROUND WHICH WILL
BE TAKEN AWAY FROM THE BAY,
WHICH IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST
INDUSTRIES ON THE BAY
IS FISHING.
IT'S IRONIC THAT HOUSTON IS
CALLED THE 'BAYOU CITY' AND
WE HAVE BEEN BUSILY REMOVING
OUR BAYOUS AS HARD AS WE COULD.
>> IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE HOUSTON
IN ITS EARLY DAYS
WITHOUT BAYOUS.
THEY WERE THE PRIMARY SOURCE
OF TRANSPORTATION,
RECREATION, AND COMMERCE.
TWENTY-SIX MAJOR WATERWAYS
EXTENDING THROUGH THE REGION
IN AN INTRICATE WEB.
HOUSTON TRULY WAS A
'BAYOU CITY'.
BUT DURING THE EARLY PART OF
THE 1900'S,
HOUSTON'S GROWTH EXPLODED.
ITS POPULATION DOUBLED EVERY
TEN YEARS.
AND MUCH OF THAT GROWTH TOOK
PLACE IN FLOODPLAINS.
SUDDENLY, THE BAYOUS BECAME
A THREAT.
IN 1936, HOUSTON'S DOWNTOWN
DISTRICT WAS DEVASTATED WHEN
WATER SPILLED OVER THE BANKS
OF BUFFALO BAYOU.
THE ENTIRE LANDSCAPE OF
HARRIS COUNTY WAS ABOUT TO
CHANGE FOREVER.
>> MOST URBAN DWELLING PEOPLE IN
SOUTHEAST TEXAS PROBABLY THINK
OF A NATURAL BAYOU AS A BIG
CHANNELIZED DRAINAGE DITCH THAT
THEIR STREET GOES ACROSS.
AS A WAY TO GET THE WATER OUT
OF THEIR STREETS AND DOWN TO
THE BAY AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE.
BUT THIS IS WHAT A BAYOU IS
REALLY SUPPOSED TO BE.
AND WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO
PRESERVE AT LEAST A REMNANT,
AT LEAST THE FEW OF THE
REMAINING AREAS THAT HAVEN'T
BEEN CHANNELIZED ALONG
THEIR STREAM SIDES, BECAUSE NOT
ONLY FOR THEIR BIOLOGICAL
RICHNESS AND FLOOD CONTROL,
AND AMENITY OF LIVING, REALLY,
FOR PEOPLE LIVING NEARBY.
BUT AS A SORT-OF
CONNECTION TO OUR PAST.
>> BUT THE TIES TO OUR BAYOU
HERITAGE HANG BY A THREAD AS
MORE AND MORE OF OUR WATERWAYS
ARE CHANNELIZED.
THIS IS SIMS BAYOU
IN SOUTHEAST HOUSTON.
HERE, THE WATERWAY HAS BEEN
STRAIGHTENED, DEEPENED,
AND WIDENED FOR FLOOD CONTROL.
A SIMILAR FATE IS PLANNED
FOR 19 MILES OF CLEAR CREEK.
ITS DELICATE ECOSYSTEM IS AT
A CROSSROADS.
>> PEOPLE LOVE TO LIVE
NEXT TO BIG TREES.
THEY LOVE TO HAVE SOMETHING
NATURAL.
THE DOWN SIDE IS THAT RIVERS
DO FLOOD.
STREAMS DO FLOOD.
AND IT CAN AFFECT YOUR
PROPERTY.
THE IDEAL WAY IS TO BE ABLE
TO LIVE IN HARMONY AND
BE ABLE TO NOT LOSE
YOUR PROPERTY,
OR LOSE THE VALUE
OF YOUR PROPERTY AND
STILL HAVE ALL THE AMENITIES
THAT THIS STREAM PROVIDES.
>> THESE AMENITIES COULD BE
THE SOURCE OF A SIGNIFICANT
ECONOMIC WINDFALL.
TEXAS REALIZES SOME
TWENTY-SIX BILLION DOLLARS
A YEAR FROM TOURISM
AND RECREATION.
AND NATURE-BASED TOURISM IS
THE FASTEST GROWING SEGMENT
OF THE INDUSTRY.
>> PEOPLE SPEND MONEY TO BE
INVOLVED IN THE OUTDOORS.
AND THESE COMMUNITIES THAT HOLD
THESE RESOURCES IN TRUST BENEFIT
ECONOMICALLY FROM THAT ACTIVITY.
IT IS THAT SIMPLE.
THEN YOU CAN ATTACH A
SPIRITUAL VALUE,
A SOCIAL VALUE,
AND AN EDUCATIONAL VALUE.
YOU CAN ATTACH ALL THOSE OTHER
VALUES, BUT NEVER IGNORE
THAT ECONOMIC VALUE.
HISTORICALLY, WE HAVE.
HISTORICALLY, WE'VE DISCOUNTED
THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF THESE
RESOURCES.
>> WHEN WE DID A STUDY OF
THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES
IN SOUTH TEXAS,
THE VALUE FROM VISITATION THERE
HAD NEVER BEEN QUANTIFIED.
WE FOUND OUT THAT BIRDWATCHERS
ALONE WERE PUTTING ABOUT
100 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR
INTO THE LOCAL ECONOMIES.
SOME OF THE MOST DEPRESSED
ECONOMIES IN OUR STATE.
I WOULD ARGUE THE SAME THING
IS TRUE FOR OUTDOOR RECREATION
AROUND GALVESTON BAY
AND ON CLEAR CREEK.
WE HAVE NOT QUANTIFIED IT YET.
WE BETTER BE VERY CAUTIOUS
ABOUT HOW WE MOVE FORWARD
WITH THESE GREAT
SCHEMES AND PLANS,
BECAUSE WE MAY FIND OURSELVES
CUT OFF FROM GREAT ECONOMIC
OPPORTUNITIES.
>> BUT TO THROW AWAY THE
BENEFITS OF A FUNCTIONING
ECOSYSTEM,
WHICH ARE, FILTERING OF WATER,
BANK EROSION CONTROL,
ROOKERIES, BIRDING,
ECONOMIC TOURISM.
ALL THAT WILL BE SACRIFICED
AND IT WILL BE SACRIFICED TO
A RELATIVELY FEW PEOPLE.
>> YOU'RE GONNA EAT IT, RIGHT?
>> WE'RE GONNA GO UP AND
WEIGH IT BEFORE IT DIES NOW,
SO WE CAN TURN IT BACK LOOSE.
>> THE ULTIMATE FATE OF
CLEAR CREEK WILL MOST DIRECTLY
AFFECT THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE
WITHIN ITS WATERSHED.
THEY ARE THE ONES WHO MUST
DEAL WITH THE FLOODS ON
THE BAYOU.
BUT THE CHALLENGE FOR ALL OF
US LIES IN ADOPTING A BALANCED
APPROACH BETWEEN DEVELOPMENT
AND THE ENVIRONMENT.
IF THAT CHALLENGE IS MET,
ALL TEXANS WILL HAVE A CHANCE
TO EXPERIENCE A REMNANT OF
HOUSTON'S BAYOU HERITAGE.
>> IT'S IMPROVED
OUR QUALITY OF LIFE,
BECAUSE INSTEAD OF
HAVING TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE
TO SEE NATURE AND THE BIRDS
AND EVERYTHING,
WE CAN JUST SIT IN OUR BACKYARD
AND WATCH NATURE COME TO US.
>> IN THE AREA AROUND HOUSTON,
JUST THE 7 COUNTIES AROUND
HOUSTON,
THERE ARE OVER 450 SPECIES OF
BIRDS THAT HAVE BEEN RECORDED.
THERE ARE ONLY LIKE 5 OR 6
STATES THAT HAVE MORE.
THIS IS AN UNBELIEVABLE AREA.
UNBELIEVABLY RICH FOR WILDLIFE,
AND WE STILL HAVE A CHANCE
TO SAVE SOME OF IT.
IT'S NOT TOO LATE.
♪