Armand Bayou Nature Center
Encyclopedia
Armand Bayou Nature Center is an urban
preserve
located in Pasadena
and southeast Houston
between the Johnson Space Center and the Bayport Industrial District
. The 2500 acres (10.1 km²) nature center is the largest urban wilderness preserve in the United States
.
Founded in 1974, the center consists of a boardwalk through forest and marshes, live animal displays, bison
and prairie platforms and butterfly gardens. The center also includes the "Martyn", "Karankawa", "Marsh", "Lady Bird" (named after Lady Bird Johnson
) and "Prairie" nature trails that allow visitors to see forest, prairie
, marsh and natural bayou
habitats once common in the Houston and Galveston
region.
The nature center is home to more than 370 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Over 220 species of birds reside or rely on the center as a safe resting-place on their migratory journeys. Armand Bayou Nature Center lies along the Central Flyway
, the largest migratory bird route in North America
. The center is part of the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail
and one the coastal preserves designated under the Texas Coastal Preserve Program of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
.
The center was named in honor of Armand Yramategui, a Houston environmental visionary who died in 1970. Yramategui foresaw the increasing urban growth around Armand Bayou and pursued to have the land remain a wilderness. Following Yramategui's death, fellow environmentalist and friend Hana Ginzbarg became the bayou
's advocate for the Bayou Preservation Association. Her activism and work through the Bayou Preservation Association, Outdoor Nature Club, and other organizations was instrumental in creating the Nature Center.
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
preserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
located in Pasadena
Pasadena, Texas
Pasadena is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Harris County, 17th-largest in Texas, and 162nd largest in the United States. The area was founded in 1893 by John H. Burnett of Galveston....
and southeast Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
between the Johnson Space Center and the Bayport Industrial District
Bayport Industrial District
The Bayport Industrial District is a large commercial real-estate development located in southeast Harris County, Texas, within the Bay Area of Greater Houston. It is one of the two industrial districts in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of La Porte...
. The 2500 acres (10.1 km²) nature center is the largest urban wilderness preserve in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Founded in 1974, the center consists of a boardwalk through forest and marshes, live animal displays, bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
and prairie platforms and butterfly gardens. The center also includes the "Martyn", "Karankawa", "Marsh", "Lady Bird" (named after Lady Bird Johnson
Lady Bird Johnson
Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 during the presidency of her husband Lyndon B. Johnson. Throughout her life, she was an advocate for beautification of the nation's cities and highways and conservation of natural resources and made that...
) and "Prairie" nature trails that allow visitors to see forest, prairie
Western Gulf coastal grasslands
The Western Gulf coastal grasslands are a subtropical grassland ecoregion of the southern United States and northeastern Mexico. It is known in Texas as "Coastal Prairie" and as the Tamaulipan pastizal in Mexico.-Setting:...
, marsh and natural bayou
Bayou
A bayou is an American term for a body of water typically found in flat, low-lying areas, and can refer either to an extremely slow-moving stream or river , or to a marshy lake or wetland. The name "bayou" can also refer to creeks that see level changes due to tides and hold brackish water which...
habitats once common in the Houston and Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
region.
The nature center is home to more than 370 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Over 220 species of birds reside or rely on the center as a safe resting-place on their migratory journeys. Armand Bayou Nature Center lies along the Central Flyway
Central Flyway
The Central Flyway is a bird migration route that generally follows the Great Plains in the United States and Canada. The main endpoints of the flyway include central Canada and the region surrounding the Gulf of Mexico; the migration route tends to narrow considerably in the Platte River and...
, the largest migratory bird route in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The center is part of the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail
Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail
The Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail is a state-designated system of trails, bird sanctuaries, and nature preserves along the entire length of the Texas Gulf Coast in the United States. As the state of Texas hosts more bird species than any other in the U.S. the trail system offers some of the...
and one the coastal preserves designated under the Texas Coastal Preserve Program of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas...
.
The center was named in honor of Armand Yramategui, a Houston environmental visionary who died in 1970. Yramategui foresaw the increasing urban growth around Armand Bayou and pursued to have the land remain a wilderness. Following Yramategui's death, fellow environmentalist and friend Hana Ginzbarg became the bayou
Bayou
A bayou is an American term for a body of water typically found in flat, low-lying areas, and can refer either to an extremely slow-moving stream or river , or to a marshy lake or wetland. The name "bayou" can also refer to creeks that see level changes due to tides and hold brackish water which...
's advocate for the Bayou Preservation Association. Her activism and work through the Bayou Preservation Association, Outdoor Nature Club, and other organizations was instrumental in creating the Nature Center.
See also
- Baytown Nature CenterBaytown Nature CenterThe Baytown Nature Center is located in Baytown, Texas, east of Houston. It is located on a peninsula along the Houston Ship Channel and surrounded on three sides by Burnet Bay, Crystal Bay, and Scott Bay....
- Great Texas Coastal Birding TrailGreat Texas Coastal Birding TrailThe Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail is a state-designated system of trails, bird sanctuaries, and nature preserves along the entire length of the Texas Gulf Coast in the United States. As the state of Texas hosts more bird species than any other in the U.S. the trail system offers some of the...
- Texas City Prairie PreserveTexas City Prairie PreserveThe Texas City Prairie Preserve is a nature preserve located on the shores of Moses Lake and Galveston Bay in Texas City, Texas in the United States, near Houston. The preserve was created in 1995 by the Nature Conservancy thanks to a US$2.2 million donation of land by ExxonMobil...
- Wildlife refugeWildlife refugeA wildlife refuge, also called a wildlife sanctuary, may be a naturally occurring sanctuary, such as an island, that provides protection for species from hunting, predation or competition, or it may refer to a protected area, a geographic territory within which wildlife is protected...