Editor's Note: The Wallisville Lake Project was hit hard by Hurricane Ike, but the staff is working to have all facilities open to the public as soon as possible. The visitors center, project office and boat ramp at the Trinity River Island Recreation Area are open, but before visiting, call 409/389-2285 for up-to-date status on the five recreational areas.

By Tracy L. Connell

 Zooming along on busy Interstate 10, some 35 miles east of downtown Houston, travelers often pass directly through the heart of the Wallisville Lake Project without ever realizing it. The pristine, 23,000-acre wilderness property, which stretches along both the east and west banks of the lower Trinity River, is one of the best-kept secrets on the Texas coast. One reason may be that this particular U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lake project is missing its man-made lake.

When Congress authorized the project in 1962, the plan was to dam the Trinity River just below the town of Wallisville and create a 19,700-acre reservoir, the first on a proposed navigation system from the Gulf of Mexico to Dallas and Fort Worth. The federal government made land purchases totaling 23,000 acres, and construction began in 1966. In  1971, however, the Sierra Club and a coalition of environmental groups and fishing associations filed a lawsuit to stop the project, claiming that it would damage a major estuary and wetlands. The court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, and in 1973—with the dam three-fourths complete—construction came to a halt.

Still called the Wallisville Lake Project—despite the missing reservoir—the preserve offers five recreation areas with public access. The Trinity River Island Recreation Area, the J.J. Mayes Wildlife Trace, and the Trinity River Waterbird Rookery are off In-terstate 10 near the Trinity River Bridge. To the northeast, Cedar Hill Park offers access to Lake Charlotte, while Hugo Point Park offers access to Old River Lake and the southwest side of the project.

The best place to start your explorations is at the Trinity River Island Recreation Area, a man-made island located between the river and the navigation channel that engineers began building in the early stages of the project. Here, you can collect maps and other information and talk with one of the park rangers, who can answer questions about fishing, birding, and hiking.

If you enjoy birdwatching, you’ll want to explore the J.J. Mayes Wildlife Trace, which is on the west bank of the river. The drive, which winds through the green, riparian landscape, provides an elevated view of the surrounding coastal marsh. Twice a year, thousands of birds use this protected area as a vital rest stop during migration.

Amy Turner, executive director of the Anahuac-based Waterborne Education Center, often takes schoolchildren to the Wallisville Lake Project for an introduction to coastal conservation. “It’s great for the kids to have the opportunity to see this area as it is now,” says Turner, “and then to stop at the locks, look at the map, and hear the ranger explain that everywhere they have just toured could have been one large shallow lake, instead of a river and wetland that serves as habitat for thousands of plant and wildlife species.”

See the full article in the October 2008 issue.

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