PORT O'CONNOR, Texas – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced the opening of its 83rd paddling trail, this time coming to land near the Powderhorn Wildlife Management Area and State Park near Port O’Connor.
TPWD said the grand opening of the trails will happen at 9 a.m. on April 5 at the Calhoun County Boggy Nature Park.
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“We’re really excited to launch this series of trails around the future Powderhorn State Park site,” said Shelly Plante, TPWD nature tourism manager. “Whether you like paddling on a creek, lake or along the bay, there’s something for everyone!”
Port O’Connor, an unincorporated community on the Texas Gulf Coast, sits between Corpus Christi and Galveston.
The park, still in its planning stages, will include four segments of paddling trails that will be available to the public.
Boggy Bayou Trail
Structured as a beginner trail, Boggy Bayou consists of a protected marsh with heavy bird activity from spoonbills, egrets, herons and osprey. Seagrass and oysters also fill the backwaters of the productive estuary. High tides and rain events can make launching problematic, TPWD said.
Matagorda Shoreline Trail
This trail will take paddlers along the shoreline of the future state park to historic Indianola. Again, high tides and rain events can make launching problematic. Alternatively, paddlers can launch from the Matagorda Bay shoreline just past the boardwalks. This trail can be exposed to high north and south winds, which TPWD does not recommend paddlers launch in.
Powderhorn Lake Loop Trail
This segment will allow paddlers to traverse the whole lake. Paddlers should launch from Indianola Fishing Marina or Powderhorn RV Park.
Coloma Creek Trail
TPWD said this remote body of water is more similar to a shallow bay. Nonetheless, paddlers can launch at the Coloma Creek Bridge and paddle west. The creek is made up of mostly shallow mud flats.
Paddlers can expect an abundance of bird and wildlife watching opportunities, the release said.
Dolphins and sea turtles may be observed in Matagorda Bay and Powderhorn Lake. Alligators can also be viewed along the shores of Boggy Bayou and Coloma Creek.
The park, still in its planning stages, will occupy about 1,350 acres of Powerderhorn Ranch land nearby.
Over the years, conservation groups and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation purchased about 17,000 acres in that area of Calhoun County for $50 million.
Part of the funding was made available from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, which resulted from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The state park itself will be 1,360 acres, and the rest of the land will be preserved as the area faces increasing development pressure, TPWD Executive Director Carter Smith previously said.
Foster Farm & Ranch has pledged to donate proceeds from the sale to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation.
The new state park would be one of few along the Texas coast. Mustang Island and Goose Island state parks sit southwest of Calhoun County, while Galveston Island and Sea Rim state parks are to the northeast.
TPWD said the ranch includes more than 11 miles of tidal bayfront on Matagorda Bay. The freshwater wetlands and salt marshes are not only home to fish and wildlife but also act as a natural water filter and protect communities from storm surges, TPWD said.
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