Volunteers clean east end creek

Efforts to restore Japhet Creek in the east end continued in October with the help of student volunteers and Japhet Civic Association members. The restoration project was launched in 2004 by neighborhood residents whose goal was to clean up and beautify the creek, and provide needed green space for the area.

Japhet Creek is a tributary that feeds into Buffalo Bayou south of Clinton Drive. Years of litter, dumping and neglect had damaged the creek's ecosystem and wildlife. Under the direction of the Japhet Creek Restoration Project, volunteers have removed 2,000 pounds of scrap metal, over 150 tires, and many bags of trash. They have also planted more than 150 saplings and trees, and have distributed pounds of wildflower seeds along the banks of the creek. The group is now working in conjunction with the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, which has given grants for the purchase of native plants and trees.

The creek and nearby neighborhood are part of an industrial corridor that lines Clinton Drive along Buffalo Bayou on the way to the Houston Ship Channel. Some of the industry along Clinton has been replaced by residential development, and townhomes dot the landscape. The goal of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership is to preserve and develop land along Buffalo Bayou for parks and green space through community involvement, and thus protect the natural streams that feed into Buffalo Bayou.

Volunteers from area high schools and universities, as well as employees from area businesses, have taken part in cleanup days at the creek. The Restoration Project has been used as a learning tool and class project to educate elementary and high school students about the effects of litter on creeks and waterways. At this time the Trust for Public Land, a national non-profit conservation organization is purchasing land along the Japhet Creek waterway, to turn it over to the city or county to create a public park.

A journal of past activities at Japhet Creek can be found at japhetcreek.blogspot.com and for a guide to Buffalo Bayou Partnership projects go to www.buffalobayou.org.