Seven acres added to nature preserve

Houston Parks Board, Inc. Board Member Terry Hershey and Chairman S. Reed Morian (l-r) present a proclamation to ChevronTexaco’s Mickey Driver, Craig Wiest and Orval Baldwin.

Gift from ChevronTexaco expands Cool Green
Corridor to 30 Acres

The Houston Parks Board, Inc. today announced the addition of a seven-acre parcel to the nature preserve known as Cool Green Corridor along Greens Bayou in northeast Houston. The gift from ChevronTexaco further extends the wildlife preserve that was first purchased by the Houston Parks Board in 1998. Later this week, the Texas Recreation & Parks Society will honor ChevronTexaco for the Cool Green Corridor donation with the group’s Conservation Award at its annual conference in Abilene.

“We are very grateful to ChevronTexaco for their generous donation of this land,” said Houston Parks Board Chairman S. Reed Morian. “They are a great example of how corporate partners can make a tremendous positive impact in our community. It is a great demonstration of ChevronTexaco’s commitment to preserve and protect our natural resources, making Houston a better place for all of us to live and work.”

The newly donated property, which is adjacent to the Texaco Country Club golf course, measures 317 feet by 3,229 feet. The new parcel extends the corridor closer to the eventual goal of connecting Greens Bayou to Herman Brown Park, a 750-acre nature park. Texaco Exploration and Production Inc., working with the club’s board of directors, agreed to donate the environmentally significant parcel of land to the Houston Parks Board to increase the size of the habitat used by wildlife in the area. The wooded area help facilitate the protection and migration of wildlife, including white-tailed deer, hummingbirds, herons and hawks, in the area.

“Protecting our natural resources is a cornerstone of our operations and reflects our commitment to the highest standards of environmental stewardship,” said Mickey Driver, public affairs manager for ChevronTexaco. “By preserving this important tract of land, we not only help protect the migration of wildlife and green spaces in Houston, but we also ensure its preservation for future generations to enjoy.”

In 1998, the Houston Parks Board worked closely with local homeowner David High and other preservation groups to purchase the first 23-acre portion of the corridor. That purchase was made possible by a $170,000 gift from the Brown Foundation that provides funds to the Parks Board for the express purpose of land acquisition projects. The original purchase created a vital link between Hunting Bayou in Herman Brown Park and Greens Bayou. It also continues to provide a pathway for wildlife to travel from the bayous to Big Gulch (a small tributary flowing into Greens Bayou), then along the city’s water canal to the Sheldon Reservoir Wildlife Management Area and Lake Houston.

The Houston Parks Board, Inc. is a charitable organization dedicated to representing private donors and managing their contributions to improve existing park projects and to purchase additional parkland. Since its inception in 1976, the Houston Parks Board, Inc. has been instrumental in the growth of our city’s park system from 5,700 acres to more than 20,000 acres. Along with the addition of new parkland, the Houston Parks Board, Inc. also plays a significant role in the improvement and further development of existing parks projects.

Texaco (now ChevronTexaco) recently received the Houston Conservation Leadership Award from The Nature Conservancy for its commitment to protecting and preserving the natural resources of Texas.

The company also will be recognized with the Park People’s Conservation Award at their banquet in April.