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Documents and Studies

Check this area for important documents concerning Exploration Green. This page will be updated as needed.

Exploration Green Master Plan

The Exploration Green master plan, along with detailed construction drawings for each of the five phases and other information reside ont eh Clear Lake City Water Authority's (CLCWA's) Exploration Green Detention Facility web page

Legal Documents

Click the links below to view legal documents pertaining to the formation of the Exploration Green Conservancy.

IRS 501(c)(3) Acceptance Letter

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) letter accepting the Exploration Green Conservancy as a tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization.

Texas Secretary of State Certificate of Filing

Texas Secretary of State Certificate of Formation

Exploration Green Conservancy Certificate of Formation of a Nonprofit Corporation, Filing 8019002249.

Studies

In the early days of the Exploration Green project, Exploration Green committees and subcommittees accumulated several noteworthy studies during the course of researching possibilities for Exploration Green.  As Exploration Green progressed and tangible benefits were realized, third parties such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Texan By Nature (TxN) took note.  They prepared case studies describing the benefits of Exploration Green and how the approach could be replicated elsewhere  Click the links below to read the full studies.

Financing Natural Infrastructure: Exploration Green, Texas, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Technical Note Number ERDC/TN EWN-22-7, 2022

PURPOSE: This technical note is part of a series collaboratively produced by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)–Institute for Water Resources (IWR) and the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). It describes the funding process for Exploration Green, a large- scale community initiative that transformed a former golf course into a multipurpose green space with flood detention, habitat, and recreation benefits. It is one in a series of technical notes that document successful examples of funding natural infrastructure projects.

Click here to read full case study.

EXPLORATION GREEN Case Study: Integrated, Solution-Oriented Urban Green Space, Texan By Nature (TxN), 2021

In Southeast Houston, dedicated groups are transforming a defunct golf course into an innovative stormwater detention center. Exploration Green provides an integrated, natural solution for catastrophic seasonal flooding, holding up to 500-million gallons of stormwater while also serving as a nature preserve and recreation area. Located near the NASA Johnson Space Center, this 200-acre urban green space provides the community with countless opportunities to explore, offering 40 acres of both wetlands and permanent lakes providing a home to over 1,000 native species.

Click here to read full case study.

Exploration Green! - A Case Study in Effective Floodplain Management, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 2019

Formally known as the Clear Lake City Water Authority (CLCWA) Detention Facilities and Associated Open Space and Park, Exploration Green (EG) stands as an ideal example of what is possible as a result of collaboration within a community to achieve long-term, sustainable mitigation of flood-related damage to residential, civic, and commercial structures, while improving quality of life for the people and businesses in the surrounding community.

Click here to read full case study.

Pedestrian Pathways, Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), 2012

A Planning Guide for the Houston-Galveston region. Walking is a healthy and affordable alternative to traffic congestion, vehicle pollution, and the high cost of automobile ownership. This planning guide lays the groundwork for improving the pedestrian environment......one step at a time.

Stormwater Wetlands for the Texas Gulf Coast, Texas Sea Grant, 2012

Stormwater wetlands are emerging as one of the very best ways to clean up polluted stormwater on the Texas Gulf Coast. Wetlands are abundant in our area because we are so flat and wet, and they play a critical role in our natural ecology. And because we are so flat and wet, we have developed a very extensive stormwater detention and conveyance system. Wetlands can easily be engineered into this system — a marriage of engineering and nature that could be our best bet for meeting water quality goals in the face of rapid population growth on the coast. This marriage would also beautify our communities and help to restore some of the functions of the natural wetlands we have lost.

Click here to read full article.

Clear Lake Pedestrian and Bicyclist Study, Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), 2011

The Clear Lake Pedestrian & Bicyclist Study, and the recommendations made within this report, represents a significant opportunity for the City of Houston to improve walking and biking for its citizens. This opportunity includes expanding the network of bicycle facilities and connecting to regional corridors and planned projects for both recreational and utility trips. The recommendations also represent an approach to improve safety and pedestrian connectivity in the community while providing options for healthy, active trips. Analysis and
observation within the study area identified many active users and an unmet demand for more opportunities to make walking and biking trips.

Measuring the Economic Impact of Park and Recreation Services, John L. Crompton, National Recreation and Parks Association, 2010

Park and recreation departments frequently are viewed as relatively high-cost centers in cities’ annual budgets because operational costs exceed revenues. However, this narrow perspective is incomplete because it fails to recognize that money invested in park and recreation department services does not belong to the city council, rather it belongs to the city’s residents. The purpose of economic impact studies is to measure the economic return that residents (rather than the city council) receive on their investments.

Click here for full study.

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