40-Acre Sanctuary to be Wildlife Habitat, Natural Water Filter

Our commitment to environmentally friendly development continues at Sienna with the new Summerhouse Lake habitat.

The 40-acre expanse adjacent to Summerhouse Lake will become a sanctuary for resident and migratory birds. It will also be home to aquatic wildlife, including the alligator snapping turtle, which the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department considers a threatened species, and freshwater mussels, named as one of the most endangered groups of organisms in the nation.

The project is currently in the design stage and must be submitted for a final review. Approval could take several months, and construction will be minimal, consisting mostly of deepening some areas and shaping of the wetland's perimeter. Planting of native vegetation such as Southern Blueflag Iris, Pickerel Weed, Soft Rush, Soft Stem Bulrush, Water Purslane and others will follow in a seasonal planting cycle. Other plants providing habitat and food for monarch butterfly migration will also be integral to the natural landscape.

The plants will serve as more than a decorative shoreline, they will also help clean the water, explains Susan Alford, President of Berg-Oliver Associates, an environmental services firm working with Johnson Development on the project.

“Wetland vegetation such as this captures sediment and pollutants as water flows through,” Alford said.

Long Point Creek will flow through the habitat, where the plants will help clean the water as it travels to Oyster Creek and the Brazos River. The captured particles are then broken down into components that can be utilized by microbes in the soil.

“Years ago, this area had been completely dominated by invasive species and the land essentially was dying,” Alford said. “We are working to restore this area to a healthy system.”

Alford expects the habitat to attract a wide variety of birds as it matures. The area has a robust bird population, with spotters in December 2023 reporting 113 different species in Fort Bend County in a mid-December count last year. Brazos Bend saw even more with 140 species of birds noted in a similar report during the same timeframe. Some of the most common sightings were for the Red-winged Blackbird, American Robin, Ring-billed Gull, White Ibis, Brown-headed Cowbird and Sandhill Crane.

There are several other areas in Sienna that work to clean runoff water as it moves through channels, including in Anderson Springs, Steep Bank East and Bee’s Creek.

Several neighborhoods are located along Summerhouse Lake, where residents can savor relaxing views and opportunities for fishing, bird watching and being outdoors. Now open is The Estates, featuring custom homes by Partners in Building and Jamestown Estate Homes on 100-foot homesites. The Long Point and Serene Shore neighborhoods also will offer lakeside lots when they open. Coming soon will be homes by Perry Homes located in Valencia Bend, which is within walking distance of Summerhouse Lake.

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