Habitat Restoration

GBF's Habitat Restoration team is focused on restoring and protecting shoreline ecosystems throughout Galveston Bay. We lead large-scale and small-scale efforts to revive saltwater marshes, oyster reefs, and living shorelines.

Our Kemah  Wetland Days will return starting May 2026.

Join us in propagating native wetland plants and giving them a new home at our Gessner Center property.

• Saltwater Marsh Plantings: We work with partners and groups of volunteers restore intertidal salt marshes using dredge material to elevate subsided land (e.g., Burnet Bay and Pierce Marsh) and transplant native marsh grasses like smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora).
• Marsh Mania Events: Our biannual community planting events—Marsh Mania in the spring and fall—put volunteers to work restoring salt marsh habitat. Since 1999, more than 221 acres have been replanted with over 11,000 stems per event, promoting hands‑on stewardship and raising public awareness.

Marsh Mania is tentatively scheduled for September 2026. Stay tuned for alerts about this popular event.

• Living Shoreline Projects: Typically, volunteers are not involved in the creation of Living Shorelines but are critical in raising awareness about the benefits of these types of projects. Living shorelines are man-made marsh terraces and oyster-shell breakwaters that reduce wave energy, trap sediments, and provide stable habitat for newly planted marsh grass. GBF Dedicated Volunteers help raise awareness about the benefits of Living Shorelines at community engagement events.