Parks nearby The Woodlands for Rainbow Trout Fishing

Would you like to take your child fishing for fresh water Trout? Or maybe you would like to grab your fly fishing equipment and fish for them yourself. Unfortunately, The Woodlands does not have an agreement with the state to stock them, but two other nearby parks are stocked annually! This year, the schedule you might want to make note of.:

Burroughs Park near Tomball - January 14, 2011. That is today folks! On Huffsmith Road near FM 2978.
Carl Barton Jr. Park Pond in Conroe - January 11, 2011. Off Loop 336 east of I-45; on right east of 1314.


Both locations can be fished now! For adult fishing, these are community lakes and you must abide by state regulations requiring a fishing license and a trout stamp. Read the documentation fully in the link below.  


Full list of stocked ponds for Rainbow Trout (and rules)

Gardening on community property

Do you know that The Woodlands Texas has a resident's gardening location and possibly will have a second one soon? Residents have gardened for years here. They wait in line for someone to relinquish a plot in the "garden" at the Bear Branch Sportsfields. The gardening plots are sectioned off and marked clearly to enable residents to have a vegetable or flower garden out in the sun. In the older parts of The Woodlands, some homes have practically no sun in their yards. Even now in August, some of the gardeners are working their little gardens. Some have trellises for vines; others have stakes, coverings and other tools to help them deal with the heat. Water delivered by hose is available close to all the plots. Sign-up is with the association, so you can access their pages there to see what the current process is to get a plot.

Bear Branch Sportsfields

Here in The Woodlands Texas, we have an excellent, beautiful and popular sports complex nestled in the forest. It is across the road from Bear Branch Park, next to Bear Branch Creek, a thin reserve of forest which serves as a wildlife sanctuary. This park is used primarily for soccer matches. These tables are handy for many people who use the park for soccer or play (example: Frisbee throwing). Golf is prohibited in this complex. There are seven adult size soccer fields. During soccer season, one will find many smaller fields carved out of the large ones to accommodate the needs of sports clubs for children.

A concession stand with restrooms is new. The grass on the fields is lush and exceptional. Chick-Fil-A manages the concession stand which opens at 8am on weekend mornings. Unfortunately for the writer, on this particular morning, they did not serve coffee.

Park rules are clearly explained on this sign near the parking lots.
There is plenty if parking, some 236 spaces. Getting there: From I45 heading north, take exit 76 to Research Forest Drive. Follow this road until you pass the light at Shadowbend (Montgomery College is located on the right) and proceed over the bridge at Bear Branch Creek. Click here for a Google map locating the complex.

Northshore Park

Each photograph is a full sized page when you click on the photo. The entrance to this park is on Lake Woodlands Drive just west of the Lake Woodlands bridge, west of Town Center. Mapquest link

This is one of the most highly used parks in The Woodlands. It is located on Lake Woodlands. It is the place to take families and visitors alike. You find fisherman here, with family and neighborhood gatherings, or just an occasional duck admirer. This is a place to bring the children to watch baby ducks in the Spring or have a whole flock circle about you. BBQ or roast some wieners on the grills. In the summer, this is the location for Sunday evening free concerts. Also, the Rowing Club is active with boat storage on site and an annual regatta in the spring. You will find the annual YMCA Dragon Boat festivities here in September. Recently, the park's hours were extended to 11PM to accommodate those who need late park hours, especially giving fishermen a place to hang their hats (and park their cars) in the evening. Normally the parks in The Woodlands close at dusk. One can fish from the shores of the park for catfish, perch, Crappie and anything else in the water. The fish can be kept as this lake is not restricted to the catch and release limitations as are the ponds of The Woodlands. However, any small body of water is easily contaminated with chemicals or feces. I do not recommend eating fish out of such a location.

For boaters, this is a good place to go to launch a Kayak, sailboat, Jon boat or canoe. Motor boats are not allowed except for electric motors. There should be no boat wake on the water. This is the location of the summer concerts. Families will bring their chairs to sit out on the grass and a picnic to watch and enjoy the performing musicians. This large covered pavilion is ideal for group parties and can be reserved through the park department of The Woodlands. Families and groups enjoy outdoor grass games in the area in front of the children playground. A small Gazebo for group events. Along the shoreline of Lake Woodlands where the fisherman will typically be found. The swarm of ducks. Domestic and wild ducks live on this pond. Fewer are seen this day than normal. Notice the bridge. The boat ramp is visible, along with a fishing pier, close to that bridge. Children's playground. Rowing club practicing a race.

Related sources

• YMCA Dragon Boat Event
• Woodlands Rowing Club
• Concerts in the Park

Alcohol in The Woodlands Texas Park System

This commentary is intended to be an adjunct of a proposal to outlaw alcohol beverages in the park system of The Woodlands.

Background
The Woodlands community has been concerned about an issue with violence in one particular park in Grogan's Mill. At the first July meeting, the WCA board discussed the issue. A proposal is being considered to eliminate alcohol from the park system to mitigate the risk of future violence and crime in our parks.

Commentary
Although I do not condone excessive alcohol consumption, I do have a position that we should not outlaw its consumption in our park system. Our community parks are for the general public. We have several levels of parks that should be considered however. The neighborhood parks for children should not have alcohol, but I am unaware of any related problems in this respect. In the village parks, many people enjoy having a beer, especially in the summertime. That alcohol is consumed with BBQ prepared on the grills and in general,in very normal family and friend gatherings. People fishing on the ponds enjoy a beer, just like they do elsewhere. Picnics will often be accompanied by alcoholic beverages, including wine. This is an amenity which many people can and do enjoy. I would like our parks to attract all of our residents and be comfortably used as they are intended.

A more palatable solution might be to focus on the human behaviors at the parks which is the real issue, not the consumption of beverages. Drunkenness should not be allowed, just like it is not allowed on the streets. Public intoxication is something that law enforcement deals with regularly. This might be a more acceptable solution to everyone. What is really needed is a way to enforce a set of behavioral rules on property belonging to The Woodlands.

George Mitchell Preserve at Spring Creek The Woodlands Texas

George Mitchell Preserve consists of approximately 1700 acres along Spring Creek in Southeast Texas. It is part of a much larger regional project. See the link below. In a flood zone, along either side of the creek, the preserve has weathered development and construction, but maintaining most of its natural integrity even to this day. Lately, a large initiative has been launched for the largest park in Texas, called Spring Creek Greenway. Now, George Mitchell Preserve is being developed, section at a time, into a series of natural paths and creek-side amenities for nature lovers. This area will be preserved with its savannas, large pine trees, Cypress and other native forest plants as a haven for deer, squirrels, Possum and other wildlife. It is intended to provide a means for humans to appreciate the forest.

In one spring walk, I took photos along the paths of this preserve and have made them available for readers. See some of the photos below.

One can easily find the trail head of the northern trails from Flintridge Rd. A sign along the road marks the trail head of George Mitchell Preserve. Please be careful to carry out what you take into the forest. It is a pristine area. Keep on the marked paths and do not wander off of them, so the plant life will not be harmed. Please leave it as you found it or cleaner.

Enjoy the solitude away from city noise. Sometimes you will have to put up with the noise of airplanes flying overhead and sometimes the hammers and machinery some distance away where construction continues nearby. But the birds will sing; the butterflies will flutter around you; the squirrels will break the silence and startle you in the nearby brush. A deer might even be alarmed and run out from the brush if late in the evening or early in the morning. A visitor walks on dirt here, not concrete. Walking is thereby easier on the joints and generally more quiet. Walk with a stealth gait and you might see a little more wildlife.

The photos below are randomly selected for your viewing by the software. There are a number of photographs in the folder. If you wish to see more, just click on one of them and all the photos will be made available for you to view and you can see larger pictures.

Links: Spring Creek Greenway

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