User:Hgrove/Dickinson Bay (Texas)

Dickinson Bay is an inlet of Galveston Bay in Texas, United States within the Greater Houston metropolitan area. "The Bay is located 1.1 miles from San Leon, Galveston County, Texas. The Dickinson Bay is over a mile at its widest point and is approximately a circle." "The Bay is fed by the Dickinson Bayou and is molded from the extension of Cat Point, April Fool Point, and Shell Island into the Galveston Bay." It is also fed by the community of San Leon that sits on a peninsula to the bay’s north. Dickinson Bay hosts a variety of wildlife and vegetation, along with a recreational area for those visiting in Texas.

Etymology and History

Dickinson Bay is named after John Dickinson who was a Texas Revolutionary War hero and is known to be one of the “old 300” settlers of Austin’s original colonies. The “old 300” refers to the first 300 settlers who received land grants by Stephen F. Austin, who has been deemed the founder of Texas, under the first colonial contract in Mexican Texas. The majority of the first 300 settlers migrated from the Trans-Appalachian South. Almost all of these settlers were of British ancestry and had substantial means before coming to Texas. Based on this history and relationship to the "first 300", it can be assumed that John Dickinson came from an affluent status and was of British ancestry.

Flora and Fauna

Flora

The Flora, also known as vegetation in a specific region, is quite diverse in the Dickinson Bay with a host of both native and invasive species that populate the area. The area is categorized under one of the five systems of Wetlands as Palustrine. The Dickinson Bay area is designated as a scrub-shrub wetland, which falls under the Palustrine category with native vegetation such as Senna bean (Sesbania drummondii) and smaller trees such as yaupon (Ilex vomitoria)and cedar elm (Ulmus crassifolia). On the other hand, there are a host of invasive species that have taken afoot in Dickinson Bay including the Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera), Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense), Japanese privet (Ligustrum japonicum). These invasive species of trees have taken over lots of space geographically where the native species once thrived, causing environmental stability problems within the Dickinson Bay habitat.

Fauna

The Fauna, also known as the animals in a specific region, is composed of native Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus), Beavers (Castor canadensis), as well as winged animals such as the White-tailed Hawks (Buteo albicaudatus), and Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus). Aquatic and fish species include Gulf Flounder (Paralichthys Albiguttata), Crappie (Pomoxis), Winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus), Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), Golden Trout (Oncorhynchus aguabonita), Summer Flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), and Spotted Sea Trout (Cynoscion nebulosus). There are a few invasive species that have also been introduced to the area including Nutria (Myocastor coypus) and Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata). These invasive species compete with other native species like the Muskrats and native Ducks to the area, which in turn threaten the natural ecosystem.

Geography

Wetlands

The Dickinson Bay is fed by the Dickinson Bayou and hence has many of the landscape criteria similar to the bayou. This particular bay is home to numerous wetlands including upland and open water.

Palustrine scrub-shrub is one the wetlands that if found in the Dickinson Bay region and surrounding features. The specific wetland type includes vegetation that is shrub-like such as the Senna bean or smaller trees like the yaupon or cedar elm. Both of these small trees do not form to large forests or mature past a certain height. Additionally, there is also Palustrine emergent wetlands found in the Dickinson Bay, which is characterized by grassy vegetation including Marsh-hay cordgrass, arrowheads or square- stem spike rush.

There are also estuarine wetlands that are found in the area which are “brackish to saline systems which are affected by tidal influences and salinity regimes.” In the estuarine wetlands, there is vegetation including salt marsh cordgrass, marsh-elder, marsh hay grass, bulrushes, and square-stem spikerush.

Climate

The Dickinson Bay is found in Dickinson, Texas which is a relatively hot climate in the United States. From May until October the heat can range from 83 to 91 degree Fahrenheit (28.33 to 32.778 Celsius) whereas December through February the temperature does not drop below 60 degrees, on average. Where Dickinson Bay is located, the area gets an average annual precipitation to be about 56.81 inches.

Tourism and Recreation

Fishing

The Dickinson Bay in Texas is home to a wide range of activities such as fishing or boating. Regarding fishing, fisherman will discover a wide amount of different fish including gulf flounder, crappie, winter flounder, red drum, golden trout, flounder, summer flounder, and spotted sea trout. In order to fish in this particular bay, one must get a Texas Fishing License and learn about the fishing rules and regulations.

A visitor will find that there are multiple trails for kayakers or canoers to take from canals that lead from the Dickinson Bayou.