It's nearly 9 months since Hurricane Ike and there's been tons (literally) of work that's been done on Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge to facilitate the recovery of the habitat and wildlife.  Here's a bullet list of updates:

*Estimated 10 1/4" of rainfall for April

*Animals are slowly returning: snakes, turtles, alligators, invertebrates, mammals showing up in small numbers.  Amphibians continue to be absent

*Vegetation is returning but lots of invasive species are taking advantage of the die off of some natives

*17 miles of road have been replaced by the refuge, (including the road to frozen point), and are now open to the public

*16 miles of ditches have been cleaned, including the boat canal to Oyster Bayou

*All water structures along Oyster Bayou on the west side of Anahuac NWR are replaced

*A new salt water barrier on the Oyster Bayou boat ramp canal is in place

*Last structure in Middleton is being worked on now so all the structures on that unit will be new

*4 million pounds of debris has been removed from the refuge; still more remains

*Public restrooms have been rebuilt and are now open to the public

*The overlook on the levee trail is repaired and open to the public

*The Shoveler Pond boardwalk is repaired and open to the public

*Rookery trail and overlook remains closed

*Marsh Mania with Galveston Bay Foundation brought 70+ volunteers and was highly successful in revegetating the bay shoreline

*Free Family Fishing Day was held on June 6, 2009 and we had 215 people who came to fish and crab and enjoy the day

*15 acres on hwy 563 has been donated by Chambers County and is now officially owned by the USFWS for a new complex office and educational site

Hosted annually by the Friends of Anahuac Refuge in the spring, the rail walks give birders and birdwatchers the opportunity to see up to five species of rails.

The goal is to provide an opportunity to see some of the most elusive birds in Texas, the Yellow and Black Rail. We also regularly find Sora, Virginia Rail, and Clapper Rail on the walks. Sedge Wrens and Seaside Sparrows are also often seen.