University of Houston Coastal Center

The University of Houston Coastal Center (UHCC) is designated by the Texas legislature as the home of the Texas Institute for Coastal Prairie Research and Education.  It contains a mosaic of habitats: high-quality coastal prairie, forested wetland and manmade wetlands, and coastal prairie in the process of restoration.

The Institute has a slice of the remaining Gulf Coast prairie at the landscape level, with about 200 acres of actively managed coastal prairie.  Another 100 acres is in the process of restoration.  The remaining acreage contains potential prairie restoration sites, forested wetland and manmade wetlands, and facilities for research and education. The focus of the Institute is on coastal prairie restoration, research, and education statewide, with the goal of eventually becoming a regional and national hub.

Prior to its transfer to the University of Houston, the site of the UHCC was acquired by the federal government as the location of Camp Wallace, which began construction as an Army Coast Artillery Replacement Training Center in 1940. The camp site was coastal tallgrass prairie that lay in the Highland Bayou watershed, which is part of the Galveston Bay watershed.

The University of Houston received the first parcel of property from the federal government in 1960. By 1972, the current 925-acre site was established as the UH Coastal Center.

The UHCC is the only field station owned by the University of Houston. It provides a unique and essential facility for faculty doing environmental education, research, restoration.  The UHCC provides an ideal location for field courses with an outdoor component. These have included students taking UH courses in Architecture, Biology and Biochemistry, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, English, and Science Education, and from other institutions in the Houston metropolitan area.

Major activities and uses at UHCC include:

• Management of high-quality coastal prairie that acts as a gold standard for biodiversity
• Restoration of degraded coastal prairie and enhancement of wetlands
• Research benefiting from access to field sites and equipment
• Student education in multiple disciplines
• Volunteers and advisors assisting in habitat restoration and management
• Community outreach to understand the history of the site and develop opportunities for the future
• Refuge for wildlife and a living laboratory of native plant species