Hand-remove invasive King Ranch bluestem and Johnsongrass at Live Oak Park's upland buffer, site 3, Cove Park and Live Oak Park at Whitney Lake, Ingleside, TX 78362 (2026-07-27)

Invasive King Ranch bluestem and Johnsongrass have crowded out native Coastal Bend soil structure in this protected upland buffer area, choking out the deep-rooted native grasses that hold this sandy loam against Gulf storm runoff. Standard: USDA NRCS Soil Health assessment and restoration practice (infiltration, aggregate stability, organic matter, native root structure), applied here to Coastal Bend sandy loam soil under invasive-grass encroachment. SDG 15.3 land degradation neutrality. Proof: before/after photos + species/area-treated record + hand-removal-only confirm + GPS Method (USDA NRCS Soil Health assessment and restoration practice (infiltration, aggregate stability, organic matter, native root structure), applied here to Coastal Bend sandy loam soil under invasive-grass encroachment. SDG 15.3 land degradation neutrality.): 1. 1. Walk the assigned upland buffer area with city parks staff and photograph the King Ranch bluestem or Johnsongrass stand as found. 2. 2. Hand pull small clumps by the root; for larger stands, cut and bag seed heads first to prevent further spread before pulling root clumps. 3. 3. Hand pulling and cutting only on this rung, no chemical spray treatment, staying within the confirmed park boundary. 4. 4. Bag and haul off removed material, photograph the treated area from the matching before vantage, and record the species and area treated. Done when: before/after photos + species/area-treated record + hand-removal-only confirm + GPS

Where

Cove Park and Live Oak Park at Whitney Lake, Ingleside, TX 78362

Pay

$130 proposed

This packet is not funded yet, so this figure is a proposed price and not money waiting in escrow. If a buyer funds it, approved proof settles that price onchain. If nobody funds it, approved proof earns provable credit toward the work instead of cash. You see which before you claim, never after.

Proof

before/after photos + species/area-treated record + hand-removal-only confirm + GPS

This is exactly what gets it approved. Nothing settles without it.

Level

intermediate

Open until

2026-10-26

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 45–90 minutes. Method of record: USDA-NRCS soil-health in-situ assessment

Bring

• soil auger or trowel
• infiltration ring + measured water + timer
• penetrometer (if compaction in scope)
• clean bucket
• sample bags + labels
• gloves
• GPS phone
• camera

Steps

1. 1. Navigate to the plot; record GPS; sketch the sampling layout.
2. 2. Photograph each sampling station.
3. 3. Run the infiltration ring; record time to infiltrate 1 inch.
4. 4. Assess aggregate stability and note visible organic matter, roots, and biology.
5. 5. If compaction is in scope, record penetrometer resistance by depth.
6. 6. Collect 0-15 cm cores if a lab subsample is specified; bag, label, complete COC.
7. 7. Enter all measurements with units + depth, GPS, photos into the proof record; sign.

If it does not match the plan

• Infiltration > 30 min/inch or high penetrometer resistance -> flag compaction; recommend cover crop / reduced traffic.
• Very low organic matter / no visible biology -> flag degraded; recommend amendment plan.

What counts as done

• Infiltration time recorded
• Aggregate stability + organic-matter observation recorded
• Each in-scope measurement recorded with units and depth
• GPS waypoint + station photos + site sketch

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.