Document a bare Blackland clay wet-prairie swale margin near Ennis, site 1, a public county road right of way near Ennis, TX 75119, Ellis County (Blackland clay wet-prairie swale or depression-wetland segment), or a resident's own rural property with the owner's consent (2026-07-31)

This Blackland clay wet-prairie swale or depression-wetland margin near Ennis shows bare eroding soil or invasive weed cover with no photo record to prioritize it for hand planted native restoration. Standard: USDA NRCS conservation practice standard 657 wetland restoration plus standard 643 restoration of rare or declining habitats (Blackland clay wet-prairie swale and depression-wetland margin protection), applied here to a segment near Ennis, TX, Ellis County. SDG 15.1 and 6.6. Proof: document only stand off photo log plus swale condition note plus GPS plus ranked follow on note plus owner or right of way consent record Method (USDA NRCS conservation practice standard 657 wetland restoration plus standard 643 restoration of rare or declining habitats (Blackland clay wet-prairie swale and depression-wetland margin protection), applied here to a segment near Ennis, TX, Ellis County. SDG 15.1 and 6.6.): 1. 1. From a safe standoff at a public county road right of way, or a resident's own rural property with the owner's consent, photograph a bare or degraded Blackland clay wet-prairie swale or depression-wetland margin near Ennis without entering standing water. 2. 2. Note whether the swale margin shows bare eroding soil, invasive weed cover, or intact native wet-prairie cover. 3. 3. Photograph the site from a fixed reference point for future comparison. 4. 4. Record a ranked follow on note naming the segment for the habitat restoration crew. Done when: Written or recorded permission from the property owner, or confirmation the observation was made from the public road right of way; Photo of the swale margin taken from a safe standoff without entering standing water; Note of the condition (bare eroding soil, invasive weed cover, or intact native wet-prairie cover); Ranked follow on note naming the segment for the habitat restoration crew

Where

a public county road right of way near Ennis, TX 75119, Ellis County (Blackland clay wet-prairie swale or depression-wetland segment), or a resident's own rural property with the owner's consent

Pay

$85 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

document only stand off photo log plus swale condition note plus GPS plus ranked follow on note plus owner or right of way consent record

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

Level

entry

Open until

2026-10-30

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 30–60 minutes. Method of record: EPA dry-weather / AMD field screening

Bring

• GPS phone
• pH meter or strips
• conductivity meter
• ammonia + iron test kit as specified
• surfactant screen if specified
• gloves
• camera

Steps

1. 1. Navigate to the outfall/reach; record GPS; photograph it, capturing any visible flow or staining.
2. 2. Note whether flow is present in dry weather (yes/no).
3. 3. Measure and record pH, conductivity, and each specified analyte per kit instructions.
4. 4. Log any color, odor, floc, or aquatic-life observation.
5. 5. Enter all readings with units, GPS, time, and photos into the proof record; sign.

If it does not match the plan

• Dry-weather flow present with elevated conductivity/ammonia/surfactants -> flag suspected illicit discharge for the responsible agency.
• pH < 6 with visible iron floc -> tag suspected acid mine drainage; recommend metals lab panel.

What counts as done

• pH + conductivity recorded with units
• Each specified analyte recorded with a value
• Dry-weather flow present? recorded yes/no
• GPS waypoint + timestamped photo

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.

The standard this serves

Watershed Health. A watershed is everything the land pours into a stream, and the stream keeps the record. The EPA's bioassessment method reads that record through the small creatures living in the gravel: mayflies and caddisflies mean clean water, only worms and midges mean trouble. Mastery looks like a person who can wade one riffle with a net and tell you how the whole valley is doing. That skill is built sample by sample. This packet is one of them: one site, one careful count, one entry in the long record of a stream.