Restore a Blackland clay wet-prairie swale margin near Ennis, site 5, 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)

The survey above found a bare or degraded Blackland clay wet-prairie swale margin near Ennis, and hand planted native sedges and rushes would otherwise leave this depression-wetland edge bare for another season. 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: owner or right of way consent record plus before after photos plus species and plant count record plus GPS 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. Confirm the segment with the property owner, or the county road department if on the right of way, and photograph the bare or degraded swale margin before starting, staying on stable ground. 2. 2. Hand plant native wet-prairie sedges and rushes around the swale margin, hand tools only, no power equipment, staying out of standing water. 3. 3. Hand mulch around the new plantings along the margin. 4. 4. Photograph the planted swale margin from the matching before vantage and record species and plant count. Done when: Written or recorded permission from the property owner, or confirmation the work stayed on the public road right of way; Before photo of the bare or degraded swale margin; Confirmation only hand tools were used, work stayed out of standing water; Species and plant count recorded; After photo of the planted swale margin from the matching vantage

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

$170 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

owner or right of way consent record plus before after photos plus species and plant count record plus GPS

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

Level

intermediate

Open until

2026-08-30

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.