Document the Coushatta Creek riparian corridor, site 2, the Coushatta Creek crossing along the refuge's public auto tour route, Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public national wildlife refuge), Eagle Lake, TX 77434, Colorado County (2026-08-04)

This stretch of Coushatta Creek's riparian corridor, inside Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, has bare soil pockets along the bank with no photo record to prioritize it for native planting. Standard: USDA NRCS conservation practice standard 580 streambank and shoreline protection plus conservation practice standard 342 critical area planting, applied here to Coushatta Creek's riparian corridor inside Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado County, TX. SDG 6.6 and 15.1. Proof: document only observation log plus cover condition note plus GPS plus ranked follow on note Method (USDA NRCS conservation practice standard 580 streambank and shoreline protection plus conservation practice standard 342 critical area planting, applied here to Coushatta Creek's riparian corridor inside Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado County, TX. SDG 6.6 and 15.1.): 1. 1. From the public dry bank along the refuge's auto tour route, photograph a stretch of Coushatta Creek's riparian corridor without entering the water. 2. 2. Note the approximate length of the stretch and whether bare soil pockets along the bank show erosion or sparse native cover. 3. 3. Photograph the site from a fixed reference point for future comparison, and check the sky for building storm clouds before continuing. 4. 4. Record a ranked follow on note naming the stretch for the native planting crew. Done when: Photo of the creek riparian stretch taken from the dry bank; Note of the approximate length and the exposed soil pocket condition; Confirmation the creek was never entered during the survey; Ranked follow on note naming the stretch for the native planting crew; GPS waypoint of the surveyed stretch

Where

the Coushatta Creek crossing along the refuge's public auto tour route, Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public national wildlife refuge), Eagle Lake, TX 77434, Colorado County

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 observation log plus cover condition note plus GPS plus ranked follow on note

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

Level

entry

Open until

2026-11-03

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

• Photo of the creek riparian stretch taken from the dry bank
• Note of the approximate length and the exposed soil pocket condition
• Confirmation the creek was never entered during the survey
• Ranked follow on note naming the stretch for the native planting crew
• GPS waypoint of the surveyed stretch

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.