Control gully erosion in a Palo Duro side canyon, site 4, the public Palo Duro Canyon State Park, a side-canyon or arroyo trail-adjacent segment near Canyon, TX 79015, Randall County (2026-08-04)

The survey above found an actively cutting side-canyon or arroyo gully segment inside Palo Duro Canyon State Park, and hand built rock and brush check structures would otherwise leave this gully cutting deeper with every High Plains rain event. Standard: USDA NRCS conservation practice standard 410 grade stabilization structure plus standard 484 mulching (side-canyon and arroyo gully erosion control), applied here to a public canyon-trail-adjacent segment inside Palo Duro Canyon State Park near Canyon, TX, Randall County. SDG 15.1 and 15.3. Proof: before after photos plus check structure count and area mulched record plus GPS Method (USDA NRCS conservation practice standard 410 grade stabilization structure plus standard 484 mulching (side-canyon and arroyo gully erosion control), applied here to a public canyon-trail-adjacent segment inside Palo Duro Canyon State Park near Canyon, TX, Randall County. SDG 15.1 and 15.3.): 1. 1. Confirm the segment with the state park office and photograph the eroding gully before starting, staying on stable ground. 2. 2. Hand place rock and cut-brush check structures across the gully bed at the eroding head, hand tools only, no power digging equipment, no digging below the surface. 3. 3. Hand spread certified weed free mulch across the disturbed banks flanking the structures. 4. 4. Photograph the treated segment from the matching before vantage and record the number of check structures placed and area mulched. Done when: Before photo of the actively eroding gully segment; Confirmation only hand tools were used, no power digging equipment, no digging below the surface; Check structure count and mulched area recorded; After photo of the treated segment from the matching vantage

Where

the public Palo Duro Canyon State Park, a side-canyon or arroyo trail-adjacent segment near Canyon, TX 79015, Randall County

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

before after photos plus check structure count and area mulched record plus GPS

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

Level

intermediate

Open until

2026-09-03

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

• Before photo of the actively eroding gully segment
• Confirmation only hand tools were used, no power digging equipment, no digging below the surface
• Check structure count and mulched area recorded
• After photo of the treated segment from the matching vantage

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.

The standard this serves

Soil Health. Soil health is the discovery, now written into USDA standards, that soil is not dirt but a living body: it breathes, digests, holds water, and can sicken or recover. The tests are wonderfully physical. Time how fast water soaks in. See whether a clod holds together in water or falls apart. Smell for the sweetness of organic matter. Mastery looks like a farmer who can read a handful of ground like a page. This packet is one plot examined by those methods and recorded, one honest page in the story of a piece of land.