What started out as a golf course in the middle of the Oakbrook subdivision in Clear Lake has been transformed into Exploration Green over the past decade, a multi-purpose nature park for area residents.

Boasting miles of walkable and bikeable trails, stormwater detention ponds, native flora and over 200 bird species and wildlife, the park’s volunteer-led nonprofit group, the Exploration Green Conservancy, are turning their sights towards community-focused programming to further utilize the space, they said.
Exploration Green completed construction on its final phase in fall 2023, and will plant its remaining native trees by spring 2026, conservancy staff said. (Courtesy Joe Bibby)
Exploration Green completed construction on its final phase in fall 2023, and will plant its remaining native trees by spring 2026, conservancy staff said. (Courtesy Joe Bibby)
By the numbers

The Clear Lake City Water Authority purchased the land for Exploration Green in 2011 and a groundbreaking ceremony was held in 2014, Exploration Green Conservancy chairman David Sharp said. The group was founded by the water authority to enhance and protect the park, Sharp said.

“There’s [been] a lot of research over the last 10-15 years to show that being in nature not only makes people feel good, it makes them healthier,” Sharp said. “People are healthier when they can get out—not just outdoors, but into a natural setting.”

Construction on the park’s final phase was completed in fall 2023, and the last of its trees will be planted by spring 2026, Sommer said.
The park has several species of native flora and fosters a natural ecosystem that relies on itself the more it grows, said Sommer. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
The park has several species of native flora and fosters a natural ecosystem that relies on itself the more it grows, said Sommer. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
In total, the park’s amenities will include:
  • 200 acres
  • 4,000 trees
  • 60,000 wetland plants
  • 215 bird species
Why it matters


Exploration Green is changing the demographics of the historic neighborhood, Sharp said.

“A lot of the people that moved here in the ‘60s came here to work on the space program. Those people are not only retired, but empty nesters,” Sharp said. “And as younger people come in looking for affordable property, they're coming in here and saying, ‘Well, this looks like a great place to live.’”
Conservancy board members said they will focus on community programming over the next ten years. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
Conservancy board members said they will focus on community programming over the next ten years. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
In addition, Rich Sommer, vice chairman for the conservancy and a Texas Master Naturalist, often hosts nature-themed events for youth in the area—such as birding walks and moth nights to observe insects under a blacklight.

Every month in the last two years, the moth night group discovers about 10 new species of insects they hadn’t seen at the park before, Sommer said, which shows how effective Exploration Green has been in promoting a healthy, diverse ecosystem.

“As cities grow, there’s less and less nature spaces—we’re crowding out nature,” Sommer said. “[Exploration Green] provides a place where [children and adults] can volunteer, get their hands dirty, plant a tree, plant a shrub.”
Exploration Green Conservancy chairman David Sharp (left) and vice chair Rich Sommer (right) help protect and enhance the Clear Lake nature park. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
Exploration Green Conservancy chairman David Sharp (left) and vice chair Rich Sommer (right) help protect and enhance the Clear Lake nature park. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
What’s coming next


Since the park’s founding, Exploration Green has only hosted three major events a year, Sharp said.

These include the Wetland Walkabout; a Squawk Walk, which is in partnership with wildlife advocacy group Houston Audubon; and Glow the Green, which takes place on Halloween and features a series of lanterns set up around the first phase of the park at dusk while vendors hand out candy to neighborhood kids.
Exploration Green Conservancy staff hosts youth groups in the maintenance and utilization of the nature park, including growing native wetland plants. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
Exploration Green Conservancy staff hosts youth groups in the maintenance and utilization of the nature park, including growing native wetland plants. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
But the conservancy’s long term vision includes an educational building with classrooms, a community pavilion and a music venue to focus more on the community in the next ten years, said Sharp.

Sharp said he estimates this will cost at least $15 million to complete, but that the conservancy is looking for grants and donations over tax dollars to fund these projects.