Jim Robertson’s foray into the world of parks and pathways along Cypress Creek came in 2004. Robertson, who is now the chairman of the Cypress Creek Greenway Project, discovered a tract of land that had been bought by Harris County Precinct 3 in the ’80s for a future park.

Robertson approached Precinct 3 and began discussions with the county about a potential park. Working with the Harris County Flood Control District and an independent contractor for land acquisition, the county finally built and opened Cypress Park in 2014.

It was the first of many park and pathway projects along the creek Robertson was involved with in the past 11 years.

“I started looking along Cypress Creek and realized it could be a wonderful amenity because it is such a tremendous corridor right in our backyard,” he said. “[Cypress Creek was] really undeveloped and unappreciated.”

That same year Robertson founded the Cypress Creek Greenway Project, a committee of the Cypress Creek Flood Control Coalition that advocates for trails and parks along the 40-plus miles of Cypress Creek.

Since January 2004, Robertson said 24 parks have been built along Cypress Creek in addition to 15 pathway projects and 12 different land acquisitions. Although many of the projects were built or acquired independently of the organization, the Greenway Project has helped coordinate many projects.

“We present a vision for the greenway, and we work with utility districts, precincts and developers to share the concept of the greenway,” he said. “In that role, we’ve been a catalyst for some parks and trail development projects.”

Finding a home

An Ohio native, the 67-year-old Robertson first came to northwest Harris County 26 years ago with his wife, Ginny, for work as a geologist with Chevron. The region’s school districts, neighborhoods and forested areas attracted the couple who found a home in the area with their two daughters.

He retired about 10 years ago, roughly the same time he began work with the Greenway Project.

Robertson said he had little involvement in community service prior to the organization’s founding. Growing up on a farm in northeast Ohio, he has always had an interest in the outdoors, which drew him to the work.

“[My family has] certainly benefited from living in this area,” he said. “It is our home and will be our home, and we made the choice to live in this area. I saw the opportunity to have an impact in an area where there wasn’t a lot of focus.”

Passion for the outdoors

Dick Smith, president of the Cypress Creek Flood Control Coalition, said he and Robertson have grown close over their time working together and praised Robertson’s passion for the region.

“Passion is what’s required to be successful for things like this because he’s had to develop a rapport with organizations and community leaders,” Smith said. “He’s intelligent and works hard.”

Smith said Robertson has worked closely with the CCFCC over the years and was named a board director about nine years ago. Smith said Robertson was also a recipient of the Terry Hershey Bayou Stewardship Award in 2014, an award given out to those who work to preserve and advocate for Houston’s waterways.

The two men teamed up years ago to represent a group of concerned citizens during the sale of hundreds of acres of  Hewlett-Packard land to Kickerillo-Mischer for what is now The Vintage.

“We had concerns from a preservation standpoint of bulldozers coming in and knocking everything down,” Smith said. “Jim made the necessary positive impressions on the people that counted. In the end, Kickerillo-Mischer donated what was worth more than $10 million in land to [Harris County]. That came about as a result of Jim’s dedication and passion.”

Robertson said the CCGP also helped the Harris County Flood Control District acquire 53 acres in 2009 along Cypresswood Drive and worked with Precinct 4 to connect Collins and Meyer parks through the Gourley Nature Trail, which opened in 2008.

“You can see some of the results in the number of parks and trails that have developed,” CCFCC Secretary Jack Sakolosky said. “He’s been the key to getting people interested in getting that done.”

Robertson served on the steering committee last year for Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Livable Center Study along FM 1960 in Spring and serves on the executive committee for the Bayou Preservation Association. He said he works closely with the Houston Northwest and Cy-Fair chambers of commerce.

The Robertsons are also involved with Lakewood United Methodist Church, and have done mission work in Kenya. 

Despite the many projects Robertson has had a hand in, he said he is proudest of the progress made on the Greenway, where more than seven miles of trails have been constructed.

“The proudest thing is seeing the progress we’re making on the Cypress Creek Greenway,” he said. “We’ve seen tremendous support for the concept.”