Preservation project features activities

The Spring Creek Greenway is a joint project between Montgomery County Precinct 3 and Harris County Precinct 4. The greenway connects 12,000 acres of forest on each side of the creek and offers a variety of ecotourism, educational opportunities and outdoor recreation.

The 71-acre Montgomery County Preserve, located off Pruitt Road and opened in 2002, is home to more than 30 varieties of trees, 30 types of plants, 20 species of birds and more than a dozen species of animals. The Preserve also features a 1-mile nature trail.

The 11,000-square-foot Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center, located at 1300 Riley Fuzzell Road, houses a nature center, community center, a sheriff's patrol office, pavilion and nature trails.

Among the outdoor recreational activities available along the greenway include bird watching, kayaking, horseback riding and fishing.

In addition to its activities and amenities, the Spring Creek Greenway also serves an important ecological purpose.

Terri MacArthur, manager of the nature center, said the vegetation and soil serve to absorb contaminants from storm water before it reaches the creek.

"It helps clean up the waterway," she said. "And that's where [the greenway's] real value lays."

Located in The Woodlands portion of the Spring Creek Greenway is the George Mitchell Nature Preserve, which opened in 2007.

The 12,000-acre preserve, located in the Village of Creekside Park, was a joint program between The Woodlands Development Company, Montgomery County Precinct 3, The Woodlands Association, and Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Nature Center, 1300 Riley Fuzzel Road, Spring, 281-364-4225, www.springcreekgreenway.org