Visit DOW Woods and Sea Center

On June 14, 2025, 10 am, the Houston Sierra Club will hike two miles in the 338-acre Dow Woods Unit, San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge, managed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in the Columbia Bottomlands.

The Columbia Bottomlands is a unique coastal forest with Live Oak, Pecan, Shumard Oak, Bur Oak, Water Oak, Hackberry, and Green Ash. Dow Woods was donated by Dow Chemical Company in 2008.

After our hike, we’ll have lunch in Lake Jackson. We’ll then visit Sea Center, where in AC comfort, we can view aquariums and hopefully have a tour of fish hatcheries. We’ll view a lake/wetlands located next door and be finished by 4 pm.

The link below has the Sierra Club participant sign-in agreement (liability waiver). Read this before the outing so you know what it says. We’ll sign-in quickly at the Refuge and proceed with the outing. [Sign-Up Sheet 2-2020.pdf (sierraclub.org)](https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/sce/range-of-light-group/PDFs/Sign-Up%20Sheet%202-2020.pdf)

If anyone has COVID symptoms or is sick don’t come! We want everyone to be safe, so don’t come if you feel ill! By going on this outing, you potentially hike with individuals who are or are not vaccinated. It’s your choice to participate on this outing.

Bring a daypack, water (three qts), snacks, hiking shoes, cameras, binoculars, bug repellant, sunscreen, field guides, and enough money for lunch in Lake Jackson. Long pants are necessary for this hike. Be prepared for warm weather. No pets, firearms, or radios. We’ll put cell phones on vibrate and enjoy the solitude/quiet/natural sounds of the Refuge.

If you have questions call Brandt Mannchen at 281-570-7212, or email [brandt_mannchen@comcast.net](mailto:brandt_mannchen@comcast.net), or sign-up at the Sierra Club Meet-up site and send a question.

Carpoolers/caravaners meet at Starbucks, Meyerland Plaza, at 8:30 am. I have a gray Honda CRV Hybrid and will be parked just west of Starbucks. Don’t be late! We’ll meet at the Refuge, in the Dow Woods parking lot, at 10 am. Directions to Dow Woods are:
1. S on SH 288.
2. Exit SH 288, turn lt onto FM 2004 (Brazoria Co.), go E 1.8 m to Old Angleton Road (called CR 288).
3. Turn lt onto Old Angleton Rd, go 0.8 m, turn lt into the Dow Woods parking lot.