The San Jacinto River Authority has been collecting Christmas trees every year for the past five years. They’re used to create artificial habitats in conjunction with other methods to preserve or promote native species.
For the past few years, the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) has been giving new life to dying Christmas trees by turning them into artificial habitats for the wildlife of Lake Conroe.
The program, in which used trees are lowered into the bottom of the lake north of Houston, was created five years ago as a collaboration between several state and local agencies, including Texas Parks and Wildlife, Seven Coves Bass Club, the Lake Conroe Association and SJRA. Bret Raley, the Lake Conroe division manager for SJAR, said the program has become increasingly popular and has allowed for an opportunity to educate the public.
“The first year I think we may have gotten 100 trees, maybe not even 100 the first year,” he said. “I’m quite certain we’ll have over 500 this year. … It’s not just, ‘Hey, here’s a place you can go put your Christmas tree,’ but, ‘Here is why we’re doing this.’ “…