Schicke Point Shoreline Project
Location: North shore of West Matagorda Bay near the town of Palacios
Partners: TPWD, USFWS, and Freese and Nichol’s Engineers
Funding: Where did the $$ came from?
Status: Completed – Fully funded and constructed
Project Description:
The Schicke Point Living Shoreline is a completed restoration success that now serves as a benchmark for nature-based coastal protection projects along the Texas coast. Situated on the north shore of West Matagorda Bay near Palacios, the project has effectively safeguarded sensitive tidal wetlands while enhancing critical marine habitats such as oyster reefs and seagrass beds—now flourishing behind a strategically placed breakwater system.
The Matagorda Bay Foundation began working with landowner Hasty Johnson in 2017, after he expressed interest in conserving the habitat fringing his family’s land at Schicke Point. Coincidentally, the Foundation had already identified this location as a priority conservation site due to its unusually diverse ecological features, including a rare woody shrub community, oyster reef, tidal wetlands, and expansive seagrass beds.
Phase II of the project was completed in partnership with TPWD, USFWS, and the landowner, extending the initial protection effort westward. This expansion provided the same erosion control and habitat benefits as the original project, reinforcing the shoreline and enriching biodiversity.
Thanks to a $500,000 grant and expert engineering support from Freese and Nichols, the living shoreline now provides long-term stability, improves water quality, and supports thriving fisheries. The project is widely regarded as a gold standard for living shoreline design and implementation—an exemplary model for future habitat restoration initiatives across the Gulf Coast.
