Our Story

A History of Preservation: Armand Bayou Nature Center

Armand Bayou Nature Center (ABNC) was founded in 1974, a direct result of efforts initiated by the environmental visionary, Armand Yramategui. Armand foresaw the rapid urban growth surrounding Armand Bayou and passionately advocated for preserving this land as a wilderness.

Armand's tragic death in 1970 inspired Hana Ginzbarg to launch a campaign to secure the funds and public support needed to purchase the 2,500 acres of land. This cherished acreage became the foundation of ABNC, defining the preserve's size for five decades until the major expansion in 2024. The tireless and inspired work of Hana, along with local, regional, and national coalitions of people and organizations, led to ABNC becoming a well-established conservation non-profit organization. To learn more about how ABNC began, please read the blog post, If Not for Hana, by the late Mark Kramer, ABNC’s beloved Chief Naturalist for 25 years.

Building on this strong foundation of dedicated service, ABNC’s core purpose is to .carry forward this treasured conservation legacy. At the crossroads of three imperiled Gulf Coast ecosystems, our mission is to preserve and restore the vulnerable habitats entrusted to us, all while educating and inspiring people of all ages to explore, respect, and protect nature and our vital local ecosystems for generations to come.

Historic Expansion: ABNC Grows to 4,000 Acres

In 2024, ABNC's 50th anniversary year, through a collaboration with Harris County Precinct 2 and ExxonMobil, ABNC successfully added 1,147 acres to our existing preserve. This acreage holds high wildlife value and was part of the original acquisition plan back in 1974, but ABNC was unable to acquire the land at that time.

With the completion of this historic acquisition, ABNC has begun the process of restoring the land. This additional land and other small parcels acquired in 2024 bring our total size to 4,000 acres, now making ABNC the largest urban wilderness preserve in Texas. For more information about this exciting news, check out our blog post here:  https://www.abnc.org/wild-about-abnc-blog/abnc-now-3947acres

Native Americans at ABNC

Excavations by local archaeologists have shown the Middle Bayou (renamed Armand Bayou) area was occupied by Native Americans for at least 8,000 years. Ancient remains such as pottery, arrowheads, flints, and shell middens (trash piles), within ABNC indicate this area was once a major campsite for Native American tribes. These Native Americans used the Middle Bayou area for hunting and fishing until the mid-to-late 19th Century. The Akokisas were a group of indigenous people who lived along Armand Bayou and around the Houston area, to learn more about the Akokisas and the history of this area read Mark Kramer’s blog post Last of the Akokisas from his Nature as Normal Blog.

19th Century Residents

About a dozen families of European descent occupied the Middle Bayou area during the mid-19th century. These early pioneers lived by hunting; fishing and growing produce which they floated down the bayou in barges to market. The settlement even had a post office and a school.

Jimmy Martyn, a long time resident of the Middle Bayou settlement, lived in a modest house near the banks of Middle Bayou from 1894 until his death in 1964. Like many area residents, the Martyns raised cattle, grew produce and harvested cedar from the surrounding forest. ABNC contains a re-creation of a typical farm during the 19th century, which is called the Martyn Farm in honor of Jimmy Martyn.

Jim West, another well-known Middle Bayou resident, owned 28,000 acres surrounding Middle and Horsepen Bayous at one time. West raised cattle and maintained his ranch as a preserve for deer, quail, peccary and prairie chickens.

Saving Armand Bayou

In 1938, the Humble Oil and Refining Company (now a part of ExxonMobil) purchased the entire J.M. West Ranch for its oil and gas resources at a price of $8,500,000 plus royalties. In 1962, Humble created a real estate subsidiary, Friendswood Development Company, and placed 15,000 acres and 7,250 acres under its control for residential and industrial development, respectively. The industrial development is now called the Bayport Industrial District.

Real estate development in the current ABNC area began in earnest in 1962 when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected 1,698 acres of the former West Ranch for the Manned Spacecraft Center. Construction of Bay Area Boulevard in 1967 cut the present ABNC site in half and made Middle Bayou more accessible to the public.

The movement to preserve Middle Bayou began with Armand Yramategui. Mr.Yramategui was a visionary of Texas Gulf Coast wilderness conservation who initiated the drive to preserve Armand Bayou and the surrounding lands. This movement accelerated after Mr.Yramategui's death when plans to begin real estate development along Middle Bayou became known. During this time period, Middle Bayou was renamed Armand Bayou in remembrance of Mr. Yramategui and his conservation efforts.

ABNC was incorporated in 1974 on land acquired through efforts of a diverse coalition of individuals, organizations and government entities. The property owner of record is Harris County. ABNC holds a 99-year automatic rollover lease agreement, assuming full management, preservation and development responsibilities.