COMMUNITY NEWS

 Dear Neighbors,

📋 Quick Summary: What You Need to Know

• Comprehensive Trapping Active: Aggressive trapping has begun inside George Bush Park and our community boundaries. There are currently 6 active traps deployed, with 2  more on the way.
• Your Best Home Defense: Eliminate the hogs' primary food source by treating your lawn for grub worms immediately. Product recommendations and timing are detailed below.
• Immediate Reporting & Safety: If you see feral hogs in the neighborhood, do not approach them and do not attempt to shoot them. Immediately call the County Constable's 24-hour dispatch line at 281-463-6666.
• Document Damage: Continue emailing photos of new neighborhood turf damage to Harris County Precinct 4 at service@hcp4.net.

Full Meeting & Strategy Update

We want to share an important update from last week's HOA Board meeting. Leadership from Harris County Precinct 4 (HCP4) attended to listen to our concerns and present their active plans to reduce feral hog damage. It was encouraging to have them there and hear about their plans.  Notably, Green Trails 2 is the very first HOA they are partnering with to directly coordinate mitigation activities with additional trappers sponsored by our HOA and MUD.We were joined by several Deputies from our County Constable’s office, as well as the following key leaders from HCP4 who previously attended our virtual meeting in July:

• Eric Mincberg Spiegel – Chief of Public Affairs
• Chris Beal – Director of Parks
• Daniel Rodriguez – Chief Operations Officer
• James Burnett – Community Engagement Coordinator for West Houston & South Katy

Coordinating the Trapping Strategy

The County has heard our complaints, reviewed our photos, and is actively executing a plan to help us. While trapping activities deep inside George Bush Park are officially managed by the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), the Precinct 4 team is coordinating directly with them and our HOA. This allows a private community trapper we’ve engaged access to the park to position traps that strategically support federal efforts.

Historically, the county's trapping strategy focused entirely on protecting reservoir infrastructure and popular amenities, like the soccer fields along Westheimer Parkway. Fortunately, the ACOE and HCP4 are shifting tactics. They are now actively placing traps along the western borders of George Bush Park to build a "western barrier." This barrier is designed to intercept and reduce the impact of the hogs before they enter western neighborhoods like Green Trails, Windsor Park, Kelliwood, and Cinco Ranch.

Currently, the ACOE has 2 traps deployed and HCP4 has 2 traps deployed, with a 3rd pending. They are working with GT2 to finalize a location for a 4th trap, which will be situated closer to the northeast section of our neighborhood. Additionally, the Longhorn Town MUD (one of the MUDs serving Green Trails) has funded and placed 2 active traps. Combined, our coalition has 6 active traps in operation, with two more coming shortly. This represents progress!   And notably, one of the MUD traps dispatched the first hogs from one its traps just this morning (Tuesday).  

The Scale of the Challenge

While these recent efforts are significant, both HCP4 and the County Constables emphasized the staggering scale of the challenge we face. Trapping is a vital tool, but it cannot solve this crisis alone. George Bush Park is currently home to an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 feral hogs. This population explosion is a systemic crisis across Texas and the southern United States, driven by a lack of natural predators and abundant open land.

Biologically, feral hogs represent a severe exponential growth problem. Sows can produce up to two litters annually, with each litter averaging 4 to 12 piglets. Compounding this, female piglets reach sexual maturity and begin breeding at just 6 to 8 months old. Because the population compounds so rapidly, managing this threat requires a continuous, multi-faceted strategy rather than a simple, one-time fix.

Action Item: Protecting Your Property

In addition to community trapping efforts, our best individual defense is removing what attracts the hogs to our properties in the first place: grub worms. Feral hogs tear up turf primarily to feast on these grubs, which feed on the roots of our grass. By treating our lawns, we can make our neighborhood significantly less attractive to foraging herds.

Grub treatments are widely available at major retailers like Lowe’s and Home Depot:

• For Immediate Defense (August/September): Experts recommend applying a fast-acting treatment like BioAdvanced 24-Hour Grub Killer Plus right now. Grubs are highly active during these months, which is the primary reason the hogs are currently feasting on our lawns.
• For Long-Term Prevention (Spring): Follow up in the spring with a preventative, long-lasting treatment like Scotts GrubEx.

Taking this collective step as a unified neighborhood will drastically reduce the foraging damage to our community.

Safety, Neighborhood Rules, and Contact Info

Finally, we had a serious discussion regarding safety if you encounter hogs. Please be aware that discharging a firearm or any weapon within the neighborhood is strictly illegal and extremely dangerous. As one of our attending Deputies put it, "You are responsible for the path of the bullet." Under no circumstances should anyone shoot at these animals in the neighborhood unless you are in immediate, inescapable physical danger.

The Deputies advised that they want to handle these situations directly. If you see hogs wandering through the neighborhood, please immediately call the County Constable's 24-hour dispatch line at 281-463-6666, and a unit will respond quickly.

As a reminder, please continue to email pictures of any new turf damage to the HCP4 team at service@hcp4.net.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the HOA meeting, and to all the residents who continue to share pictures and submit service requests. Our collective efforts are making a measurable difference.

Sincerely,

Your GT2 HOA Board of Directors 

Please be aware that a small alligator has recently been seen in the bayou near Crescent Green. As a reminder, we encourage everyone to keep pets on a leash when walking along the bayou.

Because alligators do inhabit our bayous and nearby parks and reservoir, there is always a possibility that one could wander into a yard or driveway. While this is uncommon and we have not received any such reports at this time, we want to make sure residents know what to do if it occurs.

In most cases, alligators will move along on their own. However, if you encounter an aggressive or nuisance gator that is blocking access to your home or vehicle, please contact the Texas Parks & Wildlife Alligator Hotline at 512-389-4848. Their team can assess the situation and determine the appropriate course of action.

Dear Green Trails II Residents,

With schools now out for the summer, our community amenities are getting more use than ever. This is a wonderful time to get outside and enjoy our pools, tennis and pickleball courts, parks, playgrounds and swing sets, and the landscaping along our many trails and streets. 

As we see increased activity, your HOA Board wants to share a quick reminder about how your homeowner dues are invested. Keeping these spaces pristine is a top priority, and we work hard to keep our HOA dues as low as possible. However, higher foot traffic means we must all be mindful that our actions—or inactions—directly impact our community budget.

Recently, we have experienced a rise in neglect and intentional damage, forcing us to redirect funds toward avoidable repairs. Over the past few months, the HOA has had to spend budget dollars to repair or replace the following items:

• Tetherballs: Ruined by dogs because owners are not restraining pets from biting the equipment.
• Tennis Court Gates: Damaged by individuals attempting to pry them open, and residents forgetting to ensure the gates are closed to prevent unauthorized access or vandalism.  
• Portable Pickleball Nets and Frames: Vandalized or broken because they are not put away carefully after use, and unsupervised kids are using them as skateboards.
• Landscaping: Living plants dug up and stolen from our common areas.

Every dollar spent fixing preventable damage is a dollar taken away from community improvements or activities. We kindly ask all residents, children, and guests to treat our parks, playgrounds, and courts with TLC this summer.

If you witness anyone damaging community property, please say something and report it to the Board immediately. Thank you for helping us keep our neighborhood beautiful, safe, and cost-effective for everyone.  

To contact CREST Management, our community management firm, to report something you see, please contact Heather at 281-945-4630, or via email: heathere@crest-management.com.

Thanks for your attention and continued support of our community!  

Sincerely,

The Green Trails II HOA Board of Directors