A Great Year in Conservation

As 2006 comes to a close, CCA Texas would like to thank all the members, sponsors, supporters and especially all the volunteers that have worked so hard to make 2006 a great year. 2006 has been a year of record fundraising, an all time high membership (51,700), continued chapter growth, hard fought battles on the legislative front and continued funding of essential projects and research.

CCA Texas membership & fundraising banquets enjoyed another great year due to a tremendous effort of local volunteers, supporters and donors. Your support and donations are the fuel that keeps CCA Texas on the move. Along with a great year in fundraising, CCA Texas’s membership experienced continued growth to reach a new high at 51,700. This growth was the result of increased renewals, new members and STAR tournament entries. Chapter growth continued in 2006 with new chapters being formed in Tyler/Longview (the Piney Woods Chapter), Lufkin/Nacogdoches (East Texas Chapter), University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas Tech, Texas Christian University and Texas State.

CCA Texas continues to fight the good fight to conserve our coastal resources for future generations on a legislative level and for resource related projects. Your dollars spend at events and donated directly to CCA are crucial in the success of CCA Texas. Legislative battles continue to be fought in Texas on fresh water inflows, LNG projects, inland fisheries issues, offshore fisheries issues, habitat enhancement and law enforcement. Projects in 2006 include the continued support of TPWD game wardens with enforcement equipment, habitat restoration projects, research and education grants, and fisheries management.

Without you, the member, sponsor, donor, volunteer and supporter, this great success would not be possible. From the volunteer leadership and staff of CCA Texas have a great holiday season and wonderful fishing.

Did You Know in 2006 CCA Texas on a state and national level ......

• Funded TPWD coastal game wardens with over $35,000 dollars in equipment in the battle to enforce game regulations in the coastal waters of Texas. This equipment included night vision, radios, GPS, magnifier lenses and video cameras.
• Added an additional graduate scholarship to the marine science curriculum at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, bringing the total to four at institutions in the State of Texas.
• Funded water quality equipment for southern flounder spawning studies by TPWD.
• Funded the printing of 25,000 copies of brochures describing proper handling techniques for spotted seatrout release.
• Approved additional funding for water quality equipment for southern flounder spawning studies by TPWD.
• Approved funding for tripletail research studies phase I & II to be done by University of Texas Marine Science Institute.
• Approved funding for a marsh erosion abatement project with the Galveston Bay Foundation.
• Approved the partial funding for 12,000 copies of Saltwater Fishing in Texas handbook to be published by TPWD.
• Funded TPWD summer intern for the Corpus Christi field station
• Was at the forefront of the LNG battle that saw Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco vetoed a liquefied natural gas terminal proposed by McMoRan Exploration that would have utilized open-rack vaporization technology just 16 miles off Louisiana’s coast.
• Was at the forefront of the LNG battle that saw ConocoPhillips withdraw a permit application to operate an open-loop liquefied natural gas terminal 11 miles south of Dauphin Island, because Alabama Gov. Bob Riley remained firm on his pledge to protect the marine resources of the Gulf of Mexico. The result was the a commitment and victory for conservation.
• Filed a motion for summary judgment that asks U.S. District Court in Houston to order the National Marine Fisheries Service to establish significant regulations on shrimp trawl bycatch to recover Gulf red snapper stocks.