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CCA Texas Contributes to Snake Island Cove Project
Snake Island Cove is a 900-acre shallow water, marsh-lined cove located in the Galveston Bay watershed just east of the community of Sea Isle and offshore from the Sunset Cove residential subdivision. It has been estimated from aerial photography that in 1956 over 200 acres of seagrasses were present in the waters of Snake Island Cove. Prior to the initial installation of the original 4,100 linear foot of breakwater, only small, scattered patches of seagrasses were present at the site and the once bountiful marsh land surrounding the area was estimated to be eroding at a rate of five feet per year. Phase I of the project was completed in 2007 and constructed the initial 4,100 feet of geotextile tube. This initial work created 65 acres of protected shallow water habitat that has allowed for the re-establishment of seagrass beds behind these protected waters and also established erosion protection for up to 200 acres of existing salt marsh.
"CCA Texas and HTFT (Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow) are proud to be a part of this project," commented CCA Texas President Bill Schwarzlose. "Habitat restoration and creation is a key to the sustainability of Texas's coastal resources and it will take partnerships, such as this one with Galveston Bay Foundation, to make this priority of HTFT a reality."
CCA Texas's contribution of $20,000 to this project brings the completion of securing funds for Phase II closer to an end, and GBF hopes to begin and complete this next Phase by the end of 2010. Once completed, this project will protect 200 acres of existing estuarine intertidal marsh complex and create approximately 75 acres of protected calm shallow water habitat conducive to the re-establishment of seagrass within the cove.
Other conservation news..
TPWD Takes Delivery of New Floundering Boat for Research
TPWD (Texas Parks Wildlife Department) staff from SCT (Sea Center Texas) recently took delivery of a brand new floundering boat for their research program to study and create a southern flounder enhancement program. This boat was purchased through a $14,000 contribution from CCA Texas approved in 2009 and a donation from Kresta's Boats and Motors, located in Edna, Texas. Sea Center staff will use this boat to gather flounder in the traditional sense of floundering, but will do so with methods developed using "dip net" type nets. As SCT staff and staff from the Marine Development Center in Flour Bluff continue to work on the southern flounder enhancement program, this boat will be invaluable in obtaining brood stock for this important research work as they move forward.
"We are excited to finally be getting this wonderful boat," said TPWD's Shane Bonnot of Sea Center Texas. "This boat takes us to the next level of this program and we can't wait to put it in the water."
Southern flounder research in the state of Texas continues to develop and CCA Texas is proud to be part of this breakthrough effort.
April 2010 Banquet Schedule
April 1st
Prairie Chapter Cat Spring Agriculture Social Hall, Cat Spring
April 8th
Midland Chapter Midland Country Club, Midland
April 15th
Greater Sugarland Chapter Missouri City Civic Center, Missouri City
April 15th
San Antonio Chapter Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio
April 16th
Tri-County Chapter Show Barn, Pleasanton
April 17th
Redfish Bay Chapter Port Aransas Civic Center, Port Aransas
April 22nd
Brenham Chapter Fireman's Training Center, Brenham
April 22nd
Fort Bend Chapter Ft. Bend County Fairgrounds, Rosenberg
April 22nd
Rio Grande Valley Chapter Pharr Convention Center, Pharr
April 29th
Central Houston Verizon Wireless Theater, Houston
April 29th
Fort Worth Chapter Banquet Joe T's, Forth Worth
April 29th
Dallas Chapter Frontier's of Flight Museum, Dallas
April 29th
Sam Houston Chapter Walker County Fairgrounds, Huntsville
April 30th
East Texas Chapter Nacogdoches VFW, Nacogdoches