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CCA Texas Enjoying Another Strong Year
After enjoying a short break through July, CCA Texas volunteers and staff have picked up the pace once again to make a final push for another great year for the coastal resources of Texas. After a very successful spring and summer banquet fundraising season and a busy schedule for our local chapters hosting membership events, CCA Texas is poised to have another record breaking year with a strong finish. CCA Texas continues to enjoy the strong support of coastal conservationists across the state. This includes volunteers, sponsors, banquet attendees, auction buyers, corporations and everyone in the general public.
The cornerstone to the success of CCA Texas remains the efforts of its volunteers. These volunteers make things happen from the local banquet and activities, all the way up to the decisions that the State and Executive Boards make. CCA Texas would not be successful without these dedicated efforts. Are you a CCA Volunteer? Would you like to get involved with the top conservation organization of its kind? Contact CCA Texas at (713) 626-4222 and let them know you would like to volunteer. Ask for the Assistant Director for your area, and they will be glad to help you, or you can pick up your latest edition of Currents to find your chapter president. Be sure to check out www.ccatexas.org and click on the Chapter tab for your chapter information. Getting involved is a great opportunity to be a part of the continuing effort to ensure that Texas's coastal resources are here and thriving for present and future generations.
If you don't feel that you have the time to spend with a local CCA chapter board, you can help ensure our coastal resources in many ways. First and foremost, respect the resource. With the continuing explosion of population in our coastal communities, the increasing number of fishermen on the water, and the natural changes in our coastal eco-systems, we must stay on alert to ensure these resources have every opportunity to flourish. Always leave the bays and offshore waters cleaner than you found them. It is totally unacceptable to leave any trash in the bays or offshore, and unfortunately there are those among us as recreational and commercial fishermen that see the coastal waters as their personal dump.
This past spring on a trip to Aransas Bay, the amount of trash I found left at Long Reef point made me flat out angry. The attached pictures show just a sampling of what has been left there. Once the weather cools and puts the snakes in a colder weather mode, we will make a trip out there and clean someone else's mess. We all wish this was an isolated case, but unfortunately it is not. Every little bit helps, so please consider carrying a small trash bag with you and pick up as much trash as you can. It doesn't take up a lot of room in the boat, and our casting arms could always use a break.
What about those shorelines and flats, those prime fishing areas? With an unbelievable amount of traffic on the water, be aware of who and what is around you. There really isn't a need to run up on the shorelines. That is where the fish like to hang out and where the majority of fishermen like to fish. Run farther out, away from the shorelines and flats, and always have a keen eye out when in the back lakes. The technology built into today's boats allows us to get into places we only dreamed of before, so respect the resource and your fellow fishermen.
The following point is for our seasoned anglers, both guides and non-guides. Many have done an awesome job of bringing new people into the sport of saltwater fishing, but have we all done as good a job educating our fellow fishermen about responsibility to the resource, respecting our fellow fishermen? Everyone loves to take something home to eat, but make sure to pay attention to everything else the coast has to offer as well. Looking past the bulging bags of fillets at everything else will only make you want to visit the coast that much more, and in turn, you have more fresh fish to eat.
Bottom line is that for our current generation and future generations to have a bountiful coastal resource, we all have to step up and make a difference. Whether you join your local CCA Texas chapter or just do the little things when you go out, pass your love of the resource on to your fellow fishermen, and let's make sure it's there for the future.
Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough Restoration
At the time of this writing, work continues to progress well at Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough. Despite some downtime for the dredge, the completion date target of mid- to late September remains intact for the completion of dredging and excavation of sand from the site. When you read this article, hopefully we will only be two to three weeks from seeing the water flow once again between Mesquite Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, a day that many fishermen in the Coastal Bend have longed for. The project has presented its far share of challenges, but RLB Contractors, and Coast and Harbor Engineering have kept the ball moving forward. Be sure to visit CCA Texas's website for weekly updates and pictures. The direct link for these updates is http://www.ccatexas.org/conservation/habitat/cedar-bayou/.
The cornerstone to the success of CCA Texas remains the efforts of its volunteers. These volunteers make things happen from the local banquet and activities, all the way up to the decisions that the State and Executive Boards make. CCA Texas would not be successful without these dedicated efforts. Are you a CCA Volunteer? Would you like to get involved with the top conservation organization of its kind? Contact CCA Texas at (713) 626-4222 and let them know you would like to volunteer. Ask for the Assistant Director for your area, and they will be glad to help you, or you can pick up your latest edition of Currents to find your chapter president. Be sure to check out www.ccatexas.org and click on the Chapter tab for your chapter information. Getting involved is a great opportunity to be a part of the continuing effort to ensure that Texas's coastal resources are here and thriving for present and future generations.
If you don't feel that you have the time to spend with a local CCA chapter board, you can help ensure our coastal resources in many ways. First and foremost, respect the resource. With the continuing explosion of population in our coastal communities, the increasing number of fishermen on the water, and the natural changes in our coastal eco-systems, we must stay on alert to ensure these resources have every opportunity to flourish. Always leave the bays and offshore waters cleaner than you found them. It is totally unacceptable to leave any trash in the bays or offshore, and unfortunately there are those among us as recreational and commercial fishermen that see the coastal waters as their personal dump.
This past spring on a trip to Aransas Bay, the amount of trash I found left at Long Reef point made me flat out angry. The attached pictures show just a sampling of what has been left there. Once the weather cools and puts the snakes in a colder weather mode, we will make a trip out there and clean someone else's mess. We all wish this was an isolated case, but unfortunately it is not. Every little bit helps, so please consider carrying a small trash bag with you and pick up as much trash as you can. It doesn't take up a lot of room in the boat, and our casting arms could always use a break.
What about those shorelines and flats, those prime fishing areas? With an unbelievable amount of traffic on the water, be aware of who and what is around you. There really isn't a need to run up on the shorelines. That is where the fish like to hang out and where the majority of fishermen like to fish. Run farther out, away from the shorelines and flats, and always have a keen eye out when in the back lakes. The technology built into today's boats allows us to get into places we only dreamed of before, so respect the resource and your fellow fishermen.
The following point is for our seasoned anglers, both guides and non-guides. Many have done an awesome job of bringing new people into the sport of saltwater fishing, but have we all done as good a job educating our fellow fishermen about responsibility to the resource, respecting our fellow fishermen? Everyone loves to take something home to eat, but make sure to pay attention to everything else the coast has to offer as well. Looking past the bulging bags of fillets at everything else will only make you want to visit the coast that much more, and in turn, you have more fresh fish to eat.
Bottom line is that for our current generation and future generations to have a bountiful coastal resource, we all have to step up and make a difference. Whether you join your local CCA Texas chapter or just do the little things when you go out, pass your love of the resource on to your fellow fishermen, and let's make sure it's there for the future.
Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough Restoration
At the time of this writing, work continues to progress well at Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough. Despite some downtime for the dredge, the completion date target of mid- to late September remains intact for the completion of dredging and excavation of sand from the site. When you read this article, hopefully we will only be two to three weeks from seeing the water flow once again between Mesquite Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, a day that many fishermen in the Coastal Bend have longed for. The project has presented its far share of challenges, but RLB Contractors, and Coast and Harbor Engineering have kept the ball moving forward. Be sure to visit CCA Texas's website for weekly updates and pictures. The direct link for these updates is http://www.ccatexas.org/conservation/habitat/cedar-bayou/.