NEWSPAPER

By Dayna Haynes

During a recent Commissioners Court ses-sion, Ben Nelson, owner of Jeri’s Seafood in Smith Point asked the commis-

sioners to not approve a permit proposed by the US Corps of Engineers for the Bayport Ship Channel proj-ect, allowing dumping of dredged material into open waters in Galveston Bay.

The Port of Houston Authority proposes to use a hydraulic pipeline dredge to deepen and widen the Bayport Ship Channel and put all dredged material in a beneficial use site or on

Atkinson Island where dredge material is currently stored.

The beneficial use site the Port of Houston Authority is proposing to dump dredged material is in a 475-acre portion of Upper Galveston Bay located between Chambers County, Harris County and Galveston County. As stated by Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF) the pro-posed new beneficial use marsh in this instance has too many down sides.

Some of the points listed by GBF is one, the negative impact to recreational use of this area by boaters, sail-ors and fisherman by con-verting 475 acres of open bay water and bay bottom, including oyster habitat, to an emergent marsh.

Secondly the negative impact to the ecology of Galveston Bay due to the submerged design of the project. Including an initial underwater berm three foot below mean low tide, and including a 10-year period, with additional dredged material that will be com-prised of finer silts, and only then raising the levee above the water line. Thirdly, the direct impact to 7.4 acres of oyster habitat by the placement of the dredged material. If oysters are impacted with any future marsh creation it is imperative to ensure that any oyster mitigation is completely successful, so there is no net losses of oyster production in Galveston Bay.

Tracy Woody, General Manager for Jeri’s Seafood in Smith Point submitted comments to the US Corps of Engineers regarding the

The PrThe Progressogress

We're your hometown bank.With three locations across Chambers County, we're in your hometown.

"Serving You With Professional Service and Personal Care"

Anahuac National Bank801 South Ross Sterling

(409) 267-3106www.anbank.net

East Chambers County BankWinnie, TX 77665

(409) 296-2265www.eastccbank.net

Barbers Hill BankMont Belvieu, TX 77580

(281) 385-6455www.bhbank.net

Your Full Service Hometown Bank!1500 Miller Street, Anahuac

409-267-3171

1302 N. Main Street, Liberty936-336-9800

501 N. Cleveland Street, Dayton936-258-0066

Index Obituaries ............... 4Community Calendar 2Opinion .................... 7Church Page ........ 6Business Directory 9 Classified 0&11

Wednesday • July 11, 2012 • www.theanahuacprogress.com • Volume 103 - No. 47 • Wednesday • July 11, 2012 • www.theanahuacprogress.com • Volume 103 - No. 47 • 75¢ 75¢

Chamber of Commerce Newsletter INSIDE

City Council Updates: City Administrator ResignsBy Dayna Haynes

Mayor Cheryl Sanders informed city council that she had received City Administrator Lance Nauman’s resignation on Saturday, July 7th, effective immediately. Council voted to accept Nauman’s resigna-tion, and remove his signature from the checking accounts at Security State Bank. Council voted to have Mayor Pro-Tem Linda Palmer added as check signer on the checking accounts.

While determining Nauman’s final pay-check, it came to light that the city might have been over-paying Mr. Nauman.

Council voted to have Alderwoman Amanda Abshier-Hornsby meet with City Secretary Heather Hawkins to go over the payroll documents from the date of hire and create a line item audit to detail out the numbers and determine whether Nauman had actu-ally been overpaid or not.

Council did not take any action regarding the Public Works Director Dan Irby. He has been released to return to work by his phy-sician with minor restrictions that should not affect his ability to carry out his normal duties for the city.

Council gave an update on the Belton Lane Drainage Project. Phase 1 has been

completed of the repaving of roads. One coat of tar and stone has been laid down on the road surface. Alderman Hall Whitley and Alderman Miguel Anderson comment-ed on the condition of the ditches.

It appears that the ditches still have not been cleaned out properly and both men questioned if the contractor would be out to finish the grade-all work and ditch clean up before the second layer of tar and stone (cap) is to be applied to work surfaces. Phase 2 of the repaving project is scheduled to begin in the upcoming week.

Council approved the resolution 07-01-2012 Centerpoint Energy rate increase,

stating they will accept the recommended rate increase requested by counsel. Centerpoint Energy originally requested a $100million rate increase, now they have agreed to the recommended increase of $16million rate increase instead.

Council discussed the Letter to the Editor Alderman Danny Thompson had placed in The Progress on July 4, 2012. Mayor Sanders asked Thompson to explain why he felt the council was acting un-honorably towards the citizens of Anahuac. He stated, in his opinion the last workshop the

Local oyster farmers concerned about proposed dredging project

Wallisville Lake Project offers visitors outdoor

fun & relaxation Leave the City of Houston behind with its tall build-

ings, stadiums and busy streets and drive east on I-10 where in less than an hour, you’ll find the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District’s Wallisville Lake Project and feel like you are in an entirely different world. Instead of the hustle and bustle of the big city, the Wallisville Lake Project offers visitors a chance to enjoy lazy rivers, picnic areas and peaceful hiking trails.

Its pristine environment coupled with its recreational opportunities including boating, fishing and bird watching, makes it easy to forget that Wallisville serves a vital func-tion for the people of the City of Houston and Chambers County.

“The Wallisville Lake Project is an approximately 23,000 acre complex designed to prevent saltwater intru-sion up the Trinity River in order to conserve fresh water and to protect fresh water intakes for local municipalities including the City of Houston,” said Supervisory Natural Resource Manager Richard Long, USACE Houston Project Office. “This is done by the operation of a saltwater barrier (a navigational lock and a control structure) during times of low river flows and drought on the Trinity River.”

While protecting one of the sources of fresh water for Houston and their neighbors to the east, the primary mis-sion of the Wallisville Lake Project and a critical Corps mission, the site also provides many recreational opportu-nities - which draws more than 200,000 visitors to the Wallisville Lake Project annually and more than 5.3 mil-lion to Corps’ projects throughout the district each year.

“Many people are not aware that the Corps is the leading provider of outdoor recreation on all federally-managed public lands in the United States,” said Long. “Within the Southwestern Division alone we oversee nearly 12 million acres of land and water and are responsible for more than 11,400 miles of shoreline, 90 lakes and 1,495 recreation sites.”

The Southwestern Division consists of four districts: Fort Worth, Texas; Galveston, Texas; Little Rock, Ark., and Tulsa, Okla., and boasted the most visited recreational areas in the entire Corps in 2011 with 72,097,979 visitors.

“Wallisville is one of our most popular recreational sites in the district that provides people with a tremendous opportunity to experience the great outdoors,” said Long. “The project offers visitors a unique experience to see and do things that simply aren’t available in a city while getting exercise at the same time.”

The reason the Wallisville Lake Project offers visitors so many recreational opportunities is because of its varied landscape.

“The topography of the Wallisville is unique and it con-tains several different habitats for visitors to experience,” said Long. “Within the project are marshes, riparian for-ests, swamps and several lakes and is home to the largest remaining intact cypress swamp along the Texas Gulf

CITY page 12

Tracy Woody explains the oyster harvest operation on one of their twelve harvester boats. Woody has worked as an oyster farmer for over 30 years, he strongly believes in preserving the eco-system of the bay and maintaining sustainable oyster reefs for future generations.

Photo by Dayna Haynes

OYSTERS page 12 WALLISVILLE page 12

12 The ProgressWednesday • July 11, 2012 extras

OYSTERS Continued from front page

Story continued from front page

-Bayport Ship Channel Project pointing out the company has worked hard to be a leader in working and insuring that oysters are a sustainable resource and are one of the most success-ful open bay oyster farming operations in the US for more than 40 years.

Although they are not claiming to know all there is to know about oysters and building reefs, they plant about 7,000 – 12,000 yards of shell and rock every year. Remember their knowledge was acquired on their dime with a little blood, a lot of sweat and a few tears. Over the years they have witnessed a majority of mitigation proj-ects fail for various reasons and has cost acres of pro-ductive reefs over the years.

Tracy would like to see the process for oyster reefs changed. For example, regarding dredged material being placed in Galveston Bay will immediately impact 4.6 acres of produc-tive reef to be dredged and used for fill. “4.6 acres assumes that a reef is one dimensional. What about height above the mud line? What about depth of shell below mud line?” Woody questions. He adds these are major factors to consid-er for a successful oyster reef, not to mention that oyster shell is a natural resource of the state of Texas.

Tracy thinks mitigation should be minimum of equal volume dredged shell to an equal volume of suit-able substrate replaced on Dow’s reef and/or Beasley’s reef where conditions are most suited for oysters 90%

of the time. This material should be spread over hard-pan reef in dire need of substrate giving you “the most bang for your buck” Tracy said.

Another use of the mate-rial dredged would be to fill the lightly silted fringes of the above-mentioned reefs, but not filling any area that has more than six inches of silt over hard reef elevating these areas to at least two to six inches above mud line.

His top concern is that the immediate impact would mean that 4.6 acres would be gone today. The time frame proposed between the areas being dredged and the mitigated acres would be productive again. Possibly this could take two years minimum, but more likely will take up to five years.

Tracy thinks the US Corps of Engineers should compensate this unproduc-tive period with an addi-tional 6,000 tons of sub-strate to be equally scattered over each of these reefs at a rate of 30-60 tons per acre just before the oyster spawning season, but no sooner than mid May and no later than the end of June immediately after the approval of the permit, if that occurs.

Tracy fears that after the project is complete there will be long term effects on the many adjacent reefs to the ship channel, going beyond just losing 4.6 acres of productive reef for the next two to five years. The ongoing damage to the reefs will most likely come from the increased wave action from passing ships. Wave action will roll live oysters off of the reefs into the mud and will die. “How will this be mitigated?” Tracy won-ders.

In his letter to US Corps of Engineers he stated that they were opposed to the beneficial use marsh due to inadequate design and loca-tion.

“We believe that all 18 acres of oyster reefs will be destroyed due to filling and siltation,” Tracy said. Adding that Atkinson Island is the best location to for the dredged material, as this area is already being used for this purpose and has already been silted over from previous fillings.

Mr. Woody sent a resolu-tion to Commissioners Court in Chambers County on June 29,2012. Court approved the resolution. To read the resolution visit our website www.theana-huacprogress.com.

Jeri’s Seafood has been in operation successfully for forty years, selling their oysters coast to coast. The business is owned and oper-ated by the Nelson family,

headed by Ben Nelson and now runs smoothly in the capable hands of his son-in-law Tracy Woody along with various members of the Nelson’s extended fam-ily.

They keep around 65- 70 employees on staff most of the time, and upwards of 135 employees during peak oyster season. They are a close knit family that work hard to preserve their way of life and are stewards of the bay.

Maintaining sustainable oyster reefs successfully for several decades. They imposed self-governing harvesting times in order to not over harvest the reefs, they replenish the reefs by recycling 100% of the oys-ter shells along with river rock they buy and bring in to build, and maintain the reefs, helping to keep the reefs healthy and produc-tive not only for now but for future generations.

WALLISVILLE Continued from front page


-Coast.” With the project’s varied habi-tats brings an array of wildlife that calls Wallisville home ranging from deer, bobcat and otter to the American alligator.

Situated along a main migration route, the Wallisville Lake Project has quickly become an important nesting and resting area for birds and a destination for birding from around the world. So much so that the Corps built an observation deck at the Trinity River Waterbird Rookery to accom-modate and enhance the experience for the thousands of birding enthusiasts who visit the project every year.

“We constructed a boardwalk facility that leads to the edge of a marsh area where numerous waterbirds nest during the spring,” said Long. “From that vantage point, visitors can look over the marsh and see a great variety of different birds.”

Other popular destinations within the project includes the J.J. Mayes Wildlife Trace, a three-mile driving nature trail that meanders through the marsh as well as a number stops along the trace for visitors to stop and observe the wildlife. There is also a .8-mile hiking and wheelchair-accessible boardwalk.

The Trinity River Island recreation area is best known for its premier fishing loca-tion and includes boat launching facilities, a fish cleaning station, observation towers and picnic areas.

To help educate visitors about the Wallisville Lake Project’s environmental importance and recreational opportunities, USACE Galveston District actively part-ners with the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory,

Houston Wilderness and Waterborne Education Center and works closely with Chambers County (responsible for operat-ing additional parks on the facility).

While the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory’s

primary interest focuses on educating visi-tors about the birds that inhabit the project, the Houston Wilderness centers on promot-ing the outdoor opportunities available to Houstonians, and the Waterborne Education Center works to increase awareness about the value of the wetlands, marshes and aquatic habitats in relationship to the coast and the bays in the area. Together, these agencies continue to cultivate stewardship and an appreciation of the natural and his-toric resources available to Houstonians and visitors alike.

“These partnerships are important for the Wallisville Lake Project,” said Long. “Our partners help us educate thousands of visi-tors each year about the area’s environmen-tal importance and encourage people to visit the project and use our recreational facilities.”

So the next time you’re looking to leave the city behind and explore another side of Houston consider reconnecting with nature at the Wallisville Lake Project.

To learn more about the Wallisville Lake Project visit :

h t tp : / /www.swg .usace . a rmy.mi l /Locations/WallisvilleLakeProjectOffice.aspx.

For more news and information, visit www.swg.usace.army.mil. Find us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/GalvestonDistrict or follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/USACEgalveston.

CITYStory continued from front page -council held was in

violation of the open meetings act. City Attorney Richard Baker stated that he listened to the recording of the work-shop meeting, and that council was within the subject range of the topic on the agenda, therefore it was not an open meetings violation.

Mayor Sanders stated that many of the council members volunteer many hours of their personal time at the city working towards improving the operations of the city. Mayor Sanders clarified Thompson’s statement in the letter that one person decided to shut down the water plant cost-ing the city $1million over the past two years. She cited that the council two years ago received information from the city’s engineers who stated that the water plant needed to be shut down due to turbidity problems that could not be resolved without rehabbing or replacing the water plant and council agreed to the shut down. Thompson added that he could find no record where the engineer signed a recom-mendation to shut the water plant done. The Mayor further stated that the financial situation the city is now facing came about because the city had to purchase water from outside sources without passing along the rate increases to the customers.

Mayor Sanders asked council if they had a no confidence vote towards City Secretary Heather Hawkins in the ability to perform her duties. Council did not vote on the matter.

Council approved to credit Fay Till’s utility account for $402.72 for double billing her account.

During public comments Monroe Kreuzer reminded council of the risk of not having our ground storage and water towers filled to capacity to meet ISO fire insurance requirements. The city will be at risk of a possible 70% rate increase on fire insurance if the city does not meet the required water storage needs.

Council also heard from Richard Lasater who com-mented on the unfairness of council to not adjust off sew-age usage for filling up swimming pools or in his case, water left running that was not caused by a leak. While he was out of town, supposedly some neighbor kids turned on his outside faucet and left the water running and he came home to a $600 water bill. He asked council to reconsider their decision about adjusting off the sewage part for the sake of fairness.

Council agreed to adjourn at 8:30pm

Photo by Dayna Haynes

Oysters being prepared for shipping at Jeri’s Seafood in Smith Point.

Continued from front page

My name is Arlette Hankamer-Williams and I am seeking your support for County Commissioner of Precinct 1. For those of you who are not sure of the new precinct lines, Precinct 1 now includes our communi-ties of Wallisville, Hankamer, Winnie and Stowell, and the east side of the Anahuac area.

I was born at Chambers

County Memorial Hospital – what we now know as Bayside Community Hospital. I have lived in Hankamer for over 16 years, owning and operating a successful business in Anahuac.

My parents, Wayne and PD Hankamer, taught me to serve our community and instilled in me the responsi-bility to carry on this family tradition.

I have always participat-ed in supporting our youth and our local community projects, and responding to the calls, such as helping with YPS (Youth Project Show), YPS 100 Club, Project Graduation, aiding victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Ike and many other various benefits and fund-raisers.

We're your hometown bank.With three locations across Chambers County, we're in your hometown.

"Serving You With Professional Service and Personal Care"

Anahuac National Bank801 South Ross Sterling

(409) 267-3106www.anbank.net

East Chambers County BankWinnie, TX 77665

(409) 296-2265www.eastccbank.net

Barbers Hill BankMont Belvieu, TX 77580

(281) 385-6455www.bhbank.net

The Progress

Index Obituaries ............... 4Community Calendar 2Opinion ................ 7Church Page ........ 6Crossword ............. 4Business Directory 10Classified Page 12

The PrThe Progressogress Wednesday • February 8, 2012 • www.theanahuacprogress.com • Volume 103 - No. 29 • .75¢

Creatures of the deep! By Dayna Haynes

Strange-looking creatures have been discovered in the ditches along Belton Lane and So. Kansas. Some call them “Conger Eels” or “Congo Eels” but that is not a correct zoological desig-nation. Robby McDaniel who has captured twenty five of the snake-like rep-tiles, calls them “Salamander Eels”

Their scientific name is Amphiuma - a genus of aquatic salamanders, the only extant genus within the family Amphiumidae. Amphiumas have one of the largest amounts of DNA in the living world, around 25 times more than a human. Amphiumas have an elongated body, gener-ally grey-black in color. They do have legs, but they are very small; while amphiumas can be up to three feet long, their legs measure only up to about 0.79 inches. Therefore, they can resemble eels. They also lack eyelids or a tongue.

Female amphiumas lay their eggs in wet mud, and then remain coiled around them for about five months, until they hatch. The larvae have external gills, but after about four months these external gills disappear and the lungs begin to work. One pair of gill slits, with fully functioning internal gills, is retained and never disappears, so the metamor-phosis remains incomplete.

M c D a n i e l explains they prefer deep dark wet areas to live in, where they are most-ly nocturnal and like to bore tun-nels through the mud at least 5’ u n d e r g r o u n d . Because of the r e c e n t c o n -

struction on Belton Lane to replace culverts the salamander eels habitat has been disturbed, causing them to come out of their hiding spots. They sense vibrations and smells.

Their diet con-sists of frogs, snakes, crabs and

R o b b y M c D a n i e l holds up one of the sala-mander eels that he has captured.

And the Winner is ..

The Anahuac Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Awards Banquet on Thursday, March 16, at Whites Park.

Social and silent auction begins at 6:30 p.m. and the dinner and awards will begin at 7:00 p.m. Cost is $25 per ticket. Table of 8 is $200. Must buy tickets in advance. No tickets avail-able at the door

A delicious dinner is being catered by Ezer Catering.

The chamber will present plaques of appreciation to individuals or groups who help to promote the Anahuac Area and have improved the quality of life for those

who live and work here.

Irma Moulton is this year’s Outstanding Educator.

Wellness Center at Bayside has been named Business of the Year.

Anahuac ISD School Board has been named Group of the Year.

Bob Pascasio will receive the Person of the Year award.

Margie Henry will receive the award for Lifetime Achievement.

We invite you to join us as we honor these outstand-ing folks. Contact the chamber office at 267-4190 for reservations and ticket information.

Williams announces candidacy for County Commissioner Pct. 1

Hutter sworn in to serve as Tax /Assessor-Collector

After 37 years of service to Chambers County, Tax Assessor/Collector Margie Henry has retired. The Tax Office and Commissioner’s Court would like to thank Mrs. Henry for her many years of dedicated service to the people of Chambers County. Wednesday morn-ing, February 1 at 10:00 a.m., County Judge Jimmy Sylvia administered the oath of office to the new Tax Assessor/Collector, Denise Hutter. She was appointed by Commissioner’s Court to fill the unexpired term.

Mrs. Hutter has 25 years of service with Chambers County, 16 with the Tax Office. She has 5 years of training/schooling, is a reg-istered Tax Assessor/Collector and certified with the Texas Department of Licensing and Registration. Mrs. Hutter’s plans are to provide the employees of

Photo by TK Harringtonmore EEL page 11

Anahuac Chamber of Commerce announces the winners for their annual banquet

Annual Crab Trap Removal Program needs volunteers

It’s that time of year again! Time to help Texas Parks and Wildlife Department along with the Galveston Bay Foundation to remove abandoned crab traps in the local water-ways. This year the pro-gram is in desperate need of volunteers with boats. Last year there were plenty of “land lubber” volunteers, but not near enough boats available to help remove all the crab traps, especially those out in deeper waters.

If you have a boat and are willing to come help, the program organizers would be greatly appreciative of your assistance.

Volunteers are to meet at Fort Anahuac Park’s boat ramp at 8 am on Saturday, February 19, 2011. There will be food and refresh-ments for volunteers. For more information call Paul Quin 409-252-6499.

Remember this program

more CRAB page 11

more WILLIAMS page 9

County Judge Jimmy Sylvia swears in Denise Hutter (center) to serve as the county’s Tax/Assessor-Collector for the unexpired term. Margie Henry recently announced her retirement effective as of January 31, 2012. Dennis Hutter holding bible looks on.

Contributed photo

more HUTTER page 9

11 The Progress Wednesday • February 8, 2012cOUNTY NEWS

Coastal Frontier BarCoastal Frontier Bar5804 Hwy 61 Anahuac 409-267-8406

Valentine’s Day Party

Front Porch Band9pm • Friday Feb. 10

No cover charge

� �

Proposed Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area - could bring signifi cant economic impacts to Texas

Washington, DC – As the American economy contin-ues to struggle, a new report released by the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), Houston Wilderness and Rice University’s SSPEED Center looks at the potential for tremendous economic impacts along the upper Texas Gulf Coast, achieved through creating a proposed Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area. The report, Opportunity Knocks: How the Proposed Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area Could Attract Visitors, Boost Business, and Create Jobs, identifies the benefits of creating a new national recreation area in Texas and sets forth a plan to help achieve this vision.

The idea for a Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area arose in 2008 after Hurricane Ike devastated much of the Texas Gulf Coast, but inflicted less damage on parts of the region that were protected by undeveloped lands. A recent study by the SSPEED Center found that a national recreation area could help preserve that same natural landscape as part of a long-term, nonstructural flood mitigation system – and as the Opportunity Knocks report shows – it can do so while providing a signifi-cant economic boost for Matagorda, Brazoria, Galveston, and Chambers counties. According to the new economic report, Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area could tri-ple visitation to the area and quadruple its economic impact in the first ten years of operation. By year ten, the site could attract 1,500,000 visitors, support-ing $192 million in local sales and 5,260 local jobs.

“Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area has the potential to be a game-changer for the upper Texas Gulf Coast – both

economically and through the preservation of this unique ecosystem for flood protection and enjoyment. While the economic bene-fits could be substantial, they are really icing on the cake, as the natural and cul-tural resources of this region absolutely deserve addi-tional protections,” said NPCA Texas Regional Director Suzanne Dixon. “The National Parks Conservation Association supports further exploration of a national recreation area in the region and we look forward to an ongoing con-versation with the local community and governing agencies.”

The upper Texas coastal region benefits from high accessibility and a wide array of recreational oppor-tunities for visitors, includ-ing world-class bird-watch-ing, fishing and crabbing, seasonal hunting, kayaking, biking, or exploring the cul-tural and historical land-marks of Texas. A national recreation area would pro-mote year-round tourism and outdoor recreation, while protecting the invalu-able ecosystem and cultural treasures throughout the region.

The initial study area for Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area looked at roughly 700,000 acres of tidal marshland and adja-cent wetlands and coastal prairie, as well as more than 350,000 acres of bay and estuarine area. Lone Star Coastal would include only voluntary land-owning par-ticipants throughout the coastal buffer zone. With the flexibility provided by a national recreation area des-ignation, Lone Star Coastal could develop a partnership that blends local priorities with National Park Service brand and policies, garner-ing the advantages of both. It would be built on a core of existing natural areas and heritage sites, and could

include local, state and fed-eral government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private landowners.

“The Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area will give a much needed boost to tourism dependent small businesses through-out the upper Texas Coast by providing the framework needed to effectively pro-mote the region’s natural amenities and recreational assets,” stated John A. Cronin, Jr., President and CEO of Houston Wilderness. “We look forward to work-ing with our partners, from both the public and private sector, to make the project a reality.”

The Opportunity Knocks report identifies several benefits of national recre-ation area designation, including:

• National Park Service visitor appeal. NPS affilia-tion would put the upper Texas Gulf Coast on par with the nation’s finest pub-lic lands and offer exposure to national and international markets. At seven NPS sites similar to Lone Star, visita-tion grew an average of 565% in the first ten years of operation.

• Coordination among land managers toward common goals and func-tions. Resource protection, programming, facility con-struction and maintenance, and signage can all benefit from coordination.

• Reduction in property damage from flooding and storm surge. A national recreation area could pro-mote long-term, coordinat-ed storm protection. The cost savings could be dra-matic, both in diminished property damage and in avoided costs of installing massive flood-control struc-tures.

• Long-term cost sav-ings for local govern-ments. Maintaining the region’s working and open lands makes local govern-

ments money over time.According to Jim

Blackburn of the SSPEED Center at Rice University, “This Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area is a creative economic devel-opment and hurricane surge flooding mitigation con-cept. It is a proposed evolu-tion of the economic system of the low-lying coastal lands so that it is compatible with inundation, making our economy resilient and sustainable. This recreation area concept offers great potential and opportunity for the future.”

Earlier this month, local business leader John Nau and former Secretary of State James A. Baker announced the formation of a steering committee and partner coalition of commu-nity leaders to help facili-tate and expand the conver-sation around a potential Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area. The steer-ing committee and partner coalition will engage citi-zens, policy makers and organizations throughout the Texas region as partners in this effort.

“I look forward to work-ing with Texas communities to make this vision a reali-ty,” said steering committee chair John Nau. “Communities across the country attest to the eco-nomic boost parks and rec-reation areas provide. With a national recreation area designation, the upper Texas Gulf Coast could enjoy sig-nificant economic bene-fits.”

For the full Opportunity Knocks economic report, please visit: http://www.npca.org/txcoastaleconom-ic.

For additional informa-tion on the steering com-mittee and the Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area idea, please visit: http://houstonwilderness.o r g / i n d e x . p h p /NationalRecreationArea.

TX Brandon Michael Rodriguez (214) 930-1581. Lic. #510797 KEITH W. BABB AUC LIC 6701. BUYER’S PREMIUM MAY APPLY.

williamsauction.com800.801.8003

real estate auction

ANAHUAC, TX Approx 100 acres located in rural Chambers County approx 40 miles east of downtown Houston. Nominal Opening Bid: $50,000

Property can be viewed at your convenience during daylight hours.

4pm Monday, February 20

+/-

EEL


-crawfish, but they are known to be cannibalistic too.

Use caution if you come upon one, as they secrete poison through their skin and will rear their head (much like a cobra) and spit venom at their attackers.

McDaniel has been releasing the salamander eels back into their habitat once the construction crews

have completed sections of the culvert project.

The salamander eels are indigent of the southeast portion of the United States including Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and some parts of Tennessee.

Mostly likely due to their preference for living deep underground and being noc-turnal, they are rarely seen.

They are considered to be on the Moderate Conservation list for endan-gered species.

CRAB

Story continued from front page -

-is vital to the steward-ship of our states coastal waterways, so anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy the marine resources of our area.

The problem with the abandoned crab traps is they just don’t turn themselves

off and stop catching prey. Volunteers have found traps filled with dead fish, crabs and terrapins.

According to Texas Parks and Wildlife regulations it is unlawful to place, fish or leave a crab trap or crab trap component in the coast-al waters of the state of Texas from February 18 – 27, 2011.



NEWSPAPER

Documents

Transcript of NEWSPAPER