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Galveston Bay Foundation and the COE Dredging in West Bay
All:
I just recieved this response/update from the GBF. I am not a "tree hugger" but I do believe the GBF is a good conservation-minded group trying to improve the Galveston Bay Complex. I appreciate their efforts and prompt action.
Here's the response:
Jerry, last week, we let the Corps know that we were considering litigation regarding the dredging. They asked us to come in for a meeting and yesterday we had a six hour meeting at the dredge site and back at the office of the Corps. The Colonel was there the whole time, as were a half dozen of his staff members. The Corps has agreed to several things to reduce the impacts to their dredging. They are going to:
1. Immediately do a seagrass survey at placement area (“PA”) 62 so they know exactly how much seagrass is there and where it is located specifically.
2. They will monitor impacts at PA 63 where the dredging has already taken place so we have a formal record of what the long term impacts to the seagrass there are.
3. Create an inter-agency coordination team to discuss all this dredging ahead of time in the future and also develop a full monitoring plan for what has occurred to date.
4. Change the dredging that has yet to occur in PA 62 to minimize impacts to seagrass. They will do this in a couple ways. First, they are looking at taking up to half the dredge material that is still set to be placed in PA 62 and place it on private property north of the intra-coastal as beneficial use material. Second, for what material still must go in PA 62, they will ensure the dredge material is placed on the upland part of the island and not directly into west bay. They will also move the dredge pipe multiple times to ensure no more than a thin layer will be placed onto any one area.
5. If the monitoring shows that they have killed any seagrass out there, they will consider mitigation for those impacts. We have not determined what exactly that mitigation will be, but we will stay on it.
I was impressed with the attention they gave this yesterday. They took our (and yours) concerns seriously and have agreed to make some significant changes. Please let me know what you think. I’ll keep you posted as we move forward.
Bob Stokes
President
Galveston Bay Foundation
Thanks GBF!!! And thanks to the COE for listening-beats the heck outta Obama-he only listens when he hears money crumple. (sorry I couldn't resist).
I just recieved this response/update from the GBF. I am not a "tree hugger" but I do believe the GBF is a good conservation-minded group trying to improve the Galveston Bay Complex. I appreciate their efforts and prompt action.
Here's the response:
Jerry, last week, we let the Corps know that we were considering litigation regarding the dredging. They asked us to come in for a meeting and yesterday we had a six hour meeting at the dredge site and back at the office of the Corps. The Colonel was there the whole time, as were a half dozen of his staff members. The Corps has agreed to several things to reduce the impacts to their dredging. They are going to:
1. Immediately do a seagrass survey at placement area (“PA”) 62 so they know exactly how much seagrass is there and where it is located specifically.
2. They will monitor impacts at PA 63 where the dredging has already taken place so we have a formal record of what the long term impacts to the seagrass there are.
3. Create an inter-agency coordination team to discuss all this dredging ahead of time in the future and also develop a full monitoring plan for what has occurred to date.
4. Change the dredging that has yet to occur in PA 62 to minimize impacts to seagrass. They will do this in a couple ways. First, they are looking at taking up to half the dredge material that is still set to be placed in PA 62 and place it on private property north of the intra-coastal as beneficial use material. Second, for what material still must go in PA 62, they will ensure the dredge material is placed on the upland part of the island and not directly into west bay. They will also move the dredge pipe multiple times to ensure no more than a thin layer will be placed onto any one area.
5. If the monitoring shows that they have killed any seagrass out there, they will consider mitigation for those impacts. We have not determined what exactly that mitigation will be, but we will stay on it.
I was impressed with the attention they gave this yesterday. They took our (and yours) concerns seriously and have agreed to make some significant changes. Please let me know what you think. I’ll keep you posted as we move forward.
Bob Stokes
President
Galveston Bay Foundation
Thanks GBF!!! And thanks to the COE for listening-beats the heck outta Obama-he only listens when he hears money crumple. (sorry I couldn't resist).
COMMUNITY WITH A LARGE
PROBLEM AND A 
PROBLEM.
, etc.) and they lose sight and get too damn big and try to push laws AGAINST our (fishermen's) rights. Seems like the GBF does good things and is not radical IMO.
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