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May 2012

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bait fishing enjoy fish time good using site hook sometimes know works chunking caught lures prayers artificial line keep back throw continue doing mullet didn waiting them down recently while chunk something bite expensive tried weekend said chastising prohibiting wigglers cause chuncking than lets kelly joined green state croaker damn

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[BK]

From the Rockport Pilot.  I don't know what this means, but probably not very much.


Cedar Bayou visit


Published:
Friday, June 3, 2011 12:09 PM CDT
Army Corps of Engineers (COE) Col. Christopher Sallese joins Aransas County Judge C.H. “Burt” Mills for an impromptu visit about Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough.

It has been 7-1/2 months since the colonel conducted an on-the-ground visit to the area and about five months since a packet requesting more information about the proposed project to open/dredge those areas was received. Sallese, who was in Corpus Christi for another project, stopped by to assure Mills they are still working on getting approval for the permit, and are in the final stretches. The judge said he is optimistic noting he has never heard of a COE colonel visiting a county official to assure work on a project. Cedar Bayou was closed in 1979  to protect the bays after the Ixtoc oil spill. It had been opened, naturally, for the 20 previous years. Required matching funds were raised and the pass was reopened in 1985.  Unfortunately, it closed up again after the dredge material blocked Vinson Slough.  It was opened again in 1995 with funds provided by an anonymous donor. However, the dredge material was placed in the throat of Vinson Slough, effectively damming off the natural water flow in that critical area.

Efforts to once again open that area have been ongoing for about eight to 10 years.

[lynnscb]

Come on, all of you know what is going on here. This Col. told the Judge that it will be another month before we see the permit. I have often wondered why this project has taken, not months but years to get a permit. Why have These passes been allowed to get in such awful shape, knowing how important they are to a 7 bay system, endangered species, wetlands, several species of shrimp and fish, and to the people that visit those passes. These passes as we all know are one of a kind, and the loss we have seen and felt is at times unbarable. The USACOE along with all of our agencies have done some things that a reasonable human being just can not understand, WHY. One would have to come to a reasonable conclusion that they just don,t care about any of us at all and they sure don't care about those passes. OK, so we get the permit in July, maybe. We have to have the funds to get stated, and we have to have the time to complete the project before the cranes come back again with no crabs, in Oct. Will we have to wait another year? What will one more year mean to the cranes, wetlands, and the fish? SAD, SAD, SAD.

[Old Plugger]

With all due respect to The Judge, I wonder why there are no questions as to the reasons for the continuing delays? Still smells fishy to me. There has got to be some kind of backroom shenanigans still going on. There have been other dredging permits issued on the coast that were given little attention because there were no problems with the timelines. I still hope that those who have caused this destruction are exposed and held accountable.

[reelfiddler]

Rich powerful people get what they want..........................Instead of raising holy hell about what is going on we just ssit here and put up with it. Why we are disorgainized and won't even come together about raising hell.

[lynnscb]

AMEN!!!

[J.Dean]

There is no doubt in my mind that the reason Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough are not open is $$$ and favor. There have been so many laws broken it amazes me that people aren't on trial. When Vincent Slough was dammed up it was a crime, it destroyed wetlands that support one of the most endangered bird species that we have.

I agree with reelfiddler, it's time we reorganize and start exposing the crimes that have happened, the people that committed them, and those that continue to cover them up. Lynn has documents that would rock your world and I'm sure if they went before congress multiple charges would be filed and the wealthy family own the island would finally have to answer some questions.

For one family to have so much control of multiple agencies should be a crime in itself.....

[rriver]

Cedar Bayou Friends,

We were down fishing in the Land Cut last week for our annual family fishing trip (fishing was good) in the past we went to Cedar Bayou.

Here is something we all thought of........
Now I'm no historian but I was always told LaSalle and other pirates used Vinson Slough/Cedar Bayou to hide behind the dunes from the French or Spanish navy's as they were robbing ships in the Gulf. So at dinner one night we were thinking if this happened and he did pull into Vinson slough from the gulf.

Doesn't that make the Slough and Cedar bayou a National Historic site?
We can't kill some grass or a crad but we can kill the History of America to suit some politial reason....

Shouldn't the powers to be have the same responsibility to preserve them as the Alamo and other sites around Texas and the country.
 
Restore both Vinson Slough and Cedar bayou 10-15 foot deep from bank to bank all the way to Mesquite bay not just a 100 foot channel. Also push some smaller channels from the slough to Aransas bay, the cattle can swim just like they did in the 1800's.

Just a thought!

[BK]

the latest from the Pilot.  Don't despair.

Judge: Cedar Bayou permit possible soon

By: NORMA MARTINEZ, Managing Editor
Published: Friday, June 10, 2011 11:26 AM CDT

Aransas County Judge C.H. “Burt” Mills is optimistic a permit to allow the dredging of Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough will be forthcoming based on a letter received from the Texas General Land Office.

The letter comes on the heels of a a visit from Army Corps of Engineers (COE) Col. Christopher Sallese, which occurred Wednesday, June 1.

Sallese visited the Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough project area in October, 2010. Last week he assured Mills the permit application is being processed.

On Tuesday, June 7, Mills received a letter from Isabel Gallahan, the GLO’s local government liaison, policy and governmental affairs.

In the letter, she said, “Hugo (Bermudez of Coast and Harbor Engineering) asked me to assist your county with the Cedar Bayou project. Hugo said that it appears that the Corp (sic) of Engineers is about to issue your permit and you would like to move forward with the project in collaboration with the GLO.

“I asked Rene Truan (Texas General Land Office (GLO) deputy commissioner for professional services) and Michael Lemonds to review the status of the project and they will call you tomorrow to discuss the details.”

On Thursday, Mills said he had received a letter from Carlos  Swonke, an engineer who has been assisting the county with this permit process pro bono. He said Denise Sloan of the GLO had four more questions, but noted he answered them.

He also has spoken to both Truan and Lemonds, and has received an “application of state land use lease,” a document needed when the county receives the permit for dredging.

Mills said, “I’m really excited and optimistic about what’s going on. I feel really good sometime, possibly by mid-July, we could have a permit.”

The judge said he is confident the COE is “all over it.”

Cedar Bayou was closed in 1979  to protect the bays after the Ixtoc oil spill. It had been opened, naturally, for the 20 previous years. Required matching funds were raised and the pass was reopened in 1985.  Unfortunately, it closed up again after the dredge material blocked Vinson Slough.  It was opened again in 1995 with funds provided by an anonymous donor. However, the dredge material was placed in the throat of Vinson Slough, effectively damming off the natural water flow in that critical area.

Efforts to reopen that area have been ongoing for about eight to 10 years.

[rwl1948]

Judge: Cedar Bayou permit possible soon

By: NORMA MARTINEZ, Managing Editor
Published:
Friday, June 10, 2011 11:26 AM CDT
Aransas County Judge C.H. “Burt” Mills is optimistic a permit to allow the dredging of Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough will be forthcoming based on a letter received from the Texas General Land Office.

The letter comes on the heels of a a visit from Army Corps of Engineers (COE) Col. Christopher Sallese, which occurred Wednesday, June 1.

Sallese visited the Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough project area in October, 2010. Last week he assured Mills the permit application is being processed.

On Tuesday, June 7, Mills received a letter from Isabel Gallahan, the GLO’s local government liaison, policy and governmental affairs.

Click here for latest print edition
In the letter, she said, “Hugo (Bermudez of Coast and Harbor Engineering) asked me to assist your county with the Cedar Bayou project. Hugo said that it appears that the Corp (sic) of Engineers is about to issue your permit and you would like to move forward with the project in collaboration with the GLO.

“I asked Rene Truan (Texas General Land Office (GLO) deputy commissioner for professional services) and Michael Lemonds to review the status of the project and they will call you tomorrow to discuss the details.”

On Thursday, Mills said he had received a letter from Carlos  Swonke, an engineer who has been assisting the county with this permit process pro bono. He said Denise Sloan of the GLO had four more questions, but noted he answered them.

He also has spoken to both Truan and Lemonds, and has received an “application of state land use lease,” a document needed when the county receives the permit for dredging.

Mills said, “I’m really excited and optimistic about what’s going on. I feel really good sometime, possibly by mid-July, we could have a permit.”

The judge said he is confident the COE is “all over it.”

Cedar Bayou was closed in 1979  to protect the bays after the Ixtoc oil spill. It had been opened, naturally, for the 20 previous years. Required matching funds were raised and the pass was reopened in 1985.  Unfortunately, it closed up again after the dredge material blocked Vinson Slough.  It was opened again in 1995 with funds provided by an anonymous donor. However, the dredge material was placed in the throat of Vinson Slough, effectively damming off the natural water flow in that critical area.

Efforts to reopen that area have been ongoing for about eight to 10 years.

[lynnscb]

Thanks BK, Something caught my eye here, ANONYMOUS DONOR, unless Wallop-Breaux federal funds are anonymous and I don't think so, I have to ask why would TPWD make a statement like that. I can say with all certainty that the money to re-dredge Cedar Bayou in 1995 was funded by our federal money. The documents clearly show this. Never the less it does appear that the permit is close at hand. My self, I am as you well know, thrilled that we are moving forward ever so slowly but moving.

[neptune]

Lynn, thanks so much for your dogged pursuit of this worthy goal.  If we can dare to hope that the permit will actually issue in July, what will happen next?   Has the project already been bid, so that we know what it will cost?  and if so, how much of that cost will still need to be raised?  Is there a construction time line in mind? 

In other words, what will need to happen (what do we all need to do) to get from the project to water, once again, running from Mesquite Bay to the surf?  And how long do you think that will be? 

Thanks again. 

[lynnscb]

Neptune, I don't expect any work to be done on the passes until next year. As all of you know we did not get the CIAP funding. We are looking and working on getting the $6 mill to fix these passes. Before any dredging can be done, the grass has to be pulled from Cedar Bayou and planted in the new site. We have not gotten to the bidding as of yet. We will need three. We also can not start work until after April 15Th of 2012, after the whooping cranes leave. I think it can take about 3 to 4 months to complete the project, that is if we do not have any storms in the Gulf. We have to access the gulf this time, unlike the past project that used Mesquite Bay. So, it will cost around $6 million, take at least 3 to 4 months and we will see those passes closed for one more year. I mean what can one more year hurt? No crabs for the cranes, more lost wetlands, bad bay water, a few more dead cranes and fishermen, no fish, no shrimp or oysters. Whats one more year to an already dead system.

[Lance D]

One more year can mean a lot, I'm not second guessing you Lynn but 1 more year can mean the absolute life or death of an ecosystem.

I am with everybody else on thanking you for for being like a "bulldog on a bone" with this project.

On a side note I am still digging on my end. I have not quit but I have not found the gold mine yet either.

[lynnscb]

Lance, This old dog is bone tired, but not down and out as some would love to see. Right now, I am just down right angry. Over a decade of mass destruction, destroyed wetlands, dead wildlife, fisheries, the wild seafood, from the worm in the ground to the birds in the sky. For what?? If all of you knew what I know, you would be angry to. Why all of the delays? Why did they allow me to spend the time and money to identify the problem and find a solution to fix what they destroyed? Do you think one more year would matter? Hell yes it does to us, but to them, you know the answer to that. I will say this right here and right now, I AM NOT DONE! I am just getting started. Lance look up faims.fws.gov. You will find all of the projects that TPWD has received federal aid money, our money, and what they spent it on. If you have a problem getting in, let me know. This will make you sick.  I will pm you on some other sites to go to.