Tag: texas bays

Texas Bays Depend on Freshwater Inflow

On Monday, January 11, 2010, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Water Resources and Coastal Fisheries staff attended a meeting of the Guadalupe-San Antonio Basin and Bay Area Stakeholder Committee. A similar meeting recently took place for the Trinity-San Jacinto Basin and Bay Area Stakeholder Committee, where members heard presentations from their appointed science team about freshwater inflow recommendations for Galveston Bay. Outdoor enthusiast understand the importance of freshwater flows for the health of coastal habitat, widlife, specifically waterfowl, and fish species, and it’s good to see the problems are being addressed.

Three other bay-basin committees are also working on the Nueces, Sabine/Neches, and Colorado/Lavaca systems. All this stems from Senate Bill 3 passed by the Texas Legislature in 2007, which established a comprehensive, statewide process to protect environmental flows. The process relies upon input from local stakeholder groups composed of balanced interests ranging from agricultural water users to commercial anglers–all with a vested interest in water rights. The hoped-for outcome is protected environmental flow regimes to help ensure healthy rivers and estuaries. Continue reading Texas Bays Depend on Freshwater Inflow

Texas Bays and Estuaries Meeting

The University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) is pleased to announce the annual Texas Bays and Estuaries Meeting (TBEM) for 2009. The meeting will focus on work being done in the bays, estuaries and near-shore Gulf of Mexico. It provides an opportunity for Texas scientists working in the coastal zone to share information, results and insights into our diverse coastal environment. Both natural and social science research is welcome. There will be awards for the best student presentations. The meeting will be held at the Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, Texas.

Talks will be held in the Auditorium located in the Visitor’s Center, and there will be a limited number of poster slots available. Information on the Institute and directions can be found at their website. Abstracts and registration are due 31 March 2009. Registration will open in mid February at URL to be posted in the 2nd announcement. Housing and registration costs will be similar to 2008.