DOCSLIB.ORG

9 Multi-Hazard Tournament

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

5 Impervious Cover 9 MULTI-HAZARD TOURNAMENT 11 GROWING to SERVE YOU EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Vision CHAIRMAN Inspiring Actions for Healthy Creeks and Rivers Michael W. Lackey, P.E. VICE-CHAIR Gaylon J. Oehlke Mission SECRETARY Hector R. Morales Protect and Enhance Our Creeks and Rivers Through Service, TREASURER Leadership and Expertise Darrell T. Brownlow, Ph.D. MEMBERS-AT-LARGE James Fuller Lourdes Galvan BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bexar County District 1 Jerry G. Gonzales 3 Inspiring Actions 8 Community Assistance District 2 Lourdes Galvan By Misty Downing Funds Assist Small Geographic Information Systems Communities District 3 Analyst By James Fuller Michael W. Lackey, P.E. SARA Board Member District 4 3 Watershed Wise Spotlight Goliad County Jim Campbell By Yviand Serbones-Hernandez At Large Community Relations Coordinator 8 South Texas Natives Hector R. Morales By Verma Villegas Lynn F. Murphy 4 Governor Appoints New Education Coordinator 2 SARA Board Member Wilson County By Lynn F. Murphy 9 Multi-Hazard Tournament John J. Flieller SARA Board Member By Dr. Aarin Teague, PhD Darrell T. Brownlow, Ph.D. Bexar County At-Large Senior Engineer Karnes County H.B. Ruckman, III 4 Fiesta Flotilla is a 10 Ecological Stimulation Gaylon J. Oehlke Sensational Spectacle Modeling of the San Goliad County By Kelley Phillips Antonio Bay James Fuller Digital Media Manager, By Steve Raabe Alicia Lott Cowley San Antonio River Foundation Director of Technical Services General Manager 5 Impervious Cover: 11 SARA’s Watershed Park & Suzanne Scott What is it and What can we do about it? Operations Team is Growing By Steve Graham to Serve You Assistant General Manager By Kristen Hansen Steven Schauer, Manager of Watershed & Park Operations External Communications 6 Construction on the San Manager Pedro Creek Improvements Summer West Project is Now Underway 12 Thank You Estela Avery Executive Editor By Bridget Hinze By Suzanne Scott Clint Marzec Executive Offices Administrator General Manager Graphic Designer 7 Elmondorf Lake Park Jordan Merson Improvements Project Cover Photographer Therese Kenner Intergovernmental Relations San Antonio River Authority Coordinator Phone: (210) 227-1373 Toll Free: (866) 345-7272 Fax: (210) 302-3693 Email: [email protected] www.sara-tx.org Watershed Wise Inspiring Actions Spotlight By Misty Downing, Geographic Information Systems Analyst Yviand Serbones-Hernandez, Community Relations Coordinator My name is Misty Downing, Are you looking for new ways to volunteer this year? The and I have been a Geographic San Antonio River Authority (SARA) created the Watershed Information Systems (GIS) Analyst Wise Warriors initiative in 2014 to recruit individuals that at the San Antonio River Authority share a passion for sustaining and enriching life in the (SARA) for the past three years. San Antonio River Watershed. Since then, the initiative As one of SARA’s support services has grown to include several categories for engagement departments, we assist staff with all under the Watershed Wise umbrella. This year we are of their GIS needs. proud to announce the addition of two sub-categories, the GIS can be thought of as Watershed Wise Warrior Paddling Corps and the Watershed computer mapping, cartography, analysis and application Wise Volunteer Gardener Program. development. Our team works to provide spatial data used in decision-making, to build interactive maps that help with business workflows or to visualize and communicate a compelling story told through maps and backed with strong science. My work at SARA is exciting, partially due to the great variety, but also because SARA encourages us to pursue our passions and fosters continual learning and development. I currently help manage the Basin Assessment Mapping and Analysis Tool project. The 3 project goal is a grand vision of having an easily accessible “one-stop shop” tool for all data and documents linked spatially through an intuitive and aesthetically engaging web mapping application. This is both challenging and The Watershed Wise Warriors Paddling Corps was created fun, as SARA’s role in watershed management covers a vast to recruit active paddlers that frequent the San Antonio expanse of activities. River Walk Mission Reach Paddling Trail. SARA’s goal is to engage these paddlers in cleanups and reporting It is conservation planning which allows me to work obstructions and issues to SARA staff in an effort to assist toward my true passion. We are working with partners in maintaining the SARA managed paddling trails. The and stakeholders throughout the community to develop a paddling corps participants are recruited on a voluntary regional green infrastructure plan, a crucial document that basis and participants receive a tool kit with supplies to identifies areas in the river basin that are most important facilitate the volunteer clean ups and reporting. to protect, whether for ecologic function, habitat connectivity, cultural or historic preservation, etc. This The Watershed Wise Volunteer Gardener Program is speaks to my heart because I am originally from Bandera, designed to increase the knowledge, enthusiasm and up in the Hill Country, and in the Medina River watershed; stewardship of citizens along the San Antonio River. An I genuinely consider the Medina River to be a little bit of inaugural class of ten volunteer participants will receive heaven on earth. So, I have dedicated myself to protecting training from SARA staff to independently maintain and preserving that resource. Through my work here at SARA-maintained areas along the San Antonio River SARA, I am able to pursue that goal and hopefully find Walk Museum Reach. Participants must meet eligibility ways to use GIS to inspire the same passion and actions in requirements and have to submit an application online others throughout our watershed! during the spring and fall recruitment periods. Interested in Inspiring Actions? Visit www.sara-tx.org for current job opportunities available. Governor Appoints New SARA Board Member By Lynn F. Murphy, SARA Board Member, Bexar County At-Large It is an honor to accept the appointment imagine a Karankawa campsite filled with those who walked from Governor Abbot to the San Antonio before us. If we follow the River, we could walk all the way River Authority (SARA) board to represent back to San Antonio arriving first at the Missions that offer Bexar County At-Large. To understand sanctuary along the River, then at the River Walk with its why I’m excited to serve as a SARA Board peals of laughter and fellowship, where I have fond memories member, we need to take a walk along the of racing paddleboats, a favorite pastime during childhood San Antonio River. Let’s meet down near family vacations. the bay, at the end of the River, on the ranch where my family has lived for over 180 years. As a 6th generation Texan, the River has played an important role in my life and family history. With degrees in business Here, the River ends in a turbulent churning as its waters mix with the waters of the Guadalupe River. As we walk upstream, and law from Southern Methodist University and having had the River quiets and spreads across flat prairie land. We move a successful legal and business career, I’m grateful for the with the River in silence, until fifty ducks take flight, lifting opportunity to serve. SARA’s hiking and paddling trails offer into the air with a frantic beat of wings and the alligator, numerous opportunities to enjoy the River and creeks that unnoticed until now, slides off the bank and slips underwater. flow into it. Please, start your own walk on these paths. It will Up ahead, under a stand of one-hundred-year oaks, you can be a pleasure to walk with you. Mission Reach Flotilla Festival is a Sensational Spectacle 4 Kelley Phillips, Digital Media Manager, San Antonio River Foundation There is nothing in the world like Fiesta™ The most colorful feature of Mission in San Antonio. It is overflowing with Reach Flotilla Festival is not the water experiences that excite the senses— the parade, but the watercraft decorating contest happening on land. Last year, thrumming reverberation of live music, Mission Park Pavilions’ courtyard was smell of rich spices, soft rustling of papel decorated with kayaks turned into picado in the breeze and resplendent Viking ships, canoes which read like colors bursting, draping and adorning Tarot cards crewed by skeletons and every available surface. paddleboards turned into paper flower gardens. This year’s Mission Reach The Mission Reach Flotilla Festival brings Flotilla Festival watercraft decorating that fiesta spirit to the Mission Reach of contest is expected to be even grander, the San Antonio River. In its second year, as there will be a Grand Prize of $1,000, this event will again draw people from across San Antonio to underwritten by The John and Florence Newman Foundation, the city’s Southside to be a part of and cheer on the Flotilla. for the winning individual, group or organization that puts their paint, pipe cleaners and tape to best use. Historically speaking, “flotillas” were small fleets of ships However, the greatest prize for anyone attending Mission sailing the seven seas. Our San Antonio River is considerably Reach Flotilla Festival is to go home with fond memories, less salty and vast than an ocean, but will nevertheless tuckered out kids from hours of festival games, a good song host its own fleet of watercraft — canoes, kayaks and stuck in your head and a glowing sense of community. For paddleboards captained and crewed by the community! This more information about the Mission Reach Flotilla Festival, playful water parade is open to the public, who is encouraged please visit the events page of the San Antonio River to dress in their finest Fiesta regalia. Foundation’s website at www.sariverfoundation.org.
Recommended publications
  • The Role of Freshwater Inflows in Sustaining Estuarine Ecosystem Health in the San Antonio Bay Region

    The Role of Freshwater Inflows in Sustaining Estuarine Ecosystem Health in the San Antonio Bay Region

    The Role of Freshwater Inflows in Sustaining Estuarine Ecosystem Health in the San Antonio Bay Region Contract Number 05-018 September 15, 2006 1. Introduction Estuaries are vital aquatic habitats for supporting marine life, and they confer a multitude of benefits to humans in numerous ways. These benefits include the provision of natural resources used for a variety of market activities, recreational opportunities, transportation and aesthetics, as well as ecological functions such as storing and cycling nutrients, absorbing and detoxifying pollutants, maintaining the hydrological cycle, and moderating the local climate. The wide array of beneficial processes, functions and resources provided by the ecosystem are referred to collectively as “ecosystem services.” From this perspective, an estuary can be viewed as a valuable natural asset, or natural capital, from which these multiple goods and services flow.1 The quantity, quality and temporal variance of freshwater inflows are essential to the living and non-living components of bays and estuaries. Freshwater inflows to sustain ecosystem functions affect estuaries at all basic physical, chemical, and biological levels of interaction. The functional role of freshwater in the ecology of estuarine environments has been scientifically reviewed and is relatively well understood. This role is summarized in section 3, after a brief overview of the geographical context of the San Antonio Bay Region in the next section. Section 4 follows with discussion of the impacts of reduced freshwater inflow to the San Antonio Bay. Section 5 concludes with some general observations. 2. Geographical Context The San Antonio Bay Region, formed where the Guadalupe River meets the Guadalupe Estuary, teems with life.
  • DA Fish Scales

    DA Fish Scales

    Fisheries Research 170 (2015) 82–88 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Fisheries Research j ournal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/fishres Fish traceability: Guessing the origin of fish from a seafood market using fish scale shape ∗ Ana L. Ibánez˜ Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa Departamento de Hidrobiología, Av. San Rafael Atlixco 186, Col. Vicentina. México, D.F. 09340, México a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: Fish traceability is an important tool in fish food safety and a recognition tool in the assessment of Received 6 December 2014 biodiversity and fisheries. Geometric morphometric methods were used to establish whether scale mor- Received in revised form 9 May 2015 phology may determine the origin of specimens from a fish market. In order to trace the origin of fish, the Accepted 19 May 2015 fish scale shape of two mugilids species Mugil cephalus and Mugil curema specimens from three different Handling Editor B. Morales-Nin trade premises at the Mexico City central fish market was analyzed and compared with the scale shape of Available online 6 June 2015 previously collected samples from known areas along the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific coasts. The origin of the fish market specimens was kept in a closed envelope and was revealed at the end of the study. Scale Keywords: shape was described using seven landmarks, the coordinates of which were subjected to a generalised Fish traceability Procrustes analysis, followed by a principal components analysis and discriminant analysis. Discriminant Fish scale shape Stock identification classification was used as the main indicator to identify the source of the fish, where the percentage of Fisheries management discrimination traced the origin of the specimens, respectively.
  • PRESS RELEASE January 22, 2021

    PRESS RELEASE January 22, 2021

    PRESS RELEASE January 22, 2021 Contact: Steven J. Raabe, P.E., Trustee P.O. Box 1269 Poth, Texas 78147-1269 Phone: 361-200-1456 Website: www.mbmTrust.com Email: [email protected] MATAGORDA BAY MITIGATION TRUST ANNOUNCES FUNDING FOR NINE ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS On October 30, 2020 the Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust published a Request for Proposals for coastal environmental projects in four categories: habitat restoration, environmental research, public education, and improving public access. The Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust received a total of 39 proposals, from 16 entities, totaling 14.5 million dollars. Today, Steven Raabe, Trustee of the Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust, announces that nine projects, from six entities, totaling 3.2 million dollars have been approved for funding. “We were so fortunate to receive some great proposals and it was difficult for the selection committee to make their recommendation because of the limitation of available funds,” Raabe stated. “But we are extremely pleased with the quality, scope, and cost effectiveness of the proposals selected as a significant step to research, restore and improve the Matagorda and San Antonio bays area environment,” he added. The projects being funded, by category, are: Habitat Restoration (Three projects totaling $1,498,000) Protection and Restoration of the Blackjack Peninsula, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, $500,000, Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program 1 Protection and Restoration of Matagorda Island West Marsh, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, $498,000, Coastal
  • San Antonio San Antonio, Texas

    San Antonio San Antonio, Texas

    What’s ® The Cultural Landscape Foundation ™ Out There connecting people to places tclf.org San Antonio San Antonio, Texas Welcome to What’s Out There San Antonio, San Pedro Springs Park, among the oldest public parks in organized by The Cultural Landscape Foundation the country, and the works of Dionicio Rodriguez, prolificfaux (TCLF) in collaboration with the City of San Antonio bois sculptor, further illuminate the city’s unique landscape legacy. Historic districts such as La Villita and King William Parks & Recreation and a committee of local speak to San Antonio’s immigrant past, while the East Side experts, with generous support from national and Cemeteries and Ellis Alley Enclave highlight its significant local partners. African American heritage. This guidebook provides photographs and details of 36 This guidebook is a complement to TCLF’s digital What’s Out examples of the city's incredible landscape legacy. Its There San Antonio Guide (tclf.org/san-antonio), an interactive publication is timed to coincide with the celebration of San online platform that includes the enclosed essays plus many Antonio's Tricentennial and with What’s Out There Weekend others, as well as overarching narratives, maps, historic San Antonio, November 10-11, 2018, a weekend of free, photographs, and biographical profiles. The guide is one of expert-led tours. several online compendia of urban landscapes, dovetailing with TCLF’s web-based What’s Out There, the nation’s most From the establishment of the San Antonio missions in the comprehensive searchable database of historic designed st eighteenth century, to the 21 -century Mission and Museum landscapes.
  • About San Antonio, Texas

    About San Antonio, Texas

    Photos courtesy of San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau Photos courtesy of San Antonio Convention ABOUT SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS San Antonio is one of the oldest cities settled in the most robust economies in the country. 1731 by 16 Spanish families from the Canary Islands. One of the fastest-growing cities, San Antonio has The site of San Antonio was first visited in 1691 by a also been recognized as one of the best places to buy Franciscan friar on the feast day of St. Anthony and real estate, one of the best places to retire, one of the was named San Antonio de Padua in his honor. most recession-proof economies, and one of the best Native Americans, Colonial Spain, the Canary Islands, places for entry level jobs. Old Mexico, Germans, the Wild West, and the Deep South cross paths in San Antonio, where tradition DID YOU KNOW? and cosmopolitan style sidle up for a one-of-a-kind- > San Antonio is the third fastest-growing city in America ride. and the 7th-largest U.S. city. Many people are familiar with San Antonio’s > San Antonio has 68 miles of urban hiking/biking trails. famed River Walk, and of course the historic Alamo, > The 2nd-oldest park in the U.S. is located in San but the city and its region offer so much more. San Antonio - San Pedro Park. Antonio has been a city of innovation and steady > San Antonio has the 3rd-largest zoo in the U.S., with growth for decades, while its cultural blend of people over 3,500 animals.
  • Texas Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program Texas ACTRP

    Texas Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program Texas ACTRP

    Texas Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program Texas ACTRP • Senate Bill 1410 - Passed during 77th Legislative session (2001) – Mandated 10-day closure period in February • Conducted annually since 2002 – ~ 12,000 voluntary hours (> 3,000 volunteers) – > 1,000 vessels –> 35,000 traps! Commercial Crab Trap Tags in Texas 100000 90000 80000 70000 60000 50000 40000 30000 20000 10000 0 92 94 96 98 178 Licenses, 200 traps per license Condition Assessment • From 2002-2003, we performed an assessment study of retrieved traps looking at location, condition, bycatch, etc. Condition Assessment of Traps • 1,703 traps studied • 12% located on seagrass beds • 46% had ID present • 63% in fishable condition • 42% degradable panel present • 33% open • Oldest confirmed trap dated 1991 • 3 Diamondback terrapins Number % of Species Observed Scientific Name Observed Total Blue crab Callinectes sapidus 314 49 Stone crab Menippe adina 179 28 Sheepshead Archosargus probatocephalus 48 7 Thinstripe hermit crab Clibanarius vittatus 30 5 Gulf toadfish Opsanus beta 28 4 Black drum Pogonias cromis 12 2 Hardhead catfish Arius felis 6 1 Striped mullet Mugil cephalus 6 1 Red drum Sciaenops ocellatus 4 1 Pinfish Lagodon rhomboides 3 <0.01 Bay whiff Citharichthys spilopterus 3 <0.01 Diamondback terrapin Malaclemys terrapin littoralis 3 <0.01 Longnose spider crab Libinia dubia 2 <0.01 Southern flounder Paralichthys lethostigma 2 <0.01 Spotted scorpionfish Scorpaena plumieri 2 <0.01 Pelecypoda Rangia spp. 1 <0.01 Musk turtle Family Kinosternidae 1 <0.01 Spotted seatrout Cynoscion
  • Texas Estuaries Human Recreational Activities

    Texas Estuaries Human Recreational Activities

    bays in peril bays in peril WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT GLOSSARY OF KEY CONCEPTS A Water is the lifeblood of our Texas landscape. Texas Naturalized Conditions: rivers provide water and habitat for fi sh and wildlife A computer model scenario showing freshwater infl ow throughout the state and provide the freshwater that amounts that would have occurred during about a 50- forecast for freshwater keeps coastal estuaries functioning and healthy. Unfor- year period if there had not been water withdrawals, dams, or other human alterations of infl ow patterns. tunately, we haven’t done a very good job of protecting Used as a baseline for comparison. fl ows to our rivers. Most water use permits were issued without Future Use: any consideration of how much fl ow should be left in A computer model scenario showing freshwater the river to protect water quality, fi sh and wildlife, and infl ow amounts during the same period as for natu- Texas estuaries human recreational activities. ralized conditions if all existing water withdrawal permits were fully used and levels of wastewater reuse Even today, the state hasn’t come to grips with how to were increased to about 50%. protect river fl ows and freshwater infl ows to the coast. Periods Below Drought The state and 16 regional water planning groups are Tolerance Levels: Sabine Lake developing plans to meet water demands for the next 50 A determination of the number of periods of six con- years, but so far that process does not include freshwater secutive months of very low freshwater infl ows, with- report summary infl ows as a water demand to be met.
  • The San Antonio River Walk

    The San Antonio River Walk

    Independence Title LEARN MORE IndependenceTitle.com Non-motorized water craft are allowed in three areas of the River Walk. Please ATLANTA AVE, San Antonio note, these trails are not connected and users will need to use the proper access The Blue Hole points to move between them over land. University of the (Headwaters Museum Incarnate Word Sanctuary) • Historic Downtown Section, near the King William District, between Nueva and E. Hildebrand Ave. SAN PEDRO 19 Devine Rd. of Art South Alamo Street, with the access point off of East Guenther Street. Devine Rd. San Antonio ERIE AVE. T 281 Shook Ave. Shook Ave. e ul Zoo • Eagleland Section between South Alamo Street and the railroad bridge north of riv eta Ave. WARREN D Lone Star Boulevard, with the access point just north of the railroad bridge m iu d Alamo a Japanese t t Stadium Witte S • Mission Reach from Lone Star Boulevard to south of Loop 410 near Mission S Tea Garden r. W. JONES ine D Museum Espada. Trinity Alp . r University D Sunken Garden e MCCULLOUGH AVENUE g Rivers are ever-changing, dynamic systems d Theater i r n e with inherent dangers, so please k c a r remember the following safety tips: 281 B Broadway CAMDEN ,QÁDWDEOHERDWVRUZDWHUFUDIWDQG Red Oak Rd. S.A. Botanical Garden MARSHALL paddle boats are not allowed. Brackenridge Park HILL GROVE W. Mulberry Ave. E. Mulberry Ave. QUINCY Ave San Pedro BROOKLYN AVE • Make sure your paddling skills are equal Davis Park McCullough Ave. McCullough to the water conditions and proceed at A Avenue B ue River Rd.
  • Historic Indian Groups of the Choke Canyon Reservoir and Surrounding Area, Southern Texas

    Historic Indian Groups of the Choke Canyon Reservoir and Surrounding Area, Southern Texas

    Volume 1981 Article 24 1981 Historic Indian Groups of the Choke Canyon Reservoir and Surrounding Area, Southern Texas T. N. Campbell Center for Archaeological Research T. J. Campbell Center for Archaeological Research Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ita Part of the American Material Culture Commons, Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Environmental Studies Commons, Other American Studies Commons, Other Arts and Humanities Commons, Other History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, and the United States History Commons Tell us how this article helped you. Cite this Record Campbell, T. N. and Campbell, T. J. (1981) "Historic Indian Groups of the Choke Canyon Reservoir and Surrounding Area, Southern Texas," Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State: Vol. 1981, Article 24. https://doi.org/10.21112/ita.1981.1.24 ISSN: 2475-9333 Available at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ita/vol1981/iss1/24 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for Regional Heritage Research at SFA ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State by an authorized editor of SFA ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Historic Indian Groups of the Choke Canyon Reservoir and Surrounding Area, Southern Texas Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License This article is available in Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ita/vol1981/iss1/24 HISTORIC INDIAN GROUPS OF THE CHOKE CANYON RESERVOIR AND SURROUNDING AREA, SOUTHERN TEXAS T.
  • Environmental Flows

    Environmental Flows

    Environmental Flows POSITION PAPER POSITION STATEMENT: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The San Antonio River Authority (River Authority) continues to advance its scientific CHAIRMAN knowledge of and expertise in the function of the riverine, bay and estuary systems and Darrell T. Brownlow, Ph.D. supports studies, projects and programs that rely on the best available science to ensure that adequate environmental flows are maintained to protect these natural resources VICE-CHAIR which are critical to ecological integrity, economic vitality and quality of life within our Jim Campbell basin and state. SECRETARY Lourdes Galvan TREASURER IMPORTANCE TO THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER WATERSHED: Michael W. Lackey, P.E. The quantity, quality and seasonal variability of water flowing in the river and tributaries MEMBERS-AT-LARGE are critical to maintaining the health of the riverine, riparian, bay and estuarine Gaylon J. Oehlke ecosystems. As the basin’s population and economy continues to diversify and grow, James Fuller, M.D. competing uses for limited water resources are inevitable. To sustain and enrich life – human, plant and animal – within the San Antonio River Watershed, the River Authority promotes equitable uses of surface water resources to meet all the varying needs placed BOARD OF DIRECTORS on this limited resource. Bexar County District 1 Jerry G. Gonzales SUMMARY: District 2 The River Authority invests in expanding the scientific information available in order to Lourdes Galvan advance collective knowledge and understanding of the functions of the interconnected ecosystems within the San Antonio River Basin. Decisions relating to environmental flow District 3 standards and specific flow requirements must remain dynamic and open for modification Michael W.
  • National Wildlife Refuge

    National Wildlife Refuge

    ARANSAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AUSTWELL, TEXAS Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is on a broad peninsula between San Antonio Bay and St. Charles Bay, overlooking Matagorda Island and the Gulf of Mex­ ico. Refuge headquarters is southeast of Austwell, and within easy driving distance of Corpus Christi, Port Lavaca, Rockport, and Refugio. Established in 1937, this refuge is administered by the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 47,261-acre refuge consists of bays, tidal flats, marshes, and sandy higher ground broken by long, WHITE-TAILED DEER. narrow ponds. Most of the soil is deep sand covered by running live oak and redbay brush. Numerous small groves of stunted live oak and blackjack oaks on the low ridges lean permanently away from the Gulf winds. Interior ponds and lakes vary from 1 to 385 acres in size, and are fed by runoff and wells. Tidal flats, 2 miles wide, extend about 10 miles along the lower east boundary. Aransas Refuge is the principal wintering ground for the rare whooping cranes. Only 44 birds remained in the wild in the spring of 1966. Family groups estab­ lish territories soon after reaching the refuge. They begin to arrive in mid-October, after a 2,500-mile flight from the northern nesting grounds near Great Slave Lake in Canada. They usually start north in early April. Large numbers of waterfowl winter on the tidal flats, open parks, and fresh-water impoundments. Can­ ARMADILLO ada geese, which sometimes number 20,000 in late fall, leave for the north in February and March.
  • Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Information and Map

    Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Information and Map

    U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Information and Map Welcome to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge We invite you to drive our 16-mile auto tour, fish off our pier, stop at our Visitor Contact Station, walk up our observation towers, and relax and enjoy a picnic overlooking San Antonio Bay. Take time to stretch your legs along several miles of walking trails. You’ll find observation platforms, spotting scopes, diverse plants and wildlife, and stunning views of the bay and wildlife habitat. The trails are listed below in the order you encounter them along the auto tour loop. Trails Rail Trail (.3 mile) Waterbirds, from rails to bitterns, lurk in the reeds lining Tomas Slough. This grassy trail parallels the long, narrow A whooping crane catches a blue crab. © Kevin Sims pond that is home to alligators as well. Alligator Viewing Area (<.1 mile) Dagger Point Trail (1 mile) Take a short walk up the ramp and look Rules and Regulations Hike a winding trail through an oak/ • Observe speed limit of 25 mph and for alligators in Tomas Slough, one of the red bay forest. One of the few hills on the watch for wildlife crossing roadways. few freshwater resources on the refuge. refuge offers an excellent vista. On sunny days, you may see an alligator • All vehicles must be street legal and basking on the bank. Listen for frogs Jones Lake (< .1 mile) remain on designated roadways. calling and look for fish swimming in the A very short, paved walkway leads to a water.