Corpus Christi Bay National Estuary Program
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CORPUS CHRISTI BAY NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAM PROJECT AREA DESCRIPTION areas and other scattered parcels. Centered around Corpus Christi, Texas, the 12-county project area includes three ECOSYSTEM STRESSES nearly separate estuaries: the Nueces- Although stresses have yet to be fully Corpus Christi, Baffin-Laguna Madre, and characterized, agricultural practices, urban Copano-Aransas systems. Most of the development, hydrologic alteration, and terrain is gently sloping coastal plain with non-point source pollution are potential Location: a barrier island (Padre/Mustang) that significant stresses to the project area: South coastal delimits the estuaries and reduces tidal about half of the native inlands have been Texas exchange with the Gulf of Mexico. Inland converted to agricultural, urban, and native plant cover is mesquite brush with industrial uses. Agricultural practices limited areas of prairie, although much of may contribute to nutrient and pesticide that has been converted to agriculture. loading, and alter some freshwater input Project size: to the estuaries and bays. Urban-related 550 square miles of The bays are generally shallow with sand, stresses likely include dredging and filling water; 11,537 silt, and shell bottom. Sea grasses form of coastal wetlands for residential use, square miles of extensive beds in the shallowest and non-point source nutrient and pesticide adjacent land undisturbed regions of the bays. The area run-off, oil/grease pollutants, trash (352,000/7,383,68 is home to several federally-listed dumping, and two public water supply 0 acres) threatened or endangered species, reservoirs. Other, less significant stresses including several turtles (Kemp’s Ridley, include cattle grazing, commercial and loggerhead, green, leatherback, hawksbill), recreational overfishing, industrial point whooping crane, piping plover, and brown source pollution, exotic species (brown Initiators: pelican. Twelve additional state-listed mussel, nutria), and recreation (other than Private citizens, species are present, including the fishing). State of Texas, U.S. opossum pipe fish, sheep frog, Texas Environmental tortoise, and two dolphins. PROJECT DESCRIPTION Protection Agency In April 1992, local concerned citizens Land ownership is mostly private, in large with the Coastal Bend Bays Foundation, tracts owned by a few individuals or large Gulf Coast Conservation Association, and corporations. One-quarter of the land is in local academic community, and with the row-crop farming (sorghum and cotton support of the Texas Natural Resource primarily), 50% is cattle grazing rangeland, Conservation Commission and the and oil and gas production overlaps both Governor of Texas, initiated the of these. The remaining 25% is in urban nomination process for Corpus Christi and industrial use, with some wetlands Bay (CCB) to become a National Estuary and other undeveloped lands. Federal Program (NEP), a nationwide program lands include Padre Island National authorized by the Clean Water Act and Seashore and Aransas National Wildlife administered by the Environmental Refuge; state lands include submerged Protection Agency (EPA). Following its coastal acceptance by EPA in 1992 and a start-up year beginning in December 1993, the CCBNEP officially ____________ 111 Ecosystem Management in the United States: An Assessment of Current Experience CORPUS CHRISTI BAY NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAM -- continued began in September 1994. Five monitoring efforts. Factors Facilitating Progress committees were established in The willingness of the Manage- Spring 1994 to form a Management During the four-year duration of ment Conference members to at- Conference. the program, EPA provides 75% of tend meetings and volunteer for the funding, with the state project development and sub- The goal of the program is to de- providing the remainder. There- committees have been the most velop a Comprehensive Conser- after, the state is responsible for important factors reported. The vation Management Plan (CCMP) funding and implementation, CCBNEP’s administrative structure, that will be carried out under state anticipated to last 20-40 years. clarity of its goals, and project and local auspices. As with all leadership have also been cited as other NEPs, the CCBNEP attempts PRESENT STATUS & positive factors. to involve all stakeholders in a OUTLOOK consensus-building approach, Because the effort is in an early Obstacles to Progress through their participation on the stage, few outcomes have been While the Committees and their five committees (Policy, reported other than setting up members have worked well to- Management, Citizen, Local committees and the overall pro- gether, there have been jurisdic- Government, Scientific/Technical gram, increased communication tional concerns between state Advisory), whose members are among stakeholders, and a shift to agencies, as well as concerns representatives of state agencies, a multi-species management about conflicts of interest of local government, local industry approach. committee members and project and agriculture, recreational user proposals that have been submit- groups, environmental Work plans have been developed ted. Maintaining interest in the organizations, commercial fishing, for FY95 and 96, and the first All Citizen’s Advisory Committee has and local academic institutions. A Conference Workshop was held in been difficult, because there are sixth committee, Financial Planning, February 1995. It served to provide few substantive issues at present will be formed in FY96 to aid in the insight to the 200+ Committee for their consideration, even implementation phase. participants on the CCBNEP’s though this committee will become habitat and degradation, and to more important later. Finally, it is The CCBNEP’s first priority is to create a common vision statement unclear how a new state summarize all existing data on the and operating principles. The administration will affect the area, with historical data confirming program is currently receiving the project’s continued progress. the severity and extent of the results of 12 studies on the CCB’s identified issues. Management historic and current condition. Contact information: actions will then be developed, Dr. Hudson DeYoe reviewed by stakeholders, and It is still unclear whether the nec- Corpus Christi Bay National subject to extensive public review essary level of consensus on major Estuary Program before being revised and then issues has been reached. At- Texas AMU - Corpus Christi submitted to EPA for approval in tention has been brought some of Campus September 1998. A monitoring the environmental issues, but in- Campus Box 290 program will be designed to creased public awareness of these 6300 Ocean Blvd. measure progress in meeting issues is considered necessary. Corpus Christi, TX 78412 program goals, and will be No on-the-ground activities have (512) 985-6767 ext. 6301 coordinated with existing yet occurred. E-mail: [email protected] ____________ 112.