Galveston Bay

170 Pages·2005·6.714 MB·English

by  Antrobus, Sally

PREFACEIX
I. FROM BAYOU TO BAYOU CITY j
2. A HARDWORKING BAY25
3. RECREATIONAL RICHES51
4. HURRICANES AND FLOODS71
S. BAY POLITICS91
6. THE CONTAINER PORT JUGGERNAUT 3 I I
7. DESTINATIONS I S 3
S EVENTS 5 1 . 9
9. HOPES AND FEARS175
RESOURCES187
BIBLIOGRAPHY207
INDEX217
DownattheendofmystreetlapsGalvestonBay.Atsixo'clockonawintermorninginthecrispairofanorther,
dawnturnstheskytoapaleapricotdomeandcastsacopperysheenoverthewater.Leaflessbranchesframethe
gleamingview.Shipsglidethroughtheframe.Whenfogcreepsoverthecoast,Iwakelisteningtoafoghorn'sboom.
Whentheairisstillandshrimpboatsareout,urgentifincomprehensibleradioexchangesofshrimpersarecarried
overthewater.
Sometimesthebaymakesalotofnoise,whenthewaterandtheshoreareatoddsduringabigblow.Bydayit
offersthebeautyofpelicans,terns,ospreys,andheronsofseveralkinds.Atnightthehaymakesablackreachof
quietinthelightbubbleofgreaterHouston;yousensethedeepeningdarkasyougetclose.Iliketheshipsand
shrimpboats,theseafoodsmells,andthewispygrassesthatlooksoyieldingyetsupportsomuchsmalllife.But
mostly,Ijustlikethehaybecauseitisthere.
ThishookisintendedasacelebrationofGalvestonBay.Alongmuchofitsshorejustgettingtotheedgecanbe
difficultbecausethewaterwayisboxedinbyalargepopulationcenterwithamajorportandanenormous
concentrationofpetrochemicalplants.Wherecanwegotoenjoythebay'Isitsafetoeattheoysters?Howareweto
understandthelowterrainofacoastalestuarywherelandandwatermerge,creatinganedgeofuncertainidentity'
PerhapsitisanadvantagetohavegrownupinminingtownsofthehighgrasslandinteriorofSouthAfricaandto
havelivedintheArizonadesert,bothsodifferentfromthemarshesanddampwoodsoftheTexascoast:Iknowthat
everyplacehasengagingqualities,andmyjobistofigureoutwhattheyare.Uponmovingherein1988,Iwas
excitedtolearnthatalligatorsoccupythecreekatourhackboundary,justafewhundredyardsfromthehay.
WatchingthehayisahabitIacquiredfrommyneighborSoniaDoty,whomadeapointofdoingthisnightlyfor
years.Armedwithabeer,shewouldperchatthebottomofherbayshoregardenandtakeinwhateverwasathand-
gulls,ships,windsurfers,smallboats,purplemartins,clouds.
Knowinglittleabouthowestuarieswork,Isignedupin1989forashortcourseonbayecologyofferedat
ArmandBayouNatureCenter.Thecourseprovidedsomeimportantintroductions.Onewastothespecialmagicofa
bayouatnight.Stoppingonthenaturecenter'sboardwalktoenjoytheSpanishmossdrapingthetreesinthe
moonlight,Iheardascreech-owlcall,andthenawhippoorwill-hintsofhowtheareafeltwhenitwaswild.Asecond
introductionwastotheGalvestonBayFoundation(GBF),thenthenewchampionofhayecology.Oneoftheother
studentstakingthecourse,LindaShead,wouldsoonbecomethefoundation'sexecutivedirector.
Mycoursenotestellmethatsalinityintheopenoceanisthirty-sixpartsperthousand.IntheGulfofMexicoitis
thirty-two,andinGalvestonBayabouttwenty-five,goingdowntofiveorsixpartsperthousandinArmandBayou.
Overmuchofitsarea,thehay'sdepthisonlysixtotenfeet.Atthetime,thesewerejustnumberstome,thefirst
buildingblocksinmygraspofwhatlowsalinityandsun-warmedshallowwatercando.
DougMyers,theinstructor,emphasizedthatpeoplelivingaroundGalvestonBayshouldtrytolearnfromthe
mistakesandtriumphsoftheChesapeakeBaycommunityinunderstandingestuarydynamicsandintackling
problems.Attwohundredmileslong,ChesapeakeBaywasthelargestestuaryinthenation,hesaid,hometomore
thantwenty-sevenhundredspeciesofplantsandanimalsandbiologicallyoneofthemostproductivesystemsinthe
world.H.L.Menckencalledit"animmenseproteinfactory."Mining,agriculture,industry,andurbandevelopment,
however,allcontributedtoitspollutionload,nearlyresultinginitsdeath.Thehaythatproduced120millionpounds
ofshuckedoystermeatin188oproducedonly20millionpoundsofoystersinTheChesapeakeBayFoundationwas
formedinthetopromotepublicawarenessofthecrisis.
TheGBFwas lookingatsimilarkinds ofproblems:industrialpollution,runoffhearingpesticides andexcessive
nutrients, and a serious reduction of submerged aquatic vegetation. A good deal less was then known about
GalvestonBaythanisnowknown,andnotjustbecauseofthenormalmarchofscienceovertheinterveningyears.
There was an extraordinary push going on for better understanding of the bay as a whole, and I began to consider
writingahookaboutit.
SketchesnototherwisecreditedarefromanarchiveofworkbyFrederickWeis.HelivednearGalvestonBayinEl
lardin del Mar and portrayed the area and its occupants in numerous pencil drawings, ink sketches, andpaintings.
Weisbelievedintheimportanceofarttothecommunity,andhisbaysidedrawingsspansomefortyyears.Courtesy
ofEllardinCommunityAssociation.
Alsoappearinginmycoursenotesarethenamesofseveralotherpeoplecrucialtothehayconservationeffort.
Ata1989GBFmeetingtowhichalltheArmandBayoucourseregistrantswereinvited-ameetingaboutWallisville
DamandproposeddeepeningoftheHoustonShipChannel-1firstheardtheauthoritativevoiceofthedoyenofbay
biologists,BobMcFarlane.PhotographerJimOlivegaveaslideshowabouttherichesoftheestuary,justashe
woulddoatecotourismsymposiainSeabrookin2001and2002,attheTexasCoastalTreasuresconferenceheldby
theGeneralLandOfficein2002,andatmanyanothergatheringinbetween.Irecordedthetelephonenumberofthe
mainspeakerfortheevening,theindefatigableJimBlackburn,whoremainsatthesamephonenumberatthetime
ofwriting,evermoresharplyactiveasaprotagonistforthehay.
IoweaconsiderabledebttoMaryBethMaher,EllynRoof,andNatalieO'Neill.Havingspottedmeat
environmentaleventssuchaslocalEarthDaycelebrations,Natalienudgedmetowardcloserinvolvementinbay
advocacy.MaryBethtookoverwhereNatalieleftoff,makingsureIwasfullyengaged,andeventuallysupplying
thewherewithalformetoaccelerateworkonthisbookfromaslowshuffletoatrot;someoftheartworkisalso
hers.EllynpassedmechoicemorselsofinformationfromthirtyyearsofactivismandconnectedmewithRichard
W.(Dick)Bricker,whogenerouslysuppliedphotographs.Besidesrecordinginterestingwatercraft,hisphoto
specialtyislargearchival-qualityinkjetprintsoncanvas,forframing.
MyneighborDruDicksonwasarewardingfriend,keepinganeyepeeledformaterialImightfindusefuland
alwaysgenerousingivingmyfamilyuseofherbeachforpicnicking,swimming,andsailing.HarveyTidwell,
publisherofthemonthlyBayRunner.providedvaluablesupportbyacceptingaseriesofmyenvironmentalarticles
aboutthebay.OtherstowhomIamgratefulforwisdomandfriendshipandforguidingmythinkingaremy
husband,JustinWilkinson;hayactivistsNancyEdmonson,LarryTobin,andKatieChimenti;andwetlandsscientist
JohnJacob.Anyfumblesoffactorjudgmentare,ofcourse,myown.
Mychildren,KateandMark,havefoundtheirownwaysofenjoyingthehay.Asbabies,theyplayedinitswarm
shallows.Markdiscoveredhowtohaveafinetimeonaskimboard,tossingthethinovaloninches-deepwaterata
run,thenspringingontothehoardtoplanealong.Hewashavingfunevenduringthehighwaterofstorms,while