July 20, 2023 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building (at the Fairgrounds)
Raymond Butler, P.E., Butler Consulting and LBF Board, discussed the Matagorda Ship Channel Improvement Project. The channel widening and deepening will impact our bay, and that impact depends on the decisions the Army Corps of Engineers make as they develop the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement over the next year. Raymond discussed the comments LBF submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers, other ship channel projects along the coast, and the changes that are likely to occur as a result of this project as new industries move into our area. https://youtu.be/bggLdNJAZE8
June 15, 2023 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building (at the Fairgrounds)
Laura Beecraft, Harte Research Institute, R. J. Shelly, Texas A&M Agrilife/Texas Sea Grant Calhoun County, and Bill Balboa, Matagorda Bay Foundation will talk about their projects funded by the Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust, including research, community education, and habitat restoration projects. This is a good opportunity to hear an overview of different types of projects in our bay. Shelly: https://youtu.be/mkUQPjhiM2w Beecraft: https://youtu.be/YgMx6eVqxYE Balboa: https://youtu.be/8qDAbmARoLc
June 7, 2023 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building (at the Fairgrounds)
US Army Corps of Engineers is having an Open House to discuss the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Matagorda Ship Channel Improvement Project. They are scoping the SEIS and are receiving public input until July 2, 2023.
Abandoned Crab Trap Removal – Feb 17 to Feb 26, 2023
September 15, 2022, 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building (at the Fairgrounds)
Mike Rivet, Formosa Plastics, discussed their wastewater management/filtering system designed to alleviate problems of plastics being discharged into the bay. https://youtu.be/K0nOM9gTO8A
July 21, 2022, 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building (at the Fairgrounds)
Patrick Brzozowski, LNRA General Manager, discussed the freshwater inflow to Lavaca Bay, the new reservoir project and how it will affect that inflow, and the BBASC which is instrumental in determining the amount of freshwater coming into Lavaca Bay. Fresh water is crucial to the health of any estuary, and the limited amount of water on the planet is an issue for everyone. https://youtu.be/A571OAUIKDo
June 16, 2022, 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building (at the Fairgrounds)
Paul Montagna, HRI Chair for Hydroecology, Harte Research Institute, will discuss results of an analysis of the data from a monitoring study established by Formosa in May 1993 of an industrial discharge into Lavaca Bay. Measurements were comprehensive including organic contaminants and inorganic solutes in porewater and sediment, sediment content, plankton, nekton, and infaunal benthos. Except for sediment trends, reference stations and stations near the discharge point had similar hydrographical and biological trends over time, indicating no impact due to the discharge. However, 99.9% of 424,671 measurements of organic contaminants were non-detectable because the methods were insensitive to ambient concentrations. https://youtu.be/I6hGmI3sDr0
May 19, 2022, 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building (at the Fairgrounds)
Elizabeth Guevara, Game Warden, Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept, will discuss the Texas Game Warden agency mission to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations, and specifically the role the local Game Wardens have in that mission along the coast and on Lavaca Bay. https://youtu.be/8QqI2_1Xd9U
April 21, 2022, 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building (at the Fairgrounds)
Jace Tunnell, Director of the Mission-Aransas Reserve at UT Marine Science Institute, is the founder of a citizen science project called Nurdle Patrol that tracks plastic pellet concentrations internationally to create awareness of plastics in the ocean and develop new policy based on the data. He talked about the Nurdle Patrol efforts that are currently going on and future direction of the project and what every person can do to contribute to the project. https://youtu.be/vm0CbAFotPY
March 17, 2022, 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building (at the Fairgrounds)
Leslie Hartman, Ecosystem Leader, Texas Parks & Wildlife, presented the causes of variability in estuarine systems. Learning what short-term and long-term variabilities are expected in the bay system helps in understanding which variations are natural and which are of concern. https://youtu.be/Kzpyw8fJebo
February 17, 2022, 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building (at the Fairgrounds)
Bill Balboa, Executive Director of the Matagorda Bay Foundation, discussed several current conservation projects and efforts to increase stakeholder involvement to determine future restoration efforts.
December 16, 2021, 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building (at the Fairgrounds)
Kevin Riggs, Plant Manager – Alcoa Point Comfort Operations, provided an update on the EPA Superfund project and other work going on at the facility. Presentation: https://lavacabay.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Alcoa-CAB-Mtg-PPT_25Oct21-Final.pdf
November 18, 2021, 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building (at the Fairgrounds)
Michael Schramm, Texas Water Resources Institute, discussed a 2016 watershed protection project which addressed high levels of fecal bacteria in the Lavaca River and ongoing work related to the watershed protection plan. He also gave an overview of a new project that will estimate nutrient loads entering Lavaca Bay and how that data may be used in the future.
October 21, 2021, 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building (at the Fairgrounds)
Paul Montagna, Ph.D., Jim Gibeaut, Ph.D., Audrey Douglas Ph.D., and Rick Kalke, Ph.D., Harte Research Institute in Corpus Christi, presented the results of their project to evaluate the impacts of the Matagorda Ship Channel expansion. If the project proceeds as planned using the Least Cost Alternative, it will damage over 800 acres of oysters, damage over 1,000 acres of seagrass, and stir up mercury that is currently buried. The bay will take years to recover, if it recovers. See their final report at https://mbmtrust.com/media/mcdcxhih/mbmt-ship-channel-dredging-evaluation-016-final-report-10-21-21.pdf.
August 19, 2021, 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building (at the Fairgrounds)
Mario Marquez, Texas Sea Grant Agent in Palacios, is an Oyster Aquaculture Specialist and a Fellow with the NOAA Environmental Cooperative Science Center. Oyster Aquaculture (farming) was recently legalized in Texas, and Mario is facilitating the development of this emerging industry in Palacios.
July 15, 2021, 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building (at the Fairgrounds)
Mike Wetz, Ph.D. and Amie West, Ph.D., Harte Research Institute, discussed water quality studies along the Texas Coast including the Matagorda-Lavaca Bay system, and a project using environmental indicators to assess ecosystem health. Mike described the pressures the Texas coast is under, including increased pollution from humans and decreased precipitation and flash events from climactic influences. From data collected over the past 20 to 40 years, a long-term increase in salinity is seen in our bay which affects habitat quality, productivity of the bay, and biodiversity. An associated PH decrease affects the ability of shell formers such as oysters to maintain their shells. Hypersaline bays such as Nueces Bay can no longer maintain oysters. Amie is working to develop Texas coast and bay-specific Ecosystem Health Report Cards to monitor indicators of bay health.
May 20, 2021, 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building (at the Fairgrounds)
Raymond Butler, P.E., Butler Consulting & Lavaca Bay Foundation, has a lifetime of experience on our bay and consults with ports and marine transport companies. He was involved in the Houston Ship Channel expansion, and he will compare the process for that project with the current Matagorda Ship Channel expansion. Involvement of local stakeholders can result in a better result, and he will discuss an alternative to the current plan which will smother at least 130 acres of productive oyster reefs.
April 15, 2021, 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building (at the Fairgrounds)
Our very first speaker, Leslie Hartman, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department returns to talk about the effects of the recent freeze on the marine life in our bay. She will also discuss TPWD sampling activities and findings.
March 11, 2021, 6:00 p.m. at the Calhoun County Extension Office Auditorium
US Army Corps of Engineers presented their final engineering design for the beneficial placement of dredged material from deepening the Matagorda Ship Channel and received input from participants. They discussed the design principles that guide these activities, including Regional Sediment Management, Engineering With Nature, and Natural and Nature-Based Features. The principles and extensive modeling will result in placement of materials in a way that contributes to a healthy bay and nourishes the beaches that suffer from erosion. The mitigation includes 130 acres of new oyster reef. A PDF of the presentation is here: USACE PDF MSC_PED_v4. The livestream video is posted on the Lavaca Bay Foundation Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/lavacabay/videos/270727807792380
February 19-Feb 28 – Abandoned Crab Trap Pickup. Due to the freeze all scheduled activities were delayed until Feb 22. During this annual closing to clean up the bay, LBF volunteers and LNRA retrieved only 18 derelict traps from Lavaca Bay. Our crabbers are doing a great job of keeping the bay clean! Volunteers in other bays had more work to do, as 1,003 traps were removed from San Antonio and Matagorda Bays.
January 21, 2021, 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building
David Hall, Calhoun County Commissioner Pct 1 discussed county ongoing and planned projects, and Jody Weaver, City Engineer, discussed bay-related city projects including the developments at Bayfront Park. For information and updates, see https://www.cleargov.com/texas/calhoun/city/port-lavaca
Nov 14, 2020
We had a successful cleanup at the fishing area on the Point Comfort end of the causeway. Twenty-five amazing volunteers came out, including San Antonio Bay Partnership and our Sea Grant agent, and their hard work made a big difference in beautifying this area. GLO provided gloves and snack bars, and TXDOT furnished bags and picked up trash and large items after the cleanup. We have a beautiful natural resource in Lavaca Bay; let’s continue to show our community pride.
July, 2020
Several members of LBF took Lise Olsen (Texas Observer) and Spike Johnson (photographer) out on the bay to gather information for this well-researched and well-written article: https://www.texasobserver.org/superfund-texas/
POSTPONED due to pandemic:
March 19, 2020, 6:00 p.m. at MMC Community Room.
Ken Teague, Senior Ecologist – EPA (retired) will discuss his thoughts on nongovernmental organizations devoted to estuary protection and restoration, as well as the environmental condition of Lavaca Bay, its history of human modifications, and how these might suggest some focus areas for efforts to protect and restore the estuary.
February 21-March 1st – Crab Trap Pickup. During this 10-day annual closing to clean up the bay, Lavaca Bay Foundation members picked up 43 abandoned crab traps, and LNRA picked up 39 more, for a total of 82 derelict traps removed from Lavaca Bay. Thanks to all for the hard work. Texas Sea Grant produced a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG_Uy20UOwE&feature=youtu.be
February 20, 2020, 6:00 p.m. at MMC Community Room.
Charles Hausmann, Port Director at the Port of Port Lavaca/Point Comfort discussed current port activities and future plans, including the widening of the ship channel and closed areas.
January 22 & 23 – San Antonio Bay Partnership hosted a 10 Year Anniversary Conference and Celebration which featured over 40 speakers and a special presentation of Montopolis’ The Living Coast. It was great to be in a room filled with people concerned about protecting our planet.
January 16, 2020, 6:00 p.m. at MMC Community Room.
Paul Montagna, Ph.D., Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M Corpus presented the results of his latest study of Lavaca Bay, completed last fall. He discussed problems they found in the bay, particularly the fact that benthic organisms are declining rapidly. The good news is that bays can be resilient, given favorable circumstances. It’s important that we work to support the bay.
October 17, 2019, 6:00 p.m. at MMC Community Room.
Scott Dickson, TCEQ Compliance Assistance Specialist in the Small Business and Local Government Assistance Section, discussed the role of TCEQ as the primary environmental agency for air, water, and waste. Calhoun County is in Region 14, Corpus Christi office. Resources include the Central Registry Query (https://www15.tceq.texas.gov/crpub/index.cfm?fuseaction=cust.CustSearch), where searches can be conducted by several parameters including company name, program (eg wastewater, air emissions), and location.
September 19, 2019, 6:00 p.m. at MMC Community Room.
Amy Nunez, General Land Office (GLO) presented an overview of the role of GLO in Lavaca Bay and discussed the Texas Coastal Resiliency Plan (www.coastalstudy.texas.gov). Calhoun County is in Region 2, and one of the Tier 1 Projects is oyster reef restoration in Lavaca Bay. The Texas Coastal Study is concerned with storm risk management and ecosystem restoration, in Calhoun County especially the marsh areas between Powderhorn and Port O’Connor. their Living Shorelines projects. GLO also has funding for Living Shorelines, an effective alternative to bulkheading which has some advantages for the marine ecosystem. The Permit Service Center provides permitting assistance at no charge (permitting.assistance@glotexas.gov). Other resources include glo.texas.gov, which has GIS maps and data showing what parts of Lavaca Bay are managed by GLO and what parts by the Navigation District; Texas Beach Watch; and the Master Plan, which as detailed description of projects with Calhoun Co. as Region 2 on the projects map.
August 22, 2019, 6:00 p.m. at MMC Community Room.
Paul Bunnell, M.D., hospitalist at MMC and Medical Director of EMS, gave a very informative talk about Vibrio Vulnificus salt water infection (“flesh eating bacteria”), including preventative measures (wearing gloves or waders, washing with soap and water or a bleach solution), how to recognize the early signs (redness and pain), treatment (antibiotics, surgery), and who is at greatest risk (those with compromised immune systems, liver disease or diabetes). The video of this talk is posted at: https://youtu.be/RgG0Hryl1eA
June 20, 2019, 6:00 p.m. at MMC Community Room.
Jim Blackburn, environmental lawyer and Professor at Rice University, gave an overview of his current and past environmental projects, among them the Texas Coastal Exchange to sequester carbon dioxide in the marshes and bottomlands of the coast and the whooping crane agreement between The Aransas Project and GBRA. As President of Matagorda Bay Foundation, he and executive director Bill Balboa discussed their new direction and projects.
May 23, 2019, 6:00 p.m. at Nautical Landings.
James Dodson, San Antonio Bay Partnership, talked about the steps they took to establish and grow their organization and lessons learned Their current projects engage the community, benefit the environment, and help educate students. They will be a continuing partner with Lavaca Bay Foundation as we grow.
April 18, 2019, 6:00 p.m. at Nautical Landings.
Paul Montagna, Ph.D., Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M Corpus discussed environmental flows to Lavaca Bay. He has been collecting data in Lavaca Bay and surrounding bays for 30 years, and he explained how bio-indicators change when inflow is altered, the unique features of our bay, and its contribution to developing environmental flow recommendations and standards. Rather than sampling fish or oysters, he samples benthic organisms to determine health of the bay.
March 21, 2019, 6:00 p.m. at Nautical Landings.
Patrick Brzozowski, P.E., General Manager of Lavaca-Navidad River Authority (LNRA) provided information about their water quality monitoring program, reservoir operations and water delivery operations. Estuaries need fresh water, and LNRA is a main source of fresh water for Lavaca Bay, so we are impacted by their operations.
February 21, 2019, 6:00 p.m. at Nautical Landings.
Curtis Miller, owner of Millers Seafood, a second-generation seafood distributor in Calhoun County, gave an interesting and informative talk about the productivity of Lavaca Bay over the years relating to seafood production. Thanks also to the shrimpers who attended for sharing their experiences and discussion of factors affecting our bay over the years.
January 17, 2019, 6:00 p.m. at Nautical Landings.
From the Texas Department of State Health Services, RJ Shelly gave a very interesting overview of the Texas Shellfish Classification Program with an emphasis on activities in Lavaca Bay. The Texas Dept. of State Health Services, Seafood and Aquatic Life Unit monitors fecal coliform on a regular basis during the oyster season (Nov 1st – Apr 30th) and collects oyster tissue and harmful algae samples when it pertains to public health.
November 29, 2018, 6:00 p.m. at Nautical Landings.
We hosted a Texas Oyster Aquaculture Town Hall Meeting with Dr. John Scarpa from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. He discussed his current project to identify potential user conflicts and develop solutions for off-bottom oyster culture in Texas. Oyster aquaculture in other states has provided a much needed economic boost to the local fisheries and improved local water quality through the increased production of these amazing filter-feeders.
October 25, 2018, 6:00 p.m. at Nautical Landings.
Speaker Bob Stokes, president of the Galveston Bay Foundation, discussed their foundation history and current projects, and gave us some suggestions moving forward, focusing on the importance of community involvement.
September 13, 2018, 6:00 p.m. at Nautical Landings.
Speaker Leslie Hartman, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department presented a very informative talk about their Lavaca Bay monitoring projects and results. Our bay and all its marine life are resources well worth protecting.