| CITGO EDUCATION
Bays
and Estuaries
 |
CITGO Helps Protect Our Marine Environment Through Participation
in the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program |
Our beautiful
hometown of Corpus Christi is on the Texas Gulf Coast in an
area also known as an "estuary." An estuary is a
coastal area where fresh water from rivers and streams mixes
with salt water from the ocean. Many bayous and lagoons along
coasts are estuaries.
The community
of life found in these waters and associated wetlands include
mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, shellfish, and plants - all
interacting within complex food webs.
Estuaries
have economic, recreational, and aesthetic value. People are
attracted to the water and visit estuaries to boat, fish,
swim and enjoy their beauty. As a result, the economies of
many coastal communities depend on the natural beauty and
bounty of their estuaries. In fact, almost 70 percent of the
economy in the Coastal Bend can be directly or indirectly
attributed to our bays and estuaries in some way.
Estuaries
come in all shapes and sizes, each unique to their location
and climate. Where there are estuaries, there is unique beauty.
When viewing an estuary from the air the dramatic river bends,
marsh grasses, and mudflats paint a unique mosaic scenery.
With all
the physical forces at work in an estuary (the flow of rivers;
the deposition of sediments; the ebb and flow of tides) conditions
are constantly changing. Species that evolve in estuaries
are therefore adapted to tremendous variability and extreme
conditions in their environment.
Long considered
to be wastelands, estuaries have had their sediments dredged,
marshes and tidal flats filled, water polluted, and shorelines
reconstructed to accommodate housing, transportation, commerce,
industry, and agricultural needs.
As our population grows and the demands imposed on our natural
resources increase, so too does the importance of protecting
these resources for their natural and aesthetic values.
Why
Estuaries Matter
Nurseries: Many marine organisms, and most
commercially valuable fish species, depend on estuaries at
some point during their development.
Productivity:
Within the sediments -- whether mud, silt, sand or rocks --
live billions of microscopic bacteria, a lower level of the
food web that subsist largely on decaying plants. Nutrients
are essential to a healthy aquatic ecosystem, but in excess
can lead to algal blooms causing eutrophication, a condition
which results in low dissolved oxygen.
Water
Filtration: Water draining from uplands carries a
load of sediments and nutrients. As the water flows through
salt marsh peat and the dense mesh of marsh grass blades,
much of the sediment and nutrient load is filtered out. This
filtration process creates cleaner and clearer water.
Flood
Control: Porous, resilient salt marsh soils and grass
absorb flood waters and dissipate storm surges. Salt marsh
dominated estuaries provide natural buffers between the land
and the ocean. They protect upland organisms as well as billions
of dollars of real estate that might otherwise be subjected
to more intense natural forces.
What's
Being Done
Recognizing
human threats and the natural value of estuaries, Congress
created the National Estuary Program in 1987 as part of the
Clean Water Act. The Corpus Christi Bay National Estuary Program
(CCBNEP) was established in 1992. Its mission is to protect
and restore the health of the three estuarine systems in the
Coastal Bend while ensuring the sustainability of economic
and recreational activities. These systems are: Aransas Estuary
including Aransas and Copano Bays; Corpus Christi Estuary,
including Corpus Christi and Nueces Bays; and the upper Laguna
Madre, including Baffin Bay.
The CCBNEP
is bringing Coastal Bend communities together to decide the
future of their own bays and estuaries by combining the work
of many groups including citizens, business leaders, government
agencies educators, and researchers in the development of
a comprehensive bays plan.
CITGO Refinery, along with other members of the Port Industries
of Corpus Christi, and representatives of shrimping, agriculture,
ranching, recreation activities, environmental organizations,
municipal and county governments, scientists, and federal
and state resource managers have all been volunteers in this
effort. To date, these volunteers have invested more than
35,000 hours in the design, review, and discussion of more
than 30 technical studies and early-action projects leading
up to this Plan. Altered Freshwater Inflows into Bays
The CCBNEP
is investigating and developing management solutions for many
areas of concern, including:
- BAY
DEBRIS
- PUBLIC
HEALTH ISSUES
- CONDITION
OF LIVING RESOURCES
- ALTERED
FRESHWATER INFLOW INTO BAYS AND ESTUARIES
- LOSS
OF WETLANDS AND ESTUARINE HABITATS
- DEGRADATION
OF WATER QUALITY
- ALTERED
ESTUARINE CIRCULATION
The CCBNEP
is identifying the estuary's issues, recommending solutions
and seeking implementation partnerships in a Coastal Bend
Bays Plan. This Plan is a framework for revitalizing and protecting
the estuary. You can access and download a copy of this plan
by visiting the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuary Program web
site at www.sci.tamucc.edu/cbbep.
What
You Can Do
Talk
to Elected Officials - Encourage government officials
to recognize the values of estuaries, the need to protect
these habitats, and maintain adequate freshwater inflow or
well-placed treated wastewater returns.
Enjoy
Wetlands - Plan a "walk in the wetlands"
for your community or visit the Aransas National Wildlife
Refuge to appreciate their beauty and values.
Participate
in the Adopt-a-Wetland Program - This program is
designed to get youth involved in wetland conservation by
teaching scientific techniques for monitoring wetlands, providing
data gathering experience in the field, and stimulating interest
in science careers and academic programs. Call 361 - 980 -
3221 for more information.
Look
into Government Programs - Contact state and federal
environmental protection agencies to find out what laws, programs,
and projects protect wetlands and estuaries.
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www.aquariumteacher.com
is an educational resource sponsored by
Texas
State Aquarium |
|
Texas
State Aquarium
2710 North Shoreline Blvd.
Corpus Christi, TX 78402
1-800-477-GULF
http://www.texasstateaquarium.org/
|
