Of special importance is what is currently happening on the Upper Guadalupe River at Center Point in Kerr County. Wheatcraft Materials has begun a rock quarry operation that is devastating the river, the river banks, the air, the soil and the very lives of school children and citizens of Center Point. Immediate action is urgently needed to put a stop to this operation which was begun illegally without the benefit of permits in 2005, and which is continuing today. Texas River Protection Association is leading the fight against this unprecedented and catastrophic destruction of the scenic Upper Guadalupe River, and it needs your help. Please visit the TRPA website at http://www.txrivers.org/archive/GREATNewsletter2.pdf to learn about this vitally important issue and what YOU can do to make a positive difference. Failure to act NOW could result in long-lasting or permanent destruction of the Upper Guadalupe River. There is no time to wait for somebody else to get involved. Please do your part today! One of our members makes a significant difference on almost every trip he takes. Thomas Taylor usually falls far behind the rest of the group when paddling a river, but when he arrives his canoe is loaded with two or three bags full of rubbish and debris that he has removed from the water and riverbanks. Nobody asks Tom to do that, and he gets no rewards or recognition beyond the few who witness his actions. I want to call attention to his efforts and encourage others to emulate him. Tom is making a difference, and we appreciate it! One way we can all be involved without leaving our computers is to be active in the on-line campaigns to contact elected and appointed political leaders and agency heads so they will hear our voices and know of our concerns. We were recently successful in stopping the proposed industrial park development at Caddo Lake because we got involved, and this is just one great example of how each of us can make a difference. We are still trying to prevent the unnecessary development of Marvin Nichols Reservoir on the Sulphur River and Fastrill Reservoir on the neches River in East Texas. Fastrill, in particular, poses significant environmental threats to the largest remaining hardwood bottomland forest area in the entire contiguous United States. It's development MUST be prevented, but it is not going to happen without OUR involvement! What can YOU do to help? How can YOU get involved? The answer is actually very simple - just visit the "Stop Marvin Nichols Reservoir" web site at http://www.stopmarvinnichols.com/actionalert.htm, then follow the links to contact the US Fish and Wildlife Service and voice your opposition. Please encourage USFWS to designate the Neches River National Wildlife Refuge, which will stop any further consideration for developing Fastrill Reservoir. If you are not familiar with this issue, then read the entire web page and its suporting pages to fully understand what is at stake. That is just the beginning. You can also become a member (at no cost) of several environmental action groups who periodically send news alerts on matters being considered by our state and federal legislatures, as well as governmental agencies under whose auspices actions that can harm our environment are allowed or prevented. A list of some organizations and their web address are at the right. Your involvement can make a world of difference. Please share these links with your family and friends. There is great power in numbers, or as the politicians like to say, "The squeeky wheel gets the grease." |
     Current Issues      River Clean-ups  |
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