Skip to content
Advertisement
You are here: Home arrow Fishing News arrow Latest Fishing News arrow Nueces River access plan rejected
Revise_Sierra_horsepowerFuel_728x90.jpg 
Nueces River access plan rejected PDF Print E-mail
Written by Mark England   
Monday, 07 April 2008
RIVER TRACKS: Texas Parks and Wildlife rejected Zavala County’s proposal to establish more vehicle crossings along the Nueces River, saying they would harm the ecosystem. Photo by Friends of the Nueces.
RIVER TRACKS: Texas Parks and Wildlife rejected Zavala County’s proposal to establish more vehicle crossings along the Nueces River, saying they would harm the ecosystem. Photo by Friends of the Nueces.
Plan would have allowed vehicles in riverbed

Texas Parks and Wildlife has rejected a plan to establish more vehicle crossing sites along the Nueces River in South Texas. Zavala County Commissioners had approved a plan that would have let vehicles drive through the riverbed.

"The agency's belief is that the intent of the law is to preclude people driving in the riverbeds of Texas," said Scott Boruff, TPW's chief operating officer. "We believe this plan didn't comport with that intent."

Boruff said TPW appreciated Zavala County's effort to open up the Nueces River to more people. However, he said its plan would "basically destroy habitat that fish and other species depend on in that ecosystem."

Kirby Brown, the executive vice president of the Texas Wildlife Association, applauded the decision.

"From our standpoint, we're gratified that Texas Parks and Wildlife has weighed the critical issues of public participation, landowner participation and impact to the river resources and denied this request," Brown said. Zavala County's access plan would have been detrimental to wildlife, Brown said. "The wildlife in that part of the country concentrate on those parts of the river they want to open up," he said. "Vehicles running up and down the river all the time would have a huge impact on them."

Zavala County's plan would have linked four vehicle access points, letting vehicles drive in a 13-mile stretch of the Nueces River. It was the first major effort to open Texas rivers to vehicles since the Legislature banned the practice of driving in riverbeds — except for two rivers in the Panhandle — in 2003.

County Judge Joe Luna of Zavala County did not return a phone call requesting an interview. Last month, Luna denied the plan was intended to accommodate four-wheeling. Luna told the San Antonio Express-News the plan limited tire heights to 38 inches, steered vehicles to rock and gravel bars, limited their speed to 15 mph and only let vehicles into the riverbed if they were crossing.

Melissa Parker, river conservation coordinator, said TPW had to look at the overall impact of Zavala County's proposal.

"Multiple public access sites allow the public to enjoy the river," Parker said. "If people want to paddle down the river, they can put in at various locations as well as get out at them. It allows for day trips. But there's also a safety issue. You can be hard-pressed to get out of the way of a vehicle if you're in a kayak. Also, we have to be particularly sensitive to the riparian habitat. That's what stabilizes things. We want to build up rather than degrade the banks."

Texas law provides numerous protections for the state's riverbeds. However, it does allow local governments to establish access points provided they protect fish, wildlife, water quality and private property rights. TPW is the final arbiter, though.

Kelly Knight, an organizer of the Friends of the Nueces, said Zavala County's plan would have forced vehicles to drive onto private property — a conclusion that TPW also reached. "The only place people could have driven would have been on the riverbed or on private property," Boruff said. "Either drivers would have not been comporting with the law, or they would have been trespassing on private property."

Several landowners wrote TPW criticizing Zavala County's vehicular access plan and claiming they were not consulted about it, Parker said.

"From what I can tell, there was not a whole lot of coordination done on that end," Parker said.
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 08 April 2008 )
 
< Prev   Next >
[ Back ]
Smith_Wesson_Lonestar.jpg
LONESTAR1.jpg
LONESTAR2.jpg
LONESTAR3.jpg