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Island Moon The Island Newspaper since 1996
Island Area News ● Events ● Entertainment
March 15, 2012
Photo by Miles Merwin
The Island Where Sharks Attend Spring Break but Dogs Don’t
Around The Island
By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com
The locals had packed their cupboards with care In fear that Spring Breakers soon would be there But the cold blowing rain that swept along the sand Left no one on the beach but the hotdog man
It’s a fact. City crews had the beaches ready, the traffic lanes were cut, the trash cans were in place, the only thing missing were the Spring Breakers. The first week of the annual Spring Break run came in like a lamb last weekend as spitting rain and a biting wind blew in cutting the number of Lobster Tans down to zero. Even the palest of the pale would have had a hard time working up a good burn last weekend. The only vehicle on NoPac between Packery Channel and Newport Pass was the lonely hotdog man selling his wares to customers who came disguised as empty sand. Then as the week progressed we got the fog early and late but beautiful weather during the day and the beaches filled up and things got back to Spring Break normal. There were signs that the Spring Breakers were here all along just staying indoors until the weather cleared. The restaurants were full and Island traffic was up noticeably. If the mid-week weather holds this weekend should be a busy one as it is the one when staggered Spring Break schedules overlap.
Unusual flotsam We have had an unusual amount of driftwood washing up of late. It can be found all the way from Fish Pass south to the National Seashore. It is unusual not only for this time of year but any time of year for the beach that far north. Further south, down at the south end of Malaquite Beach, and on up through Kleberg we’re seeing a lot of Sargasso weed washing up. We saw the same last year this early in the year and it was a harbinger for the heavy Sargasso crop that followed in the spring and summer. Beach driving conditions everywhere except Port Aransas beaches have been dicey so far this year as well. The soft beach sand that usually picks up about twenty miles down the beach near Little Shell has migrated north to a point about six miles south of the northern end of PINS and stays tough until south of Big Shell. Even along the eight miles of Kleberg County beaches that start just south of Bob Hall Pier the driving has been touch and go. It likely will stay that way until we get a good rain or a high tide event.
Packery depth The crews that recently did dredge work in Packery Channel had to bug out a little earlier than expected and didn’t make it all the way to the mouth of the channel. They had to stop about ten days and 300 feet short and will have to come back at some point later in the year. It is not expected to affect the ability to navigate the channel but could cause problems later Around the Island Continued on A 4
Next Publication Date: 3/22/2012
Bull Sharks in the Canals? And the Survey Says… By Dale Rankin In the world of the mainstream media the first rule of operation is to scare as many people possible with the fewest facts allowable. You know, “One of your household appliances could kill you, details at ten!” Then you have to wait around until ten to find out that if you fill your sink with water and stick your head in it long enough you will drown. Well, this is not one of those stories. Let’s start from the beginning. The National Geographic channel recently did a story about why bull sharks have a tendency to attack people in a particular canal system in Australia but in a similar canal system in the United States they don’t. Well, guess which canal system in the U.S. they chose to contrast with the one in Australia? Ours.
Swimming with the sharks One of the reasons that National Geographic chose our canals is that the Hart Research Institute at A&M Corpus Christi has been studying shark populations and behavior in this area for the past three years, so good data exists. Dr. Greg Stunz, a Professor of Marine Biology at the Hart Institute runs the shark program which tags “hundreds” of bull sharks of all sizes each year in the water off our beaches. “The Spring Breakers are swimming with the bull sharks right now,” he says. Bull sharks, some of them very large, do exist here. Stunz says they are also in the bay and are routinely caught off the pier in Oso Bay. The female bull sharks are also known to make their way into Nueces Bay to have their pups; no one is completely sure why but the availability of small fish for food is a good guess.
Work on the Aquarius Extension continues at a brisk pace as crews have now begun work on the permanent roadbed. You can see in this photo how wide the entire right of way will be. Work was scheduled to be finished by the end of June but at the current pace it looks like it might be sooner.
Marine Science Institute Vandalized By Ronnie Narmour
But due to the law of unintended consequences it turns out that having their young in the bay is very good for the bull shark population because the favorite food of big bull sharks is little bull sharks. By having their pups in the bay it allows them to grow there to a size large enough for them to survive in open water before they leave the bay. “The bull sharks are as abundant here as anywhere, we routinely catch bull sharks in the nine-foot realm off our beaches, they are there,” Stunz says. “They just don’t attack people. We’re not really sure why but they don’t. We Sharks Continued on A4
Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery National Park Service, Padre Island National Seashore E-mail: Donna_Shaver@nps.gov
Volunteers attending training at Padre Island National Seashore, in preparation for the upcoming Kemp’s ridley sea turtle nesting season.
Aquarius Work Moving Quickly
Now that might seem alarming at first and if we worked for Australian Rupert Murdoch our headline might read. “Run For Your Very Lives…Bull Sharks in the Canals!” That headline would sell a paper then by the time you read to the third paragraph you would find out there’s really nothing to worry about except the sharks in Mr. Murdoch’s newsrooms. So we’re not going to do that.
By: Donna J. Shaver and Dimitra Guerrero
Each February and March, Padre Island National Seashore staff members hold several training sessions for volunteers that will participate in our program on North Padre Island
Year 15, Issue 414
Swimming with the fishes
Public Invited to Attend Sea Turtle Seminar
The staff at Padre Island National Seashore has been busy preparing for the upcoming 2012 Kemp’s ridley nesting season. We are in the midst of training hundreds of people to help find, document, and protect nesting sea turtles, sea turtle nests and stranded sea turtles in Texas this year. From 10:00 am until noon on Saturday March 24, we will give a seminar that is open to the public free-of-charge. We provide more details about this seminar near the end of this article.
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and the program that Tony Amos oversees on Mustang Island. This year, we have trained more than 100 people that will aid with our program at Padre Island National Seashore. Most of our volunteers are local residents, but some travel here each week from San Antonio and Austin just to help. On March 3, we welcomed back nearly 60 “returning volunteers” for a refresher course covering patrol procedures, safety, and UTV operation. On March 10 and March 13 we held our last two volunteer classroom sessions for this year’s nesting program. In these two classes combined, we trained more than 70 people, most of whom were “new volunteers”, participating in our efforts for the first time this year. The two classes included an overview of the program’s history, a description of the tasks that volunteers can help with, safety information, and other related information. Most of these volunteers also attended a full day of UTV safety and operations training. Most of the Padre Island National Seashore volunteers will participate in our patrol program to find, document, and protect nesting Kemp’s ridley sea turtles and their eggs. Most will patrol the northern half of North Padre Island in a UTV with a Biological Science Technician, but some will conduct walking patrols between Bob Hall Pier and the Packery Channel. Others Turtles Continued on A 4
Pier at MSI where vandals destroyed beacon lights and other equipment in the pier lab. (inset) ARK Volunteer, Amanda, shows where vandals attempt to steal Red Tailed Hawk at MSI According to campus security at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute at approximately 12:30 a.m. on March 11, four young men vandalized the MSI pier, pier lab and attempted to steal a Red Tail Hawk from the ARK. They broke into the pier lab and sprayed chemicals from a fire extinguisher on most of the scientific equipment, broke out the green beacon lights on the pier then tore open screening on a large bird cage where a hawk was
in rehab. Campus security chased the men down as they made their way to the jetty, dropping the bird along the way. One of the vandals was described at 5’4’’, weighing 150 pounds. No arrests have been made. Security measures will soon be implemented with a heavier gate and barbed wire. To date, this is the institute’s first report of vandalism. Photos by Ronnie Narmour
Worldwinds Damaged
A few weeks ago Don Jackson and his helpers out at Worldwinds Windsurfing out at Bird Island Basin were happy to be finished with the new addition to their building. They were gearing up for Spring Break and the beginning of the busy part of the year when windsurfers come from all over the world to enjoy the perfect windsurfing conditions at Bird Island – rated as one of the top windsurfing spots in the world. Then late last week they hit a bad spot – or rather they were hit in a bad spot – when a guy going somewhere between 55 and 70 mph through the 15 mph speed zone approaching Worldwinds smashed his red Dodge pickup into the newly finished building and sent Don and friends back to work. There is no word on why the fellow, with a lady passenger along for the ride, was going 70ish down that road. He realized his folly about a hundred feet out and locked ‘em up but to no avail. When he hit the caliche gravel his locked up wheels did no good and he was still moving fast when he made impact. He struck a glancing
blow to the first out building then crashed headlong into the main building. Fortunately he didn’t damage much gear and somehow managed to drive off. He was caught a short while later and charged. Don has got the place back to normal now and no one was hurt. Go out and spend a day on the water at Worldwinds, but watch out for the speed limit signs.
Island Moon
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Red Hats
On March 8th, the Island PIPPs Chapter of Red Hats held a luncheon at the Port Royal By The Sea Restaurant and attended the Port Aransas Garden Club Style Show “Fashions & Flip Flops, Island~Style”. Pictured left to right: Evelyn Ludwig (guest), Margaret Zattosky (guest), Kay Rutherford (guest), Carolyn Loe, Nancy Horsley, Lauret Bridgford, Judy Marsyla, Mikki Garrow, Vanessa Feudo (guest), Alida Jordan, Trudy Ferguson, Sharon Campbell, Dianne Hanelt & Jane White.
March 15, 2012
Island Girl Scouts Earn Community Service Patch
The Friday Fish dinners at St. Andrew By the Sea Catholic Church have been a big hit. If you are going to give up something for lent don’t give up the Friday dinners at St. Andrew By the Sea.
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On March 9th, the Padre Island Enrichment (P.I.E.) members lunched at the Island’s Holiday Inn Beach Hotel and were entertained by Carol Krank (TCNP) of Turners Gardenland on the fine points of growing & choosing herbs.
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On April 13th, P.I.E. will present a fashion show with our own gals as models! Make your reservations by noon on April 11th to PIELuncheon@aol.com. Contact Sheila @ 9492072 for more information.
About 100 people showed up for the annual POA meeting. For full details see Maybeth Christensen’s column in this issue.
Girl Troop 9611 from Padre Island recently earned a community service patch with their “Bonnets for Babies” project. The girls, all in grades K-5th knitted over 2 dozen bonnets for the babies at Bay Area Medical Center NICU/ Nursery. It took a few months for the girls to complete their project but they were able to deliver the basket, learn about the importance of keeping babies warm and took a tour of the nursery given by Lisa Curan, RN. Troop 9611 is a blended (Daisy, Brownie and Junior) troop that invites all girls from the Flour Bluff/Padre Island area grades kindergarten through 5th grade. We meet the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month at St. Andrews by the Sea at 6:30. Although we only have 4 meetings left in our current scouting year before we take a summer break, we always welcome girls to try us on for size. Any further questions please contact Cheryl Wainright 949-3581 Junior leader
Kite Surfer in Red Sea Fights Off Sharks with Knife
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It was a day no kite surfer wants to experience. A kite surfer on his way across the Red Sea was stranded at sea after the doldrums set in and had to fight off 18-foot long Rea Sea sharks with a knife.
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The first night he ran out of water and turned his kite into a raft he could sleep in. He saw a fishing boat go by and set off a safety rocket but it went unnoticed. Then the second night he drifted into a reef and was attacked by sharks. He said he thought they were attracted to him by the color of his kite. In all, eleven sharks attacked him. He fought them off with his knife. “I was stabbing them in the eyes, nose and gills, Lisewski told the Police state news agency PAP. Lisewski is a world champion and kite surfing instructor. He became the first person to surf the Baltic Sea last year. He was crossing the Red Sea from El Gouna to Duba when he got into trouble.
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March 15, 2012
Island Moon
Stuff I heard on the Island
By Dale Rankin
I was driving down the beach the other day when I was hit with a bit of Déjà vu. I grew up in Portland – or as my lovely wife says if I had grown up it would have been in Portland. There is good and bad about living in Portland; the bad is that if you live in Portland then when you get home, well, you’re in Portland. The good is that at any time of the day or night you are a mere twenty minutes away from the beach in Port Aransas.
Spring break skipping Now back in the days before Al Gore invented the internet we didn’t have Spring Break per se. Colleges had a break in their schedule but at Gregory-Portland High we were too busy perusing excellence to take a week off so instead we just skipped school. There were several ways to do this safely such as merely getting your friends to scratch your name off the absentee lists that got posted outside each classroom at the beginning of each class period. For some reason the GP administration thought that the best way to pick up these absentee slips was to use the kids who were in the “Zoo” to do the picking up. The Zoo was the glass walled room right inside the school’s front door where people who had committed various infractions against the greater good were put on public display to shame them into being upright citizens. For me this served two purposes. First, I knew where to find my friends – they were usually in the Zoo. The second was that I had plenty of ways to get my name scratched off the list of those absent from class. I spent a lot of time at the beach.
Poor planning skills So my first Spring Break I drove out to Port Aransas with my friends and after about an hour we figured out that if we went home with lobster tans our parents were going to figure out that we didn’t get those lobster tans by studying algebraic equations in Mr. Tanner’s math class. We didn’t have a tent or hats or even sun screen. So we all crawled under my little Chevelle Super Sport and there we sat like a bunch of sand crabs with poor planning skills. By the time the sun started to set people started to leave and when they did they left behind tents, beach chairs, firewood, and unbelievably fully stocked ice chests! Wow! We loaded up the car and the next day when we went back we had everything we needed for Spring Break. In those days college kids who could afford it still went to Fort Lauderdale for Spring Break and kids from Texas and the mid-west came here. No one had ever really heard of South Padre. We were the destination of choice. Kody’s was still on the beach in those days and the shade under the pier was a favorite gathering place. Beach Lodge which is still there and now the only bar on the beach was another, and where Sharky’s now stands was a place called Captain Nemo’s which was the favorite night spot.
place to go. The good times had then led to the purchase of vacation homes there for many of them as they got older. Spring Break was a good introduction to Port A and the memories a good reason to make it a regular trip later in life.
Changing times So what happened? There is still a big Spring Break crowd in Port A but not like the 70s and early 80s. This is a very subjective perspective but in my mind there were two events that happened that changed everything. The first was back in the late 70s at Captain Nemo’s. It was a big night and the place was packed. For some reason I think the band Bubble Puppy was playing that night. I may be wrong there but for some reason the phrase Hot Smoke and Sassafras comes to mind. At any rate not only was the building full but so was the parking lot outside and the place was rocking right up until a huge rain storm came blowing in and sent everybody running for shelter. In no time the inside of Captain Nemo’s was so packed no one could move. It was hot, humid, and suffocating. Then suddenly we heard loud cracks and as we looked out across the crowd heads began to disappear. The ground just seemed to open up and swallow huge groups of people. It turned out the weight of the crowd was causing the wooden floor to give way and people were falling through. There were several broken legs, lots of scrapes and bruises, probably a few lawsuits, and Captain Nemo’s was no more. The biggest party house in Port A closed down and things weren’t quite the same the next year. People began to drift away during Spring Break. My next trip to Spring Break was as a reporter for the CBS station in San Antonio in the mid80s where each year we did a Chopper 5 Goes to Spring Break story. We were editing our story when someone ran up and told us there was a riot going on down the beach. We immediately saw that due to the crowd we couldn’t drive down there so we took off in the chopper to get some video. It turned into a real melee after a driver hit a lady and didn’t stop. The crowd saw what had happened and dragged him out of the car and started beating him. The police reaction was immediate and severe. They cleared the beach and the next day wasn’t much better. Word went out to college campuses around the state and region and Spring Break was never quite the same here and the big Spring Break event moved to South Padre soon after. That could be a good or a bad thing depending on your perspective. It’s easy to say that the police presence, particularly in Port A, during Spring Break is excessive. But believe me, when things start to spiral out of control with a volatile Spring Break crowd you never have enough police around. Still when I see a guy walking down the beach with a freshly minted lobster tan it always reminds me of the old days of Spring Break when this was Spring Break central and life was all in front of us.
It was our first real experience with Spring Break and in those days Port Aransas was the
Assistant City Manager Troy Riggs addresses Islanders
Drive-by Shootings and Burglaries Throughout City Down by Half By Dale Rankin Former Corpus Christi Police Chief and current Assistant City Manager Troy Riggs spoke to the Padre Island Business Association luncheon for March and emphasized changes in the way the city offices are managed and operated. Speaking on the day his replacement in the police department was arriving in town, Riggs described how when he arrived a the CCPD two years ago he found a department with good personnel but in need of leadership. ‘There was no mission statement and little in the way of planning,” he told a crowd of about one hundred at the Padre Isles Country Club. The cure was to put together a mission statement for each city department then follow it up with a budget plan to put that mission into effect. There were 400-500 automobile burglaries every month, he said, and some months the number was 650. Through the use of community policing methods that number now is 200-250. Drive by shooting are also down by about 50% during the same time period. The key he said was to target the people who were causing the problems and track them through the system. “If someone is in jail for burglaries when they get out of jail what are they likely to do?” he asked the crowd. “Commit more burglaries.” The idea is to track the violators when they are released and catch them when they go back to their work. As a result burglaries in the city are at record lows and arrests rates for burglaries are at record highs. The department has also found a way to save
money on police costs during Spring Break by reassigning officers to Spring Break patrol rather than have them work overtime. That has reduced the cost of policing Spring Break crowds from $170,000 per year to about $10,000, saving a total of $500,000 in the past three years. One of the problems currently faced by the City Manager’s office is the chronic under funding of city projects for more than two decades. “It will take $500 million dollars to repair our streets due to lack of attention for decades,” Riggs said. “We are behind in streets, employee retirement funds, buildings, animal control, pretty much everything across the board.” The city last year had $198 million in operating funds and this year that number is expected to rise to $201 million, he said. But due to increases in services the city will need an additional $10 million to fund things that have been overlooked in the past. “We are in pretty good shape but tough decisions have to be made,” he said. To find the additional $7 million needed cuts will have to be made. About $2 million has been cut from the police department’s budget alone in the past three years. He also said the new Fire Chief Robert Rocha, who came here from Kansas City, Missouri, during his first 100 days in office has worked to update plans for evacuation from The Island in case of a major hurricane and has also begun opening the Emergency Operating Center to help with traffic control during Spring Break. “The goal is to be pro-active and stay ahead of problems,” Riggs said. “We’re about halfway there.”
Did Ya Hear?
A3
By Mary Craft
email your business news to Mary Craft at mkay512@aol.com
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Business Briefs The Black Sheep Bistro wine bar expansion is delayed while they wait for city inspectors to approve plumbing work done. Word has it the island grocery store is delayed for the same reason. Again, businesses frustrated by the city dragging their feet.
Gratitude in Port A is celebrating their 9th anniversary. Come visit Sally’s fun eclectic shop next to Crazy Cajun. The Festival of the Arts is an annual three day weekend event at the Bayfront near the Art Center. There will be local, national and international artists showcased in this free event. There will be entertainment provided by folk dancers, musicians, an art-ful Kid Zone and more. There will be plenty of food and beverages for sale. Visit www.ccfestivalarts.org The Corpus Christi Yacht Club has an open house for their summer junior learn to sail program on Sunday, March 25th 1-3 pm. The program is for beginners to advanced students ages 8-16. You do not need to be a member to take advantage of this free affair. You can learn about the two week courses offered during the summer at the open house. Call 883-6518 or email sailing@ccyc.com. The Gaff in Port A is having a Pirate’s Funky Country Music Festival Saturday, April 7th. This family friendly event with live music and games begins at 2 pm. Transistordale, HOBO and The Newton Gang are the bands tentatively scheduled. No Excuses BBQ Cook-off and Music Festival is March 16th and 17th at the Gulf Coast Race Track. Live music Friday starting at 5 pm and Saturday at noon until midnight both days. Call 816-1424 or visit ceobythebay.com.
A 4
Sharks Continued from A1
routinely catch and release bull sharks that are plenty big enough to kill people, but we have had only two unprovoked shark attacks here in the past one hundred years. Why they attack people in Australia and not here we’re just not sure.”
Unlikely in canals Bull sharks can live in fresh water and have been found up the Mississippi River as far as St. Louis. They are very aggressive and are called bull sharks because, one, they have a large head that looks like a bull, and two, they often bump their prey before attacking. And while it is possible they are in our canals Stunz says that is unlikely for two reasons. First, they don’t like hyper-saline water like ours. They can stand brackish water and if the food sources led them there they could survive in the canals but they prefer the fresher water of Matagorda and St. Louis Bays further up the coast where flowing rivers dilute the salinity levels. Second, Stunz says if they were there we would encounter them. “When people throw fish cleanings in the canals the bull sharks would likely show up if they were there,” Stunz said. “There are no reports of that.”
Island Moon
One of the reasons that Florida has more attacks by bull sharks, Stunz theorizes, is that the fisheries in the coastal bend do a very good job of keeping fish populations up so that the bull sharks don’t need humans as a food source; a fact that is oddly disturbing and reassuring at the same time. One of the odd tidbits of information that has come from the fisherpersons who routinely drive down the National to catch sharks is that bull sharks can detect the vibration of a vehicle on the beach and won’t come near it. “The first person to drive down PINS in the morning may very well see bull sharks jumping out of the water chasing prey,” Stunz said. “But once a vehicle drives by they will disappear.” So the bottom line; yes, we have plenty of bull sharks, as well as hammerheads, Atlantic sharks, and makos in our waters. They very rarely attack people, and while it is possible we have bull sharks in our canals it is very unlikely or we would see them. So everybody relax and don’t worry about bull sharks in the canals…unless of course you go to Australia and then you should swim for your very lives. To learn more about sharks and other local marine life see Dr. Stunz’ website at www. fisheries.tamucc.edu.
Around the Island Continued from A1 on as Mother Nature re-distributes the sand throughout the length of the channel.
Revived surf pier The surf pier formerly located just south of Packery Channel was one of the causalities of the channel’s construction. It was removed when the jetties were built for reasons no one can seem to remember. The pilings resembled a pier that had been half demolished by a storm as it had no walkway, only pilings. But it was a favorite of surfers who harvested the waves that broke around. Now the Surfrider Foundation and the Nueces County Park Board are looking
Turtles Continued from A1
will aid with operational support activities such as transporting eggs by beach and highway, radio dispatching, or office activities. Many of our spring volunteers will continue through the winter and aid with cold-stunning events, or post-season duties such as updating databases. We are very proud and thankful for everyone that has signed on to participate with the 2012 nesting season. Each year, we also train dozens of other people that work on our local beaches during the nesting season. They may encounter nesting during the course of their work and we teach them the signs of nesting to watch for, importance of reporting nesting immediately, and how to avoid inadvertently harming the nesting turtle or nests. We are also traveling to various locations in the state to help train personnel participating in the other sea turtle nest detection projects in Texas. Staff and volunteers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sea Turtle, Inc., University of Texas, ARK, Texas A&M UniversityGalveston, NOAA Fisheries, and Sea Turtle Restoration Project attend. For those of you that want to help, but are unable to volunteer with the program, there are opportunities for you too! National Seashore staff will conduct a public seminar to inform people how they can help during the 2012
to bring it back, only this time further up the beach near Newport Pass. The estimated cost is about $300,000 and a study is underway to determine where best to locate it and how much exactly it will cost. We’ll keep you up to date as things progress but it would be a great addition to our coast and a focal point for the surf community. So watch our for Spring Breakers, put some fresh fuel in the boat motor to head for the ski canal, and say hello if you see us Around The Island.
March 15, 2012
News From Your
By Maybeth Christensen The POA annual meeting on Saturday March 10th was well attended. The three incumbent Board members were re-elected. After the meeting, the Board held an organizational meeting and elected Jeff Carlson the President, Dave Kurz - Vice President, and Jack Sharlow as Treasurer.
dog which you think needs to be outside, maybe you need to reconsider ownership of that type of dog and maybe the Island is not a good place for that pet. Had a report that a not so environmental friendly fisherperson has been dumping the fish carcasses in a storm water drain. Duh! Where do you think the storm water drains - the canals!
Captain Tim Wilson of the Corpus Christi Police Department answered questions from the audience at the annual meeting with barking dogs being a hot topic. Most people do not realize their dogs bark since they probably never bark when they are home. Unfortunately, when the dogs are left alone, they bark. Because of the water, the noise travels quite a distance and is very annoying to neighbors.
DO NOT DUMP CARCASSES IN
Do Not Dump Carcasses In The Canals Or Storm Water Drains!
Representative Todd Hunter and Council members Chris Adler and Nelda Martinez also spoke to the assembled group at the annual meeting. The Island United PAC had a table at the meeting and were busy signing people up for their communications.
THE CANALS OR STORM WATER DRAINS! We are enjoying the spring breakers. Many of our second homeowners have been stopping by to get their 2012 trailer stickers this week. Remember, if you have not purchased the 2012 sticker and you park at any of the ramps, you are subject to being towed.
I write about pet owner responsibility often because I keep hoping the message will get through one of these times. Owning a pet means you need to take care of them. This includes not leaving them outside all day or all night long and picking up after them. If you have a large
The Tarpon Ice House Presents
The Louisiana Swamp Romp & Gumbo Cook-Off Sponsored by the Island Moon Newspaper It’s Cajun! It’s Zydeco! The Louisiana Swamp Romp & Gumbo Cookoff is all about the music and the food! The Swamp Romp is scheduled for Saturday, April 21, 2012 beginning at 3:00 p.m. at the Tarpon Ice House in Downtown Port Aransas,
Kemp’s ridley nesting season. This year’s seminar will be held on Saturday, March 24, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Seashore Learning Center Gymnasium, 15801 S.P.I.D., Corpus Christi, TX 78418. Topics will include a brief history of the program, information about on-going efforts to locate, recover, and protect sea turtle nests, procedures for reporting and documenting sea turtles, and tips on how to avoid inadvertently harming nesting turtles and their nests. The help we receive from the public is very valuable. In fact, the public helps find and report several stranded and nesting sea turtles on the Texas coast each year. People who regularly use the beach are encouraged to attend the public seminar. Help from the public is essential so that these threatened and endangered sea turtles are found, documented, and protected. The more people that know what to do when a turtle is on the beach, the better we can ensure the nest is protected and turtle returns to the water safely. The information and training session is provided as a public service and will be free-ofcharge. You do not need to sign up in advance to attend. If you have questions about this training or our volunteer program, you can contact one of our staff members by calling 361-9498173, ext. 266 or send us an e-mail at pais_ seaturtlevolunteer@nps.gov.
Texas. It’s all about the music and food. All are invited to join in the Coastal Bend’s largest celebration of everything from the bayou.
Gumbo Cook-Off:
3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Gumbo Cook-Off Tasting/Judgin
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Gumbo Cook-Off Awards
6:00 p.m.
Swamp Romp Music Opening Act TBA Headline Act: Ponty Bone & The Squeezetones
7:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m.
Admission to event:
$10.00
(Children under 12 years FREE)
Applications for entry in the Gumbo Cook-Off will be accepted through April 1, 2012. A limit of 20 entries are available. Entry fee for Gumbo Cook-Off is $25.00. Each Gumbo Cook-Off participant must supply their own tables, chairs, propane, equipment, serving instruments signage, trash cans, and all necessary food. Gumbo Cook-Off participants will be supplied with a 10x10 foot space for set up. Additional space is available for an additional fee. Crawfish, crawfish and more crawfish. Crawdads will be available for sale at the Tarpon Ice House from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. or until they run out. Arts & Crafts booths will be available on a limited basis. Application deadline is March 15, 2012. Booth spaces are limited to a 10x10 foot area. Booth fee is $75.00. All items sold must be approved in advance at the time of application and payment. All items must be in good taste. Preference will be given to Cajun, Louisiana, and Mardi Gras items.
www.PortAransasLive.com
Johnny D’s
15605 SPID n 949-2500 Hours:
Open Tues- Sat 4:30 - 10 PM Sunday 4:30 - 9 PM Closed Monday
Happy Hour 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. $2.00 Pints
Located on Padre Island, Johnny D's offers Island dining at its best. Serving Corpus Christi with the freshest local seafood and culinary masterpieces, order the rack of lamb and you'll be calling your friends from the table! Hours of operation are Tuesday-Saturday 4:30 to 10pm and Sunday 4:30 to 9pm
Full Service Bar Featuring 7 Draft Beers Daily Features. Fresh Fish. on Tap
15600 SPID On the Island 949-2500 HOURS-Closed MONDAYS Check our website for daily specials TUES-SAT 4:30 till 10:00 and more information SUNDAY 4:30 till 9:00 www.letseat.at/johnnydsrestaurant
We will cook your catch.
Great Daily Dinner Specials 2:29 PM
Live music most Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays TheIslandMoon_Jan_custom_1.25:Layout 4 1/18/12
We can cook your catch!
FEEL AT HOME WITH OUR FREE IN-HOME DESIGN SERVICE
CORPUS CHRISTI 4325 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND DR. 361.854.2391 ©2011 Ethan Allen Global, Inc.
Page 1
March 15, 2012
Island Moon
Letters to the Editor The Texas Bluebonnet: A Blossom of Renewal “No other flower – for me at least – brings such upsurging of the spirit and at the same time such restfulness.” – J. Frank Dobie After one of the worst droughts and wildfire seasons in Texas’ history, a sign of renewal is springing up along Texas highways. It is the State Flower of Texas: the bluebonnet. For decades, poets, authors and artists of all kinds have been drawn to the bright blue flower, which typically makes its debut for a few weeks each Spring, decorating the Texas landscape in a sea of blue. It is believed that the first to observe and write about the bluebonnet were European naturalists who traveled to Texas, then part of Mexico, in the early 1800s to collect and document specimens of new plants and animals. The first of these was 20-year-old Jean Louis Berlandier, a Franco-Swiss botanical explorer who was sent to Mexico by his professor to serve as the botanist for the Mexican Boundary Commission, which was tasked with establishing the border between Mexico and the U.S. While traveling from Ciudad de Bexar (San Antonio) toward Nacogdoches, his company camped overnight by the Salado Creek. It was here that Berlandier first described the bluebonnet in his journal: “The fields, strewn with flowers, were yet only a small thing compared with what we saw in the upper regions of Texas. A lupine, verbena, delphinium, some lilies, and a great many evening primroses contrasted with the tender green of the grasses, from which sprang flowers of various colors.” Berlandier called the bluebonnet a “lupine,” which is a genus that includes mostly perennials and stems from the Latin “lupinus,” or wolf. Lupines were classified as such because many were believed to rob the soil of its nourishment, much like wolves rob shepherds of their sheep. In fact, the bluebonnet is not predatory in nature and actually has the opposite effect, nourishing the soil through nitrogen nodules on its roots. Over the next several decades, the blue lupine continued to draw attention as a new specimen for naturalists and a beautiful sight for weary travelers. In 1901, State Representative John M. Green, of Cuero, Texas, made a compelling argument before the state legislature as to why the bluebonnet should be the official state flower. When he rose to the podium to suggest the bluebonnet, someone on the floor called out, “What the devil is a bluebonnet?” One explanation was given comparing the
April 28-29
First Annual Padre Island Showcase The first Padre Island Showcase aimed at showing off our Island lifestyle is set for Friday and Saturday, April 28-29. The Moon is sponsoring the event and it will feature a home tour that begins at 1 p.m. and can be attended by car, boat, or golf cart. It will end with a vendor showcase at the gym at Seashore Middle Academy. The idea is to showcase our Island lifestyle and bring people out to Island businesses. It’s a benefit for the Island Beautification Trust and to get involved call Mary Lou White over at Coldwell Banker at 361-960-9460 or e-mail her at Marylou.white@coldwellbanker.com. It’s a way for us to invite people from OTB to see the homes that are available on The Island.
bluebonnet to the sunbonnets worn by Texas women in the pioneer days to protect their faces from the sun. Another called the bluebonnet by its Spanish nickname “el conejo” or “the rabbit” because of its resemblance to the tail of a cottontail rabbit. After the legislators were shown a painting of the blue flower, the bluebonnet stole the show. A resolution making the bluebonnet, specifically the Lupinus subcarnosus, the official state flower of Texas was signed by then-Governor Joseph D. Sayers on March 7, 1901. The debate did not end there, however. Different groups argued that the Lupinus subcarnosus was not the most attractive of the bluebonnet family. They claimed another species, the Lupinus texensis, was bolder, more beautiful and should be named the official flower. For the next 70 years, this debate would ensue. Finally, in 1971, then-Governor Preston Smith signed a resolution designating both species of the bluebonnet as the official state flower, along with “any other variety of bluebonnet not heretofore recorded.” As it turns out, three other species have been discovered. The 70-year debate did prove one thing: Texans are passionate about bluebonnets. Over the years, this flower has been a source of inspiration for many. In Tales of Old-Time Texas, Texas historian and author J. Frank Dobie wrote, “Every dauber in the country tries his hand at painting it, and bluebonnet chromos are as plentiful as cowboy figures on pulp magazine covers.” Towns across Texas have developed wildflower tours and festivals to showcase their bluebonnets as the best and most colorful in the state. Every April, thousands of visitors flock to the historic cotton town of Chappell Hill for the official “Texas Bluebonnet Festival,” complete with bluebonnet contests and crafts. I hope this spring we can all pause to enjoy the beauty of our state’s flower—in any of its five forms. Indeed, the bluebonnet runs wild throughout Texas and deep in our state’s history. Sen. Cornyn serves on the Finance, Judiciary, Armed Services, and Budget Committees. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Refugees and Border Security subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge. U.S. Senator John Cornyn
Fraud On average, 5% of an organization’s annual revenue is lost to fraud. For a city or organization, this could easily translate into millions of dollars. To combat potential loss, the City Auditor’s Office has developed a Fraud Hotline program that will empower the public and City employees to report any fraud, waste or abuse of city resources.
Fraudhotline@cctexas.
• Fill out a fraud allegation form on our website and submit it online: www.cctexas. com/cityauditor • Mail a fraud allegation form to our office: Fraud Hotline 1201 Leopard St Corpus Christi, TX 78401
Mike Ellis, Founder Distribution Pete Alsop Island Delivery Coldwell Banker Advertising Jan Park Rankin Office Lisa Towns Classifieds
Fact Sheet - Proposed fee for single-use plastic bags
• Drop a fraud allegation form in the tip box located on the 4th floor of City Hall. The Auditor’s Office asks that reporting be as specific as possible in order to enable a more thorough investigation. In order to clarify any questions related to fraud, the City Auditor’s office has created a Fraud Awareness handout explaining what fraud is, the common types of fraud, and what signs to look for from potential fraud perpetrators. This information, along with frequently asked questions, can be found on the City website www.cctexas.com/cityauditor.The City of Corpus Christi is committed to deterring fraud and maintaining an ethical environment, and with your help, we can ensure our City is accountable and transparent.
medicinal items, bags for garments and laundry, and bags used to prevent cross contamination in cooked, chilled or frozen foods.
• Clean and attractive beaches are important for our local tourism industry and residents’ quality of life. According to a recent Convention & Visitors Bureau study, nature tourism comprises over 40% of total tourism in the Coastal Bend. Also, a survey of 1,900 city residents done for the Regional Economic Development Corporation showed that the water and beach rank highest among their favorite things about Corpus Christi.
• Our proposal recommends that a citywide public education program should be started during a one-year voluntary phase-in period. Part of this bilingual educational outreach would include the distribution of free or highly discounted reusable bags.
• A voluntary education and outreach bag reduction program by itself will not be successful in solving the litter problem. Austin’s voluntary program in 2008-09 only achieved a 20% reduction in the number of plastic bags consumed by the public. As a result, Austin recently approved an ordinance banning plastic and paper shopping bags starting in March 2013.
• The Texas General Land Office’s 2010 Adopt a Beach Cleanup report shows that after cigarette butts and plastic caps, plastic bags are the third most common type of litter encountered (23,039 picked up) on the Texas coastline. • The Surfrider Foundation’s national program to reduce the impact of plastics in the marine environment was established after volunteers repeatedly noted the prevalence of plastic items during coastal cleanups.
• Retailers like Target, Sprouts and CVS already offer customers a discount when they bring reusable bags instead of needing plastic or paper ones.
• One retailer has stated that the City of Brownsville didn’t get enough input from the stores before moving forward. In order to prevent this from happening in Corpus Christi, Skip the Plastic urges all key stakeholders to participate in meetings to ensure the fee will be fairly implemented and that the burden on retailers is minimal.
• With the inherent properties of being light and easily transported by the wind, single-use plastic bags pose a unique litter problem in Corpus Christi. No other type of trash detracts from scenery like plastic bags stuck on fences, trees and sand dunes. • Corpus Christi’s Solid Waste Services Department spends $190,000 each year to pick up loose plastic bags near the transfer station and along the road between the transfer station and the Cefe Valenzuela landfill. These are bags that have been properly disposed by residents but have flown from trucks or out of the transfer station.
• Wishing to avoid public relations complications, some stakeholders won’t come out publicly against a fee. Instead, they are actively contacting officials and other businesses in an attempt to discredit Skip the Plastic’s plans to reduce plastic trash in our city.
• Skip the Plastic believes an industry can be fostered in Texas to manufacture reusable canvas bags. This will create jobs and eliminate long distance shipping.
• Littered plastic bags cost city taxpayers in numerous other ways. Although these City departments have not been able to quantify the cost of dealing with plastic bags versus other types of trash, the Storm Water, Municipal Marina and Parks & Recreation Departments all have to expend fuel, equipment use and staff hours to remove them from infrastructure, the marina waters and parks.
• A 2010 study done at the University of Arizona and underwritten by the American Chemistry Council, a large group that represents plastics manufacturers, did not prove that reusable bags spread bacteria. Instead, it detected bacteria in 12% of the bags tested. Second, the bacteria can be eliminated through normal washing. People can be informed of this when receiving the reusable bags.
• While the single-stream curbside recycling program has succeeded in recycling a variety of plastic items, over 100 tons of bailed plastic bags have accumulated at the recycling facility since no market exists for them.
• Single-use plastic shopping bags are not the only type of plastic bags available for reuse in other applications. With some creativity, people will find that bags that come with food items (bread, tortillas, cereal, etc.), other items purchased in stores and laundry can be used in place of plastic shopping bags for miscellaneous purposes.
• Skip the Plastic has proposed a $1 per transaction fee to help motivate people to bring their own bags. A fee is a charge connected to the actual direct cost of the activity. Conversely, a tax takes a cut of some other transaction for the purposes of raising revenue that’s not connected to the activity being taxed.
• The sole motivation of Skip the Plastic is to help clean up Corpus Christi and the surrounding marine environment. No profit making goals exist in the program.
• The proposed ordinance contains specific language stating the fund created by a bag fee would only be used for public education on litter, distribution of free reusable bags to the public, litter enforcement, and marina and public area cleanup initiatives.
Neil McQueen www.skiptheplastic.org 361-765-4445
• The proposed ordinance exempts the following from a fee: bags used for pharmaceutical or
Schlitterbahn
• Call the fraud hotline: 361-826-TIPS (8477)
The City Auditor’s Office
Who Are the Moon Monkeys
Plastic Bags
There are multiple methods for reporting fraud: • Email our office: com
A5
The possible construction of a Schlitterbahn water park on North Padre Island with its attendant traffic congestion problems appears to have morphed into a game of “smoke and mirrors”. The following comments are offered. A similar waterpark, Hurricane Alley, will open in the downtown area in April, 2012, while Schlitterbahn is not scheduled until 2013. Can two parks be supported?
increase also--a sore spot with many Islanders already. Who stands to gain the most from the properties involved; i.e. CommodoresDasmarinas road; Schlitterbahn Park property; golf course redesign; San Antonio-like river walk; and the Lake Padre bridge canal on Park Road 22? It turns out to be Asset Development which owns or has a vested monetary interest in all the properties. Mr. Shexnailder of Asset Development states that the project will only work if an estimated 8.5 million dollar bridgecanal over Park Road 22 is constructed to the Lake Padre area. Conjecture is that Asset Development has significant property holdings in the Lake Padre area that are now minimally accessible.
The rerouting of a previously approved Aquarius street project to a new route between Commodores and Dasmarinas. The new route will feature a divided four lane road with an 18-ft median. It can be assumed that property values in this area will increase significantly. Only one of the Schlitterbahn parks (New Braunfels) has proven to be financially viable. The greater majority of jobs created will no doubt be minimum wage.
Lastly, the City Council has met in numerous closed-door sessions to discuss offering Schlitterbahn development incentives; however, to my knowledge, the public has not been advised of any resulting decisions.
According to Schlitterbahn’s Jeff Henry, benefits would include an increased tax base from the resort, other nearby enterprises, and residential property. As residential property values rise, property taxes will inevitably
James Moyer
Celia Gaona, City Auditor 361-826-3661
Arlene Ritley Design/Layout Jeff Craft Contributing Writers (In no particular order) Devorah Fox Mary Craft Maybeth Christiansen Dr. Tom Dorrell Jay Gardner Todd Hunter Mike (Murph) Murphy Ronnie Narmour Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers Miles Merwin Office Security/Spillage Control Riley P. Dog Editor/Publisher/Spillage Control Supervisor Dale Rankin About the Island Moon The Island Moon is published every Wednesday, Dale Rankin, Editor. Total circulation is 10,000 copies. Distribution includes delivery to 4,000 Island homes, free distribution of 3,000 copies in over 50 Padre Island businesses and condos, as well as 600 copies distributed in Flour Bluff, 1,400 copies on Mustang Island and Port Aransas businesses. News articles, photos, display ads, classified ads, payments, etc. may be left at the Moon Office 15201 S P I D. Suite 250. For more information call 361-949-7700 or contact the Moon at 15201 S Padre Island Dr., Suite 250, Corpus Christi, TX 78418 or by e-mail to editor@islandmoon.com.
Homestead Tax Cap This note is in response to Ms Smith’s message posted in the March 8th edition of the Island Moon concerning voting for the Homestead Tax Cap for those 65 years of age and older. I commend her wanting to keep all of us older folks informed of our rights and I am sure she meant well; however the message is a hoax. I received the exact email message in January and so, thinking it strange that something as important as a constitutional amendment would be held in May, I forwarded the email to our representative Todd Hunter. Within 24 hours I received a call from Mr. Hunter’s legislative coordinator (Justin Hudman). Because he had never heard of this amendment or any amendment coming up for a vote, he checked with other legislative coordinators. Their response was identical with his: no state amendment on the agenda for voting. Justin then checked with the Attorney General’s office, which confirmed that the message in fact was UNTRUE and reiterated that constitutional amendments are only on general election ballots which are held in November. Except for this year, May elections are typically city and county issues or offices only. I guess the adage “Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see” should be updated to include email messages−even well meaning ones. Diane Klutz
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A 6
On the Rocks
Island Moon
Big Shell Beach Cleanup By Jay Gardener First off: here’s to all you Spring Breakers; if you’re reading this, then you MUST be pretty cool. Grab a copy of the local paper and figure out what’s going on. Here’s some quick tips and rules; no derelict couches on the beach. They won’t even let you on with them. No pallets on the beach. Now, I know, its been spring break tradition to burn those things and dance around the fire like wild injuns. Those things leave something like 120 nails per pallet in the sand, which becomes a tetanus nightmare. Don’t do it. Also, keep that dog tied up. More people get in trouble bringing dogs. Now, if you’ve read this far, I’ll give you some good tips. There are going to be a billion people on the north side of Packery Channel. Unless you’re trying to get onto MTV Roadhouse or Cribs or something, avoid the place like the plague. Traffic will really suck from about noon till 5 getting on the island, and then from about 5 till 8:30 or so getting off the island. If you plan accordingly, you can miss most of the sitting around trying not to pop a vessel with frustration.
sight as much as possible. But seriously, if you haven’t been to the beach, yes, the rumors are all true, the sargassum is here enforce with the heavy southeast winds we had last week. There are a bunch of cool creatures in there that feed the shorebirds, and it is a good time of the year to get out and check some of those guys out. There will be ruddy turnstones, piping plovers, snowy plovers, willets, sanderlings, western and semi-palmate sandpipers, and if you’re observant, maybe a couple of semi-palmate plovers. There will be black-bellied plovers farther down the beach, as well as the occasional red knots, along with colonies of Caspian and royal terns, least terns, and maybe some Forsters terns. There could be an occasional rarity like sooty terns or brown noddys. Anyhoo, either way, everyone be safe out
Now, if you’re STILL reading, here’s some even better tips. Avoid all that noise, and head south down the beach. You can actually go down south of Bob Hall and it’s really not quite as bad, although they don’t maintain that section of beach. If you’re really feeling adventurous, you can head on down to the Padre Island National Seashore and really get away. Right before you hit the Entrance Station, you can take a left and hit the beach without having to pay. That area is known as the “North Sticks”. Now, beware, as that area can also be seasonally infested with middle aged folks of the opposite persuasion.
4WD A Must However, if you go in the Park and head down the beach, you should be driving a 4WD and be familiar with how to operate it. The sand is powdery down there, and getting stuck is almost guaranteed with 2 WD. BUT, there will be a lot less people down there, and fishing should be a lot safer. In addition, there will be a lot of shells on the beach if you’re into that. To the loyal readers: if you’re reading this, that means you snuck out of your house somewhere between 3:00-4:00am just to go down to the Stripes and grab a few necessities, like milk, a grenade launcher (for the zombies), a 25lb sack of rice, dried milk, 15lbs of beef jerky, batteries for the flashlights, and a couple of bouncing betties for entrenching the front yard. You then scampered home and locked all the doors, pulled the blinds, turned off the lights, and went back into the bunker. It will all be over soon, just keep the faith. Don’t forget to give the neighbors occasional smoke signals from the grill so they know you’re alive and don’t send out a search party. Gotta stay inside and out of
there, be patient with the traffic, and make sure to think ahead of the traffic and supplies. Don’t expect the Stripes to have charcoal after about 5 pm. If you want to get away from the crowds, you could always do what we have been doing; reverse commute. We’ve been heading up to the Nueces River around George West and doing some white bass fishing. The run on the limits have been pretty easy to get. Head on up there and take some speck rigs with you; that’s been the ticket believe it or not. As for me, I will be in between all the action. I can’t resist hanging out on the island for Sunday fundays, even despite all the traffic. Its just too nice out there to hole up and stay inside. Welcome back to town Rockstar Bob, lets go get into some trouble! And if ya’ll ever have any questions for me, make sure to email me at jaygardner@scientist.com See you all on the sand, and say hi when you see me out and about!
Port A Happenings
Love From Home Boxes & Easter Boxes Do you have a loved one at college, the armed forces or just away from home? You can send them a Love From Home box and support a great cause – Relay for Life! The Port Aransas ‘Live Wires’ RFL team will pack a box of salty, sweet, healthy or a combo package of snacks and mail to your loved one complete with a personal message. Large size 12 x 12 x 5 ½: $25 mailed or $12 picked up in Port A. Medium size 11 x 8 1/2 x 5 ½: $20 mailed or $8 picked up. Small size 8 x 8 x 5 ½: $11 mailed or $5 picked up. Salty assortment may include pretzels, chips, granola bars, crackers etc. Sweet assortment may include chocolate, candy, pudding, cookies, muffins etc. Healthy assortment may include granola bars, trail mix, dried fruit, muffins etc. Contact Carrol at 361-510-6820, Suanne at 361-563-6059 or fill out order form at Fly It Port A Kite Shop in Port Aransas. EASTER IS COMING SOON!!! Order an Easter Basket and support Live Wires Relay for Life Team. We will customize a basket for your child (or anyone else) with a toy, candy, and plastic eggs. Baskets are available in both large ($10.00) and medium ($7.00) sizes. Baskets are made with some recycled and donated materials. Give us some information about your child and we will
Real Estate Roundup
By Mary Lou White I planned my topic for this issue to be about the use of a Survey. Once I started to research this topic on my computer, I immediately discovered that once again, Texas is unique within the entire United States system. Why am I still surprised by that recurring fact? The Public Land Survey System was originally proposed by Thomas Jefferson shortly after the American Revolutionary War. Of course, Texas was still under the control of Spain, at that time; a claim that was established by the expedition of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado y Lujan, between 1540 and 1542, to look for the Seven Cities of Gold. At the time, this expedition was considered a failure, due to the cost in life and resources, without any monetary gain. Therefore, the area remained unchanged until the first Spanish settlers arrived in 1716. By establishing missions, their intent was to spread Catholicism and prepare the native Americans for life under a colonial society as an agrarian homesteader. The first land grant was made near San Antonio in 1731. The early land grants from Spain were to Native Americans, with the understanding that they would give up their nomadic lifestyle and maintain land cultivation and production. The first Empresario (Spanish for contractor) Contract was awarded to Jose de Escandon in 1746. Spanish rule was overthrown in 1821, with the Independence of Mexico. The Mexican government began to settle “Texas” with AngloAmerican colonists, using Empresario Contracts. Stephen F. Austin was the most famous “Empresario” receiving a total of four contracts. Under this system, it is thought that over 9000 families were introduced to Texas. The Mexican government’s control ceased in 1835 and the Republic of Texas held jurisdiction until 1846.
Head South
create a basket especially for them!!!!!! List Name, Age, Gender, Favorite Color, Buyer Name/Phone number. Email information to spyle64@hotmail, call Carrol at 361-5106820 or Suanne at 361-563-6059 or bring info to Fly It Port A Kite shop-405 Cut Off Road, You may pay with order or when picked up (make checks to American Cancer Society or cash). Relay For Life is an all-night walk that raises awareness and money to fight cancer. Teams fundraise up to that night. the 2012 event in Port Aransas is Saturday, April 28. Beach Walk March is a nice time to see what treasures you can find on the beach. Wonder what it is you picked up? come to the free guided tour and let Shirley tell you. Meet Friday, March 23, 9 a.m., under the purple flag near Horace Caldwell Pier at the end of Beach Street. Savvy, scintillating guide Shirley Fischer will lead the up-to-two-hour stroll between the pier and the jetties. Not only informative, but always entertaining! Open to all ages, it is held monthly courtesy of the City of Port Aransas Parks and Recreation Department.
March 15, 2012
In 1836, The Republic of Texas Congress formed the General Land Office to manage the public domain. The GLO could issue land certificates to individuals to locate on any vacant land, as long as they qualified under various acts. The GLO maintains the “Spanish Collection” of thousands of documents conveying land from the Spanish Crown and Mexican Republic that pre-date the Republic and Statehood. In addition, they maintain records of bounty and donation land grants, headright land grants and scrip certificates. Bounty and donation land grants give insight into military service to the Republic of Texas. These records show Texas Army service records and where their land was located. Confederate Army service records are kept within the Confederate Scrip Collection. Finally, the GLO has records for German Immigration Contracts. Texas owned its “public land” and its submerged land or tidelands for three marine leagues into the Gulf of Mexico (about 10.3 miles). No other “Gulf” state has this advantage. The State of Texas successfully fought back a threatened “Federal” take – over of these “oil rich” lands in the 1950’s. The Republic of Texas was considerably larger than our state today. It included parts of New Mexico and Colorado. Texas was annexed by the United States in 1846. Texas was paid $15.5 million to define the state boundaries, as we know them today. At that time, 172,687,000 acres made up the “public domain”. Texas is described as having the most complex public land survey system in the U.S. The top level is the state boundary. The next level consists of the 12 Texas Railroad Districts, that cover the entire State. The next level is comprised of the 254 counties. In 1854, the State Legislature offered 16 sections (10,240 acres) for every mile of railroad constructed and put into operation. Land certificates totaling 32,400,000 acres were issued through 1882. For each section, of their own land the railroads surveyed, they had to survey an adjoining section for the State. In addition, four million acres were distributed to those that developed an irrigation system, established industry and made rivers navigable. Institutions for the blind, deaf, insane and orphans were given 100,000 acres each. The University of Texas received 1 million acres and 3 million acres were set aside for building the State Capital. Texas Revolution veterans received 1 million acres, 2 million acres went to disabled confederate veterans or their widows, 1.5 million acres were sold to pay the public debt and over 50 million acres went into the Public School Fund. The Texas Constitution of 1876, set aside half of Texas’ remaining public lands to establish the permanent Public School Fund. The intent was to sell the land and deposit the proceeds into the Fund, where only the interest could be spent to finance the state’s public schools. With the production of oil on state-owned tidelands in the 1940’s, royalties flowed into the School Fund and that still represents the largest source of earnings. In 1959, the Texas Legislature created
the Texas Open Beach Act, which banned private beaches and gave all Texans the right to access their beaches. Cheap land was the enticement used to settle, build and develop our State.
Unique Texas Measurements
Texas is unique, not only in their land distribution, but also in their land survey measurements. A league was 5000 vara square. (4428 acres) Vara (Spanish for yard) can be traced back to the Egyptian Era. Spanish land grants were surveyed on a metes and bounds system. They were of irregular shape and size, because areas adjoining rivers and streams were the first to be settled and surveys took maximum advantage of the water source. To make matters more complex, a vara in East Texas was larger than a vara in West Texas and field notes were written and recorded in Spanish. Surveyors in Austin’s Colony chose 33.33333 inches as the length of one vara. This standard was adopted by the State Legislature in 1919. Ambiguities are numerous due to cheap land, crude instruments, inconsistent measurement, poor pay, and hostile frontier conditions. Today, Spanish measurements have been translated into measurements we can understand. While the satellite Global Positioning System, has transformed the accuracy of the early surveying instruments.
Surveys on our Island
The first known survey of our Island, was done to confirm the land grant of Padre Balli when Mexico won independence from Spain. This occurred sometime around 1828, about the time that Padre Balli passed away. Between 1876 and 1882, the U S government commissioned a complete Geodetic Survey (survey in which the curvature of the earth is taken into account) of the coastal area. Once the National Seashore was removed from the private land sector, the remaining land on Upper Padre Island was passed through ownership by several developers. Early survey work was done in the 1950’s to create the subdivisions known as Padre Island 1,2, and 3. Of the two parks platted at that time, one still remains. An engineering firm from Florida, platted the subdivisions of Tradewinds and Galleon Bay. In 1966, Urban Engineering took over the survey, engineering and development work and changed to a more free form style within our community. One of the first priorities, to development, was to establish the land boundaries. The Kleberg County line to the south, was easy to confirm. However, to establish the boundaries west on the Laguna Madre, north on Packery Channel, and east on the Gulf of Mexico, took a combined effort from local engineers and on-site representatives of the Texas General Land Office, who reported directly to Austin.
Your small piece of the pie
Our real estate contract forms address the need for an accurate survey of your property. It states that the survey must be made by a registered professional land surveyor acceptable to the Title Company and the Buyer’s lender(s). Three options are provided to determine how the survey will be provided and whether a new survey will be paid by the Buyer or Seller. At the time of the survey, it would be very beneficial to have an elevation certificate generated at the same time. Being informed is a good thing.
Island Real Estate Ticker 235 Island Residences For Sale 111 Attached homes for sale from $39,900 to $495,900 45 Detached homes not on the water from $139,900 to $389,000 79 Detached homes on a canal or waterfront from $199,900 to $2,200,000 204 Island Lots and Land For Sale 139 parcels not on the water from $17,500 to $1,400,000 65 parcels on a canal or waterfront from $99,000 to $1,850,250 26 Island Residences Closed in February 2012 12 Island Land Parcels Closed in February 2012 3 Island Single Family Residence Building Permits issued in February 2012
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March 15, 2012
Island Moon
Legislative Update
My “It’s a Small World Experience” Dressed as Cher
Todd Hunter, District 32
New Study Charges Added To The 2012 Interim Speaker of the House Joe Straus on March 1st announced seven new interim charges to be studied by the Texas House of Representatives during the 2012 legislative interim. These new charges along with the previously released charges will result in recommendations that could form the basis for legislation to be considered during the next legislative session. House committees are each given several issues to study. These charges result in committee hearings being held over the course of the interim period (2012), these hearings give the public an opportunity to testify before the committees, thereby assisting in formulating possible legislation in the future. At the end of the interim, each committee will submit a formal report to the Speaker of the Texas House with recommendations on possible legislation. The following are the seven new charges given to the House Committees. If you would like a complete list of the study charges or if you would like more information about issues being studied by any particular committee, please don’t hesitate to call my Capitol office at 512-463-0672 or visit the Texas House of Representatives at www.house.state.tx.us. Here are the latest charges given to the standing House committees: House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence • Study current driving while intoxicated laws, examine enforcement options used nationwide, including requiring interlock devices after a first offense as well as current fees or fines, and make legislative recommendations. House Committee on Energy Resources • In addition to monitoring the implementation of HB 3328 (82R), continue to study the implications of hydraulic fracturing for the state’s energy needs, environmental policy, economic development, and other related priorities. Examine ways to ensure appropriate state and local regulation of hydraulic fracturing that matches the needs and conditions of Texas.
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Speaking Serbian in Port A was part of it
Coordinate with the House Committee on Natural Resources’ charge regarding water quantity and quality issues in oil and gas production, and with other committees, as necessary. House Committee on Insurance • Study the costs and benefits of mandates of coverage for health plans. Assess the impact to the state of current and future mandates in light of the provisions of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requiring states to assume the cost of certain mandates. House Committee on Administrative Procedures
Licensing
&
• Study all existing occupational licensing programs and determine their impact on consumers, competition, and the cost of services. Explore the extent to which new licensing programs are necessary. House Committee on State Affairs • Study how businesses seeking to provide goods or services to the state interact with state agencies. Consider whether additional procedures are needed to ensure that goods and services obtained by the state are the best value. Determine whether additional disclosure and reporting requirements are necessary to ensure transparency, accountability, and to promote ethical business practices. House Select Committee on State Sovereignty • Monitor developments regarding the Interstate Health Care Compact in other states and at the federal level. Offer appropriate recommendations to facilitate Texas’ participation in the compact if it is approved, including recommendations on the processes by which the state would consider its options under the compact and make related decisions. House Committee on Technology • Examine human resource policies of state agencies that would integrate the implementation of social media to strengthen the state’s workforce. If you have questions regarding any of the information mentioned in this article, please do not hesitate to call my Capitol or District Office. As always, my offices are available at any time to assist with questions, concerns or comments (Capitol Office, 512-463-0672; District Office, 361-949-4603).
Rep. Hunter represents Aransas, Calhoun, Nueces (Part) and San Patricio Counties. He can be contacted at todd. hunter@house.state.tx.us or at 512-463-0672.
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By Mary Craft aka Mirjana Krkljes
of the text that described me and my siblings. Milica Mataruga who wrote the text is someone I have known since I was a very small child.
I recently had an “it’s a small world experience” while dressed in my Cher costume. I was part of the Moon “60s” float in the Port A Mardi Gras parade. Afterward we went to the Tarpon Ice House for libations and live music. While checking out the music on the outdoor patio I heard someone make a Cher comment from behind. I literally stood out in my 3” baby blue platform boots that made me 6’3” tall. Interestingly the web site where I purchased the boots was for drag queens.
Milica and her family lived in my father’s 12 apartment building as did many other Serbs. The building was located in the inner city of Chicago where many undesirables lived which at that time was Eastern Europeans. “D.P.s”, a name used derogatorily for displaced persons, found it difficult to find a decent place to rent so it was a relief when one of their own had a place. Bragging The two men were here, but my father attractive so I did not bought the building hesitate walking up to after only four years of them and introducing working in a factory. myself. They were in town He was smart so he for two weeks working on became a tool and dye water pipeline inspection man and eventually a projects. Marc was manager which gave originally from California This picture was taken of me with my him a good retirement and now lives in Dallas. parents in our saloon when I was five. until he passed at age He was a cameraman in 86. He was able to do Hollywood for ten years and worked on movies and TV shows including repairs necessary to the building by reading Six Feet Under. The work did not provide a how-to books for plumbing and electrical work. steady income so he decided to do his camera It was funny when he would pronounce the “b” work inside pipes. He watches on a screen while in plumbing because it was there. In Serbian, a video camera floats through the pipe. The words are spelled phonetically so they do not waterline under the Laguna checked out fine but even teach spelling. The alphabet is the sound of the letter ergo if you know the alphabet you the one in Port A showed possible leaks. can read.
A Chicago Connection
Life in an inner city apartment building
The other man who had just arrived that day was The three story from Chicago as am I. building had three I asked whereabouts room furnished in Chicago and he apartments with shared said “Libertyville.” bathrooms in the halls. I answered “I am Our second floor Serbian and there is apartment was two a monastery there apartments combined where my family with a bathroom would go to picnics added. There was a during the summer.” corner saloon that There was such a look was a Serb gathering of surprise on his face place. The stairs at because he is also the back of the tavern Serbian. In fact, he My Dad took this family photo with his led to the basement was born in Belgrade Cadillac. Not sure which he was more proud where on weekends where I recently visited family. His of but he did get a new one every two years. there would be a pig and lamb roasting in a In the background you can see that the name is Dragan which is also my neighborhood was made up of mostly large pit. There were many large wooden barrels apartment buildings. older brother’s name. of homemade red He certainly did not wine my father made expect to meet a Serb in Port A and especially not two. A few days later he met ferry boat pilot from the many crates of grapes he bought at Mirko Latkovic who has lived in Port A since the Maxwell Street market. I so remember the smell of red wine in the basement and the 2001. grinders used at the top of each barrel to crush We talked about our traditions, the Bosnian the grapes. War and its ramifications, Kosovo, our home The huge basement also had a large pile of village refugees and on and on. I mentioned that my father was very involved in the Serbian coal that was delivered in a chute through one community in Chicago. For years he had a of the windows. The coal was delivered by Carl radio program on Sunday mornings called The the Coal Man where it was shoveled into the furnace to heat the building. I was fascinated by Serbian Radio Hour. the fire stoked inside when it was refilled.
My Serbian DJ Dad
On the first floor behind the saloon were a row of single rooms that shared a sink and stove in the hallway. They were rented by elderly Serbs who at age five taught me how to play cards, learn the alphabet and write my name. Unfortunately I got in big trouble when I wrote my name on the wall of the front entrance to the building.
I remember seeing my Dad spread his collection of 45s on the carpet to choose the songs he was going to play that day. During the program he would give the news, make announcements about people, events and do the commercials. Some of the advertisers were a furniture store whose German owner had a Serbian wife who could speak to customers, a meat market that carried lamb and other meats used in Serb dishes, a funeral parlor and a liquor store that stocked the popular plum brandy “Slivovice.”
I was free to roam my domain and when it was time to start kindergarten I was not a happy camper. The school was across the street and my sister in 6th grade was called to help get me up the stairs to the classroom while I The radio program was clung to the bannister. very popular because Because of my adult Dragan with Sonny listeners would learn influence I was ahead of (Steve Chisholm) and Cher. who was getting my schoolmates. In first married, who was grade I was delegated having a baby, who died, etc. He would also to the cloak room with advanced books and announce when there was a church picnic or skipped 2nd grade. The cloak room was where church dance. All the churches had a basement you hung your coats and placed your boots. For that had a large dance floor, a stage for the band us girls who had to wear dresses we also hung and a bar. I remember the men in the bar always the pants we wore under our dresses during the breaking out into song. People of all ages would winter months. dance the kolo where you hold hands in a circle When I was 11 we moved to a better and dance to traditional songs that each have neighborhood that actually had grass and trees. their own steps. I remember as a child running Milica and her family remained close and in and out of the circle under the dancers’ hands. visited us often. Now for the crazy part - she is Dragan’s stepmother and has been since 1984. A surprising text He texted her a picture of the two of us and she I really enjoyed talking to Dragan and we asked who is the blonde. When he wrote back arranged to meet the next day for happy hour. Mirjana Krkljes she immediately called and so On that visit it was his turn to surprise me. He I got to catch up with someone from my past showed me a text on his phone that said “Vasilj which proves it is a very small world indeed! Krkljes” and asked if that was my father’s name. It was and I continued to read the rest
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A 8
Pirate’s Funky Country Music Festival
Port Aransas The Gaff’s Pirate’s Funky Country Music Festival, is scheduled to take place Saturday, April 7, 2012. This familyfriendly Silly, Texas Country Music event, fit for pirates and Spring Breakers alike will offer plenty of fun and activities. Transistordale (San Antonio), HOBO (Corpus Christi), and The Newton Gang (Brooklyn NYC) are tentatively included in the line-up. The live music and fun games will begin at 2 p.m. and continue until 10 p.m. The Gaff is known for delicious pizza, cold beer, and unique events, such as Pirate Pub Crawls and Beltsander Races.
Island Moon
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Free booth spaces for non-profit organizations will be available at this event. Vendor spaces and sponsorships are also available for the festival. Rae of Light, a business consulting and event planning company, is producing the event. More information about The Gaff is
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It’s Always Sunny on the Island Free Shopping
By Sunny Reed
I’m sitting in a plush chair in my Aunt’s living room, sipping great coffee with my Dad. We are quiet watching a basketball game. I’m content. Then the back door flies open and my youngest sister shouts, “Come out here, Sunny! I have a wash board! You know you want it.” My eyebrows raise at this news. You see while I was concentrating on how comfortable and content and smart I was to be sitting inside, my sisters are rummaging through my Aunt’s garage, getting what they can before she puts it all in a garage sale the next day. My sisters are like hungry hyenas out there and they have even managed to get their husbands on board. To be clear my Aunt’s garage isn’t exactly filled with junk. She has been the owner of several boutiques and tea rooms. She has managed fine hotels and lived in countless beautiful houses. She has an eye for the finer things. And as much as I really love a good find I am desperately trying to simplify. Digging around in that garage, will result in more stuff and I want less. I picture my husband’s face when I pull into Corpus with a trunk full of things we now have to find a place for. But, the washboard. I have been looking for a washboard to go with my washtub for over a year. Kids need something to do on Spring Break right? I make my way outside to sneak a peek. My Aunt notices my hesitation and says, “ How can you resist Free Shopping?” Even though I know better, her comment gives me permission to relax and I ENTER.
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March 15, 2012
The scene is memorable to say the least. My sisters and brother in laws are singing their own renditions of Elton John, while stumbling around boxes and fighting over coasters and tool sets. I tell my Dad the girls are totally botching our favorite song, which gets him off the couch and outside also.
Fast forward an hour later and I have a pile growing wildly large. An antique coffee grinder, from Holland no less. A turquoise ice chest , perfect for snacks in the van. ( No more fast food for this family!) Now I am justifying this expedition with saving us some money. A tea set, a real crystal water glass (I know it’s real because my uncle showed me the thump test) two pitchers, four different types of very expensive cloth that I will use to cover the chairs in the dining room. The pile continues and two more boxes later , plus a large cool looking tub for holding ice, are filled to the brim. Boxes and tub stuffed in my van, overflowing.
I leave the heap in my garage for at least two weeks when I return home. “ The longer I wait, the more detached I might become with some of it, which means less stuff” I tell my husbands’ crinkled forehead. It works. At least one third of the stuff ends up in our own garage sale pile. The rest I must find places for. I don’t have special cabinets for pretty things so either it’s shoved in with the pots and Tupperware or it’s out for the world to see. So the tea set ends up smack in the middle of my dinner table. I think of my family every time I pass it. Yes, my kids might end up breaking it, but for the time being it brings me a lot of joy. The crystal glass gets used every day. I think of my beautiful classy Aunt every time I sip my water from it and in return I feel kind of beautiful and classy for a few moments. These things I have chosen to keep, remind me of Houston and family. I am thankful I got off the couch.
I forgot how wonderful it makes me feel to hear my Dad sing. The excitement and fun is contagious.
There is a fine line between being idealistic and being boring. Digging through that garage with my sisters was memorable and worth all the space my new found treasures take up. I guess sometimes being simple means to simply give in and enjoy your sisters’ satisfaction in presenting you with a washboard. My idealistic view of simplicity from the couch, was very boring compared to the “free shopping” to be had.
Art Museum Free on First Fridays
Human Trafficking Summit March 29
On the first Friday of every month, beginning April 6, the Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi will be open free to the public from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., and again from 5:30 - 9 p.m. This will allow more of the area public to see the Art Museum’s changing exhibitions. The expanded evening hours also take advantage of the downtown “ArtWalk,” and will feature special films and programming. Hester’s Café and Coffee Bar, located in the Art Museum, will be open during the evening hours, offering full bar and dining services.
You’re invited to attend our Human Trafficking Summit on Thursday, March 29th at the Del Mar College Center for Economic Development. We’ll have regional, state and national speakers discuss the fight against modern day slavery. This event is critical to shaping public policy to combat child exploitation, sex and labor trafficking. There is no fee to attend and a light breakfast and lunch will be served. Register at: http://electtoddhunter.com/human-traffickingsummit-registration.
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Peewee’s Animal Shelter is located at 1307 Saratoga and has been in operations since May, 1997. Peewee’s presently houses over 300 animals, including dogs, puppies, cats, kittens as well as, pigs, goats, rabbits and other barn animals. Peewee’s relies on donations only for its operation. Shelter operations are accomplished strictly by donations. Peewee’s does not get any government, city or federal funding. Peewee’s helps those animals no one else will - the sick and the stray. The volunteers at Peewee’s work tirelessly to rehabilitate poor orphaned pets in the hopes that they will find new, loving homes. The dogs and cats are spayed/neutered, given regular heartworm preventative, and are on flea & tick prevention and medications as needed. Peewee’s does not discriminate due to age or health conditions of the pet. Please visit Peewee’s Pet Adoption World & Sanctuary at 1307 Saratoga Road. You can call them at 361888-4141 but they do not have staff to answer phones so please leave a message.
March 15, 2012
Island Moon
The
A9
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Under sunny skies and brisk northerly breezes on Saturday, March 3, 2012, a crowd of approximately 60 folks, from babes in arms up to the age of 90 plus years of age, gathered at the Papalote Protestant Cemetery in S. Bee County to pay tribute and dedicate memorial medallions at the gravesite of Sandra Cornett Mikulencak. The medallions represented her membership in the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The ceremony was led by officers of the Clara Driscoll Chapter of the DRT of Corpus Christi, the president of the Corpus Christi Chapter of the UDC #1437 and a cousin of the deceased, lst Sgt. Gary Cornett, of Corpus Christi ’s Col. A. M. Hobby Camp #713 of the Sons Of Confederate Veterans. The program started off with pledges to the flags of the United States , Texas and Confederate States of America , followed by prayer and tributes from the officers of the three organizations. Five members of the SOCV, dressed in Confederate uniforms, fired antique rifles in salute to the deceased and her Confederate great grandfather, Emanuel Stroman. Large yellow roses to represent Texas were placed on the grave by each DRT member present. Smaller yellow roses were placed on the grave by family members. One large white Magnolia was placed on the grave by the UDC president to represent the Confederate States of America . Following the ceremonies, family members planted potted Bluebonnets around the tombstone.
The unique shoe features a wide stretch band to stabilize the ankle, thick outer sole and cushioned inner sole.
In tribute to the deceased, UDC Chapter President Janis Wood reported that Mrs. Mikulencak had been a charter member and tireless worker in that organization, having served in almost every office. As a DRT member since 1993, Chapter President Sylvia Budd reported that Sandra was just as avid in her work for that organization, often preferring to work behind the scenes but never letting any job go neglected or half-done. The deceased was also lauded for having spread her love for history among her family and friends, and for having enlisted all of her grandchildren into the Children of the Republic of Texas .
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In an e-mail to this writer on March 4th, Corporal Robert Hayden, of 6th Texas Infantry, “Alamo Rifles” Camp 1325 SOCV “Alamo City Guards,” of San Antonio, wrote, “As the crowd drifted away from the cemetery, you could hear the wind whistling through the oaks that were surrounded by new green grass, a new wildflower springing up here and there. You could hear it in the wind, ‘This is where we come from. This is Texas .’ Of all the places in the world you might find final rest, where could be more appropriate, more peaceful, or nearly so grand? I couldn’t think of a single one.”
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A 10
March 15, 2012
Seashore Students in the News
One of the highlights of each year, Seashore Middle Academy students hold a Greek Festival the day before spring break. Complete with togas, mythology, drama, and fun-filled competition, it’s a fun tribute to our ancient heritage.
Adjusting the snakes in her hair, 5th grader Ella Atherton-dressed as Medusa--prepares for the toga fashion show.
Beautiful spring break weather for surfing
Thank You for 9 years of Gratitude!
Sixth grader Isaac Fluhr reads his original myth to students during a portion of the school’s festival. photo by Aaron Boudreau
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On March 9, students at Seashore Learning Center were treated to a unique group of visitors. Guy Davis and Amanda Terry of ARK Port Aransas visited the school and brought some very interesting wildlife with them. A Red Tailed Hawk named “Reba” and a Great Horned Owl named “Hank” stole the stage!
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On March 5, Joan Garland, Educational Outreach Coordinator from the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, WI, delivered a presentation to students. She explained the purpose of the International Crane Foundation and described the great efforts to bring the Whooping Crane back from the brink of extinction. She explained the ways the foundation rear the Whooping Crane chicks to not become accustomed to human interaction, as shown by the costume modeled by one student. Whooping Cranes migrate to the Aransas Wildlife Refuge during the winter months.
Eighth graders line up to participate in the toga fashion show. Two thirds of the student body donned togas for the day, and 75 participated in the fashion show. photo by Angel Gaines
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Owned & Operated by Island Residents David & Katherine Pierce References Available Upon Request Commercial & Residential
Doing Everything a Home or Business Needs
Happy Hour Monday - Friday 3-7pm Todd Dorn & the Sea Drifters Duane Ebert Cell: (361) 6 March 16-17 10pm-close 28 Years Experience March Madness Every Day Every Game
Home Remod
In Ace Hardware Strip Center 1023 Hwy 361, Ste A pORT aRANSAS tx
361-749-joes