OCTOBER NEWS 2000
        October 21 PARTY TIME 5:30pm SIERRA CELEBRATION 2000 - see below
        Padre Island National Seashore Workshop - see below
        Saturday, October 14  ARANSAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE CELEBRATION - see below
         KEMPS RIDLEY TURTLE UPDATE by Mina Williams &Venice Scheurich
         The Corpus Christi Experiment VX Nerve Agent Disposal by Bill Alling
                  Should This City Be the Waste Dump
              for Chemical Weapons Residue?? 
                Bill Alling's Letter to The Caller-Times
            COASTAL DEVELOPMENT by Pat Suter
           Email Paul Hammerschmidt to facilitate proposed Southern Closure Regulations   
             Governor George Bush: His Environmental Legacy by Pat Suter
             EARTH DAY 2000 by Pat Suter
               .   
      Packery Channel News:  See September News

PLEASE EMAIL SENATOR KAY BAILEY HUTCHINSON TO EXPRESS YOUR UNFAVORABLE OPINION
ON HER BILL TO DO BEACH RESTORATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENHANCEMENT BY DREDGING PACKERY CHANNEL

      
                                        COASTAL BEND GROUP

• EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

         * Pat Suter                   852-7938              Chairman
            PHSUTER@aol.com

         * Randy Berryhill        883-0586        Vice Chairman

         * Judy Tor                  241-2605                Treasurer

         * Dorothy McLaren   883-0435                 Secretary

•   COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN
  
  * Henry Berryhill     883-0586            Conservation
  
  * Elaine Giessel       578-5291             Conservation (mid coast)
   
  * Randy Berryhill    883-0586             Membership
  
  * Ken Jobe             993-3737             Recycling
  
  * Edith Cosgrove   241-2960             Air Quality
  
  * Frank Hankins     991-4637             Coastal
  
  * Cheryl McGrath   883-9778             Web Master
    csmcgrath@earthlink.net

Next Meeting: Tuesday October 17, 2000

• The next meeting  is still scheduled for October 17 and will be held at the
  Art Community Center as usual.
  TOPIC: ENVIRONMENTAL UPDATES, ELECTION AND SUCH
  Art Community Center, 100 Shoreline
  Lunch, 11:15 a.m., Business meeting, 12:15 p.m.
  (You may bring your lunch to the business meeting if your
  time is limited.)
  
  COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIR

This past month has been a very busy one. In our meeting on September, we had a delightful and informative presentation on logging in the national forests and why they should not be continued. Business was pretty much neglected. This month we do have some things that must be addressed.

October will also be a very busy time. But this will be more enjoyable. We will have the pleasure of meeting with members from all the state of Texas who are members of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. One of our members, Bill Alling, has offered his home on Padre Island on Saturday, October 21 for a party. See below for details.

Mina Williams and I attended a two-day session workshop for the Padre Island National Seashore on developing better interpretative materials. See Mina's article below for details.

Frank Hankins, Edith Cosgrove, and I are active again in the various advisory committees associated with various industries and the LEPC. You remember what the LEPC is, don't you? Right! The Local Emergency Planning Committee.

Reports of all of this activity will be given at the meeting on the 17^th.

PLEASE EMAIL SENATOR KAY BAILEY HUTCHINSON TO EXPRESS YOUR UNFAVORABLE OPINION
ON HER BILL TO DO BEACH RESTORATION AND ENIRONMENTAL ENHANCEMENT BY DREDGING PACKERY CHANNEL

• Padre Island National Seashore Workshop by Mina Williams
  On September 26^th and 27^th,, at the invitation of National Park Service Superintendent Jock Whitworth, Pat Suter and Mina Williams attended a workshop to begin planning for the next five years at the National Seashore. Dr. Donna Shaver, USGS sea turtle expert, was present, as well as representatives from NPS, the Texas State Aquarium, the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, TPW, and other area parks and services.

Facilitators from Denver led the twenty-five member group in wide-ranging discussion of the many facets of the Park. Happily, the participants devoted considerable discussion to the endangered and threatened sea turtles in Gulf waters off Padre Island and their appeal to local people as well as tourists. There was consensus that the effort to save these ancient animals is valuable and must continue, and that the sea turtle recovery program is a significant attraction drawing people to the National Park.

• DATES TO PLAN FOR:

 Saturday, October 14 the ARANSAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE will hold an all-day celebration in recognition of National Wildlife Refuge week being celebrated nationwide.

The celebration at the Aransas Refuge will feature numerous booths in the field of environmental interpretation, photography, hunting. Fishing, wildlife observation and environmental education will all have demonstrations. And best of all there will be free admission that day.

The students from Tivoli High School will run a food booth as a way of earning needed monies for their programs at the school.

There will be numerous displays, kids booths, horse rides for kids, taxidermy, bicycle ride, fly fishing demonstration, duck and goose calling, and many more interesting things to observe and do. From 8 p.m. to midnight everyone can participate in a street dance.

So plan to come and have fun. And of course, you can always do the usual things at the refuge, like look at birds, etc.

SO MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR OCTOBER 14 AT THE ARANSAS WILDLIFE REFUGE.

October 21 PARTY TIME 5:30pm SIERRA CELEBRATION 2000
Bill Alling has graciously donated his home on Padre Island for the event. A special slide show will be the particular treat.

Because this will be in connection with the SIERRA CELEBRATION 2000 AND FOOD WILL BE SERVED AT THE PARTY…WE WILL NEED TO HAVE A HEAD COUNT.. SO PLEASE RSVP EITHER AT OUR MEETING ON OCTOBER 17 OR BY PHONE (361-852-7938).

If you wish to participate in the whole week-end event (see last month's newsletter for details), then you need to tell Lone Star that you will be there. Phone 512-477-1729 before October 17. You may also reach them at scls@igc.org.

Bill's address is 15397 Caravel in Padre Isles. The street intersects Whitecap Blvd.
Check the Padre Island National Seashore website for additional information on the
facilities at the seashore. Email Jennifer Walker at the Lone Star Chapter Office

Email Paul Hammerschmidt to facilitate proposed Southern Closure Regulation
See URGENT! article for more info.

...........................................................................................................................  

        Senator Carlos Truan                Commissioner David Dewhurst
        P.O. Box 12068                          GLO
        Austin, TX 78711                        Austin, Texas 78701

         Commissioner (Chairman)        President Bill Clinton
          TNRCC                                      The White House
          P.O. Box 13087                        Washington, DC
          Austin, TX 78711                      president@white-house.gov