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Coastal Issues Forum

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“Saving a Thousand Cold Stunned Sea Turtles”
Monday, September 13th @ 6 p.m.
via CBBF Facebook page

WHAT: Saving a Thousand Cold Stunned Sea Turtles
WHEN: Monday, September 13th at 6 pm
WHERE: Coastal Bend Bays Foundation Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/coastalbendbaysfoundation

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The Coastal Bend Bays Foundation will kick off their monthly Coastal Issues Forum with a free interactive virtual meeting on Monday, September 13, 2021, at 6 p.m. featuring Jace Tunnell, director of the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve (Reserve) at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute. Tunnell will discuss the events that took place to save more than 1,000 sea turtles from freezing to death.

Over 13,000 sea turtles were stranded in Texas during February 2021 when record breaking low temperatures reached the Gulf coast. Water temperatures plunged to 34 degrees F, immobilizing thousands of sea turtles that were rescued by volunteers, government agencies, and conservation organizations. The Amos Rehabilitation Keep at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, Texas took in over 1,300 green sea turtles in a 10-day period to help save as many of these creatures as possible. This presentation will describe the events that took place to help rescue these turtles, what happens once the turtles come in to the rehab facility, and how they get returned to the ocean.

Speaker BIO: Jace Tunnell is the director of the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve (Reserve) at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, where he has been since 2014. Prior to the Reserve he was the director of research and planning at the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program from 2006 to 2014, directing large scale restoration and water quality projects. Tunnell was named Conservationist of the Year in 2017 by the Coastal Conservation Association, the 2020 Coastal Icon by Texas Sea Grant, and is the founder of Nurdle Patrol, a citizen science project tracking plastic pellets washing up on shorelines across the U.S. Jace also serves as Vice President of the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association which advocates for support of the collective 29 Research Reserves around the United States. His conservation efforts include educating the public about plastic pollution, estuarine science, and protection of our natural resources. Jace received a Master’s degree in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi in 2001.

Virtual Coastal Issues Forums are mean to be interactive. When you join the Facebook Premiere post, you will be watching a pre-recorded video from our presenter with a live Q&A through the chat function. This is an opportunity to learn more and ask questions. See what our community thinks and how others are getting involved.

Hope you can join!

Follow the link below to join the conversation:
https:// www.facebook.com/coastalbendbaysfoundation

Coastal Issues Forum

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Please join us as we host the Coastal Issues Forum:

Monday, September 12, 2016 

at 5:30 p.m.

Del Mar Center for Economic Development

3209 S. Staples St

Corpus Christi, Texas

 

“Not all Vibrio are virulent – knowing the difference can prevent illness and optimize resource management”

Please join us September 12th at 5:30 p.m. for a very interesting talk with Jeffrey Turner on the Vibrio Virus that affects certain parts of the Coastal Bend.

The event will be held at the Del Mar Center for Economic Development on Kostoryz Rd and Staples St in Corpus Christi.

Special thanks to our sponsors, the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program!

Jeffrey W. Turner Ph. D., Assistant Professor of Marine Biology Department of Life Sciences at Texas A&M Corpus Christi

Mr. Turner was born in Louisville, Kentucky and raised just south of Atlanta, Georgia, He is now happy to call the Gulf of Mexico (aka The Third Coast) home. Prior to his arrival at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, he acquired a deep appreciation for our world’s oceans sailing the Bearing Sea and Arctic Ocean with the US Coast Guard. Afterward, he uncovered his fascination for all things microbial at the University of Georgia’s Odum School of Ecology (http://www.ecology.uga.edu). Following the defense of his dissertation, he boarded a flight to Seattle where he studied genetics and genomics as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Washington’s School of Oceanography (http://armbrustlab.ocean.washington.edu). The influence of oceans on human health and well-being has become a central theme in his research and teaching interests. This broad theme intersects with a diversity of topics including but not limited to emerging infectious diseases, harmful algal blooms, coral reef ecology, natural resource management, habitat preservation, ocean acidification and global climate change. He holds a Ph.D. at University of Georgia, Odum School of Ecology, 2010.

Thesis adviser: Erin K. Lipp. Thesis title: Environmental factors and reservoir shifts contribute to the seasonality of pathogenic Vibrio species.

Agenda

5:30 Refreshments and Networking

6:00 Meeting begins

7:30 Question and Answer Session

 

 

Earth Day – Bay Day 2016

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17th Annual

Earth Day-Bay Day Event

Held Saturday, April 9, 2016 at Heritage Park, Corpus Christi, Texas

FREE Family Fun! 

We’ve helped educate thousands on the importance of environmental stewardship and appreciation for our precious Coastal Bend natural resources – all while having loads of fun!

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Mayor Nelda Martinez, Honorary Chairperson of Earth Day Bay Day 2016, proclaiming April 9th, 2016 as Earth Day-Bay Day.

The Coastal Bend Bays Foundation annual Earth Day-Bay Day event attracted approximately 11,000 people who came out to see such excellent exhibits as the Gladys Porter Zoo, Sky Kings Falconry, The Texas State Aquarium, The Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History science experiments, Catch and Release Fishing Tank, Youth Odyssey rock climbing wall, Texas Coastal Expo touch tank, and pet adoptions and registrations held at Heritage Park. There were over 80 exhibitors and vendors that attended this year. There were many nonprofit, not-for-profit and government agencies providing information and free items to the public to promote environmental awareness and conservation.

Top Investors of the 2016 event are the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

We are grateful for our Generous Investors who continue to support this wonderful event including M & G Resins, the The Trull Foundation, Port Industries, voestalpine of Texas, The City of Corpus Christi Water Resources, City of Corpus Christi Strategic and Environmental Initiatives, City of Corpus Christi Solid Waste, City of Corpus Christi Storm Water  and Utilities, The Kiwanis Club of Corpus Christi, Braselton Homes, The Coastal Bend Sierra Club, the Texas State Aquarium, and Malkan Interactive Communications (ESPN 1440/Kbay92.7/HotZ95) along with their Green Team. This event could not be provided free to the public without their support.

We certainly cannot forget to thank our stupendous volunteers, without whom this event could not be run successfully. There were almost 100 volunteers who helped our EDBD Volunteer Coordinators, Wallie Coley and Arjelia Cabrera, keep the event running smoothly.

We are also thankful for our wonderful donors who provided food to our volunteers and water to keep the attendees hydrated. Stripes and Jason’s Deli and Van Burg with Everest Water.

Earth Day-Bay Day 2017 is tentatively scheduled to be held at Heritage Park on Saturday, April 15, 2017.

We hope to see you all there!

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Sky Kings Falconry showing their Eurasian Eagle Owl

[rev_slider EDBD2016]

Goals of Earth Day-Bay Day are:

  1. Education – Educate the public about our bays, estuaries, other native habitats, and the importance of clean air, clean water and a clean environment to our .
  2. Conservation – Teach citizens to become environmentally proactive in their day-to-day lives.  Demonstrate how easy and important it is to reduce, reuse, and recycle, as well as to compost and conserve energy, water and other resources.
  3. Habitat Protection – Encourage protection of native habitats, such as seagrasses, by promoting low-to no-impact outdoor activities such kayaking, windsurfing, birding, fly-fishing, gardening and hiking.
  4. Participation – Facilitate the active engagement of our visitors with local groups, such as the Coastal Bend Bays Foundation, the Audubon Outdoor Club, the Coastal Bend Audubon Society, the Master Naturalists and Master Gardeners, the local Farmer’s Market, CBBEP, Sierra Club and Surfrider Foundation, to name but a few!

If you are interested in becoming a vendor for Earth day- Bay Day 2017 please fill out the form below:

********Deadline for Vendors Submissions is April 1, 2017*********

EDBD vendor exhibitor Registration Form 2017

Volunteer Link coming soon!!!

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:                                                                                          

Cristal Guerrero, Earth Day -Bay Day Coordinator

[email protected]

Off. (361) 882-3439 FAX (361) 882-5625

or www.baysfoundation.org

TOP INVESTORS

CBBEPnew-LOGO

Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program

TCEQ

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

Education Exhibits Investor

MG Chemical

M & G Chemicals

SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT INVESTORS

The Trull Foundation

The Trull Foundation

Port Industries

Port Industries of Corpus Christi

VIP INVESTORS

         City of CC WATER-LOGO-colored

City of Corpus Christi Water Resources

City of CC Environmental Strategic Initiatives

City of Corpus Christi Strategic Environmental Initiatives

City of Corpus Christi Solid Waste

City Storm Water Logo

City of Corpus Christi Storm Water Dept.

FRIEND OF EDBD INVESTORS


Downtown Kiwanis Club

Sierra_club_logo

Coastal Bend Sierra Club

Braselton Homes

Braselton Homes

INDIVIDUAL INVESTORS

TX St Aquarium

Texas State Aquarium

TPWD Logo 341

Texas Parks and Wildlife

nei logo

Naismith Engineering, Inc.

Z95 KBAY92.5ESPN1440Coastal Bend Green Team

Malkan Interactive Radio Stations

March Coastal Issues Forum

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Please join us as we host the March Coastal Issues Forum:

Monday, March 14, 2016 at 5:30 p.m.

Solomon P. Ortiz Center

402 Harbor Dr, Corpus Christi, Texas

“Corpus Christi Industrial Seawater Desalination Project”

Frank Brogan, Registered Professional Engineer and Surveyor

Bob Paulison, Executive Director of Port of Industries of Corpus Christi

Mr. Frank Brogan and Bob Paulison will be giving us some insight on the industries collaborative solution for potential water supply.

Frank Brogan is a Registered Professional Engineer and Surveyor.  He received his BSCE with honors from the University of Texas at Austin and Masters in Engineering from Texas A&I in Kingsville.   He has over forty one years of experience in the planning, design and construction of waterfront facilities for Ports all along the Texas Gulf Coast. Mr. Brogan retired from the Port of Corpus Christi Authority after 27 years of service.  In his role as Chief Operating Officer of the Port he was responsible for the day to day operation of the Port with direct daily oversight of the Port’s Operations, Finance and Administration, IT, Business Development, Human Resources, Engineering, Environmental, Real Estate, Maintenance and Police Departments. While on staff at the Port, Mr. Brogan successfully directed the Mary Rhodes Water Pipeline Project, a $130 million emergency water supply project for the region that was finished on schedule and under budget.   In 2003, Mr. Brogan achieved the designation as a Professional Port Manager (PPM) from the American Association of Port Authorities and is the 47th person to receive this national designation.  Mr. Brogan is widely credited as being the master planner and leader of the Port’s tremendous growth in the last 25 years to where it is now the 5th largest Port in the United States.

Bob Paulison is the Executive Director of Port Industries of Corpus Christi, a regional trade association of 16 large industrial companies and the Port of Corpus Christi. Prior to joining Port Industries, he enjoyed a 26 year career in the US Coast Guard.  Graduating from the Coast Guard Academy in 1985, he completed wide-ranging assignments flying both jet aircraft and rescue helicopters.  In 1989, he flew the Falcon Jet in Prince William Sound, Alaska to map the Exxon Valdez oil spill; and in 1991 he was part of the team that flew to the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm to track the oil spill resulting from the release of millions of gallons of oil into the Persian Gulf by the Iraqis.  In 2007 he moved to Corpus Christi to command Sector / Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas where he was responsible for all Coast Guard air, sea, and land operations in South Texas and along the border with Mexico.  Following a brief tour in Cleveland, Ohio directing operations in the Great Lakes, he returned to Corpus Christi where he retired from the Coast Guard in 2011. In addition to his work with Port Industries, he is active in the community as member of a number of civic and professional organizations, including the Propeller Club, USO, Navy League, and Kiwanis.

Agenda

5:30 Refreshments and Networking

6:00 Meeting begins

7:30 Question and Answer Session

 

Coastal Issues Forum Janurary Presentation

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As you may know this year we started off the Coastal Issues Forum With a “State of the Port of Corpus Christi” presentation given by the Executive Director of the Port of Corpus Christi. If you did not have the pleasure of joining us to hear the presentation Mr. LaRue gave at January Coastal Issues Forum we present it to you below.

Mr. LaRue Presentation at CIF

A lot of great insight was given to us with this presentation. Please leave us your comments and let us know what you think about this.

If you liked this please don’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletters!

 

 

New Executive Director

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Our New Executive Director

Uma Venkat

Uma

Uma Venkat is the Executive Director at the Coastal Bend Bays Foundation. Mrs. Venkat has significant experience in managing non-profit organizations and substantial involvement in community outreach and service. Mrs. Venkat has encompassing education background in administration, management and leadership, with a Bachelor in Organizational Leadership Studies and Diploma with Distinction in Human Resources Management from Canada, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) with a specialization in non-profit and public management. She will be receiving a second Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) in Strategic Planning from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Mrs. Venkat has a deep passion for nature and a love for the coastal resources in the coastal bend area of Texas. She is also a strong advocate of conservation of natural resources through education and outreach.

[email protected]

Phone: (361) 882 3439

The Sustainability Revolution

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The Bays Foundation’s featured speaker at the July 8 Coastal Issues Forum was Matthias Pastl, Head of Corporate Communications & PR, voestalpine Texas LLC.  The title of Matt’s presentation was, “Welcome to iron making of the 21st century – Learn more about voestalpine’s environmental stewardship and the green direct reduction plant.”

According to Matt, it is one of voestalpine’s objectives to become a local role model of low-emission production. In Matt’s words, “We are residents and take our responsibility very seriously.”

voestalpine Texas LLC’s largest foreign investment is the direct reduction plant on the La Quinta Trade Gateway in San Patricio County. The $700 million facility is designed to become the most advanced and environmental-friendly plant in the industry and will produce premium feedstock for high-quality steel production. Additionally, it will set new benchmarks in low-emission iron making.

May 2013: Mustang Island Geohazards Project by Dr. Jim Gibeaut

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At this CIF we discussed the North Padre and Mustang Island Geohazards Project, presented by Dr. Jim Gibeaut, PhD., Endowed Chair for Geospatial Sciences at the Harte Research Institute. The forum will be held at Del Mar College Center for Economic Development. Light snacks and refreshments provided.
 
Topic: Mustang Island Geohazards Project,
When: Monday, May 6th – 5:30 pm Refreshments and Social, 6:00 pm Presentations & Discussion
Where: Del Mar College Center for Economic Development (3209 S. Staples Street, Corpus Christi, TX)