By Jim Darnell
Columnist
San Marcos — The Jan. 28 meeting of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission resulted in some great decisions that will help fishermen and campers.
Approved in grants was $2,545,249 to pay for 10 boat-ramp construction or repair projects across the state. This funding was made possible by the State Boating Access Program authorized by the 64th Legislature in 1975.
The money for this program comes back to the state from the federal recreational boating gasoline tax and an excise tax on fishing tackle collected under the Federal Aid to Sport Fish Recreation Act. These federal taxes were voluntarily asked for by boaters and fishermen to improve habitat, fishing and facilities.
Those of us who fish the Texas coast will be happy to hear that the Aransas County Navigation District will receive $215,628 to expand the parking area at the boat ramp on the south side of Copano Bay, construct a walkway to improve access for people with disabilities, build covered picnic tables and provide signs.
The city of Corpus Christi will receive $500,000 to renovate and upgrade the heavily used Clem’s Boat Ramp as well as the access road, parking area, utilities, courtesy dock bulkhead and signs. The project will improve access to the Laguna Madre and Intracoastal Waterway.
This is a much needed improvement. Most boat traffic going to Baffin Bay and the Landcut launches under the Kenedy Causeway Bridge at Clem’s, and that’s a lot of boats. The parking lot is a real mess of potholes and low spots.
Closer to home the city of Bastrop will receive $397,600 to replace an old boat ramp to provide better access to the Colorado River, do dredging and place bulkheads needed to prevent bank erosion. The money also will allow for construction of a parking area and a sidewalk to improve access for people with disabilities.
River access is one of the major needs in our state. I love to fish rivers more than lakes. But access can be tough. Crossing private property is not a good idea. Wouldn’t it be great to have a nice launch for canoes, kayaks and small boats at the low water bridge on 266 (Old Bastrop Highway)? Instead, the county makes it impossible to park near the bridge. If you park on the road beyond the No Parking signs your chances of the vehicle being broken into by thieves and vandals is high.
Another boat ramp renovation will happen on Lake Wood near Gonzales. This is one of the Guadalupe River lakes, sometimes called 5H. The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority will receive $75,000 for renovation of the boat ramp plus a walkway and courtesy dock to improve access for people with disabilities, new bulkhead, lighting and signage.
Campers weren’t forgotten by the Commission. One of Texas’ most beloved outdoor recreation destinations – Garner State park near Concan – will be adding a 177-acre tract that includes the bluff known as Old Baldy.
The Commission approved the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s acquisition of the tract owned by Barbara Muennink, whose family has owned the property for more than 80 years. She is selling the tract to the TPWD at a bargain price to help keep the land in its natural state.
Over the years, Muennink has never tried to restrict public access to the rocky bluff overlooking the scenic Frio River that most park visitors assumed was part of state park property. In reality, only a very small part of the bluff is state-owned.
When TPWD completes the pending land purchase, Garner State Park will encompass almost 1,600 acres. The new tract at the southernmost end of the park includes a hiking trail that climbs the 400-foot river bluff and an additional 210 feet of riverfront property.
Garner State Park records approximately 400,000 visits each year. It ranks No. 1 among 93 Texas state parks in the percentage of park visitors who stay overnight in one of the park’s many campsites, screened shelters or 17 cabins built in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Jim Darnell is an ordained minister and host/producer of the syndicated outdoors television show, God’s Great Outdoors. His column appears every Thursday in the Daily Record.
