The Book of Texas Bays

Acknowledgments

ix This celebration of Texas baysreflects the help of many people. It was conceived out of discussions I had with Ann Hamilton of the Houston Endowment, whose support was essential. Without Ann’s conviction, this book would not have come to be. Research and assembling of data were originally funded by several foundations. The Houston Endowment provided most of the funding, with additional support from the Hamman Foundation, Trull Foundation, Hershey Foundation, Wray Trust, Seascape Texas, Mary Beth Maher, and Boyd Moore. Photographer Jim Olive was with me from the inception of the project and received grant support. He was commissioned to take certain shots and also provided stock photographs. His images capture the beauty of the coast with the deft hand of one who loves it. Michael Berryhill was an early collaborator employed to research and write some segments. He wrote the description of Victor Emanuel in chapter 4, the account of the Neotropical migrant birds leaving the Yucatan in chapter 10, and a portion of chapter 19 about the Lighthouse Lakes trail. Ultimately, we realized that the vision for the book was mine and I had to write it. Students and recent graduates assisting were Chris Johnson, who did excellent work gathering data and helping to develop issues and concepts for graphs and charts; Lyda Smayling, who prepared many of the graphics and gathered a substantial amount of data; and Cara Forster, who researched and contributed to the Mad Island, Port Aransas, Laguna Atascosa, and South Padre Island chapters. Kayakers checking out the route. The Lighthouse Lakes kayak trail would not exist but for the efforts of coastal environmentalists to stop an unnecessary port development that would have destroyed mangroves, seagrass beds, marsh grass, and other natural wealth. The elusive rail is a prize bird to spot on a Christmas Bird Count. It can be a challenge to determine whether a bird briefly seen is a king, clapper, or Virginia rail. Acknowledgments Acknowledgments Acknowledgments x The Book of Texas Bays The maps were prepared by Bryan Carlile of Beck Geodetix, using satellite photographs. The General Land Office of the State of Texas sent aerial and satellite photographs that were useful although they are not included. Elizabeth Hall helped with legal issues associated with the manuscript. Dale Cordray of my office kept our books and took care of innumerable administrative details. Thanks, Dale. Grants were coordinated through the Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association (gbcpa), one of the best activist environmental organizations on the Texas coast. I would like to thank Mary Beth Maher, Ellyn Roof, Katie Chimenti, Nancy Edmonson, Sally Antrobus, Natalie O’Neill, Charlotte Cherry, Charlotte Wells, Larry Tobin, and the other gbcpa board members for allowing me to produce this book under the auspices of gbcpa. There is not a better board of directors anywhere on the Texas coast. My background growing up in the Rio Grande Valley and spending childhood vacations in central Louisiana and Port Neches is an important part of who I am. I want to acknowledge the men who taught me to love and appreciate the outdoors when I was growing up—the late W. B. Graves, Sr. (Grandpa Graves), William B. Graves, Jr. (Uncle Bun), Charles Blackburn (Uncle Charles), the late L. E. Blackburn (Uncle L. E.), and my father, James Bernard Blackburn, Sr., who passed away before this book was published. I am lucky to have known them. The writing began on a legal pad by my father’s bedside as he was recovering from brain surgery in December, 2001. Chapters 2–6 were drafted there, and I completed the manuscript the month after he died in April, 2003. There is a linkage between his passing and its emergence. This is a book about the heroes of the Texas coast, the people who have fought for it, whom I respect and from whom I have learned. I thank all of them, and others not mentioned, for standing up for the coast. They are presented throughout , but I want to acknowledge them now—Laurence Armour, Tobin Armstrong, John Bartos, U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen, Ray Berry, Ron Bisbee, Janie and Wesley Blevins, George Bolin, Mary Lou Campbell, Mary Carter, H. C. Clark, Victor Emanuel, Ted Eubanks, Merriwood Ferguson, Johnny French, Steve Frishman, Al Garrison, Phil Glass, the late John Grimes, Henry Hamman, Richard Harrell, Stuart Henry, Myron Hess, John Jacob, Andy Jones, Bill Jones, Mary Kelly, Walt Kittleberger, Tio Kleberg, Edward Lambright, Mike Lange, County Judge Richard LeBlanc...