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RFA files
suit
William T. Wood
Bay City
Tribune
Published September 21, 2003
CORPUS CHRISTI — Recreational
Fishing Alliance (RFA) — one of the groups suing Matagorda County over a
plan to close part of Matagorda Beach to vehicle traffic — filed a
federal lawsuit Wednesday against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Texas chapter of RFA and Friends of Texas Coastal Passes Inc. filed
the federal lawsuit to seek the immediate reopening and restoration of
Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough, which are adjacent to the Aransas
National Wildlife Refuge near Rockport.
RFA Texas Chairman Jim Smarr explained that the Cedar Bayou and Vinson
Slough served as a migratory pathway across the barrier islands along
the Texas Coast for marine wildlife such as shrimp, crabs and other
fish.
By closing the pathway with dredging spoils, the government seriously
damaged the island’s more than 20,000 acres of wetlands, Smarr said.
“We were told about two years ago that if we could come up with 25
percent of the money to reopen the bayou and slough, the government
would pay the other 75 percent, but they have reneged on that promise,”
Smarr said.
“We have been willing to work within the system, and this lawsuit is an
effort to protect a very sensitive environmental area.”
RFA filed a district court lawsuit a few weeks ago against Matagorda
County over the county’s amended beach dune plan, which contains a
proposal to close a half-mile of Matagorda Beach next to Jetty Park to
vehicle traffic, reserving it for pedestrians only.
No court dates in either suit have been set.
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