Most of you are very familiar of the effort to open the Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough channels over the past few years, in the latest effort the very agencies that are entrusted to protect our resources, have let anglers and the citizens of Texas down..

To date we have lost over 22,000 acres of wetlands that numerous species rely on for survival. Those wetlands act as nurseries to many different species and without them, they simply won't be around for future generations. Important migration paths are closing leaving fish, crabs, shrimp and other species to find alternative routes in shipping channels twenty miles or more away. This is simply unacceptable and it's time for change.

I think Dr. Larry McKinney said it best in a issue of the Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine July 2002.
"The passes are critical to fisheries of all kinds. The mixing of fresh water from river inflows with sea water entering the bays and estuaries though the passes creates differences in salinity levels that are necessary for completion of the life cycle of 90% of our recreational and commercially important fish. If you put a cork in the bottle and the developing fish can't get into and out of the bays, they can't complete their life cycle."

I concur with Dr. McKinney, now is the time to make it happen. By signing the petition your voice will be heard, those agencies that continue to stonewall this effort will hear loud and clear where the anglers, and citizens of Texas stand on this important issue.