Thursday, July 5, 2001

Bombing range is a misfire

Tuesday's announcement regarding the possible demise of a proposal for a bombing range south of Baffin Bay is good news for sportsmen.
   During the media frenzy over this, we heard much about how such an operation would be an economic boon to Kingsville and complement a proposed space port near there. Some people believe a multi-purpose military training center here could shield from closure the Coastal Bend's three Navy installations and save lives by making all branches of the military more combat-ready.
   Someone even said this would be the patriotic thing to do.
   I'm not sure about that.
   The media also has covered how lease money paid for the privilege of blasting craters in brush country and blazing trails through Padre Island and the Laguna Madre could benefit Kenedy Foundation charities, if the plan got that far.
   Of course, any perceived benefits must be weighed against how such an operation could undo years of effort to re-establish a nesting colony of Kemp's ridley sea turtles on the National Seashore. Economic advantages also should be measured against the potential harm to two of our most precious ecological treasures, Padre Island and Laguna Madre, both economic gems in their own right.
   A Sierra Club official likened placing these natural resources in harms way to putting radioactive waste dumps in Big Bend.
   That also might be a stretch.
   But the impact on sportsmen alone would be staggering, not to mention how grossly irresponsible to the resource this would be.
   Officials with the Coastal Conservation Association, Saltwater-fisheries Enhancement Association, Ducks Unlimited and the Coastal Bend Guides Association have expressed varying degrees of concern about and/or opposition to the preliminary proposal. This, in addition to a dozen or so other environmental and conservation groups who came out against the project.
   We're talking about the National Seashore, Baffin Bay, the Landcut and Yarborough, all prime fishing locations and wintering ground for waterfowl.
   So much for establishing a quiet zone in the Nine-Mile Hole no-motor area.
   And it's anybody's guess what the reaction would be of the 15 threatened or endangered species that live on or near Padre Island and the Laguna Madre's winter population of redheads and pintails.
   And what about the notion that National Park land is protected in perpetuity? Renege on this sacred covenant and you've cracked beyond repair a foundation of trust. I know. That ship has sailed for some of you.
   I keep hearing that it would take an act of Congress to decry our National Seashore, as if this legislative barrier would be insurmountable. Political decisions that defy reason and our wishes are made all the time in Washington.
   Let's hope Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is right and this plan doesn't get that far. Let's also thank her for listening to the outcry and throwing her weight on the side of right. I wouldn't want the future of Laguna Madre and Padre Island to be decided in some Beltway backroom.
   One Kingsville proponent said that any damage done by the military could be mitigated or repaired. Just how would the government mitigate the loss of habitat? Would they create vast regions of enhanced flora and fauna elsewhere on the island to make up for the dead zones? And what about this buffer belt? How much water on both sides of Padre Island will be off limits during military practice exercises?
   Will we have to check a bombing schedule when planning a trip to Baffin Bay, Yarborough, Rocky Slough, Nine-Mile Hole or the Land Cut?
   And for how long and how frequently would we have been forbidden in these areas? I keep hearing that we would only be inconvenienced for 24 hours at a time, several times a year, while hovercraft and other amphibious vehicles cut across Padre Island and splash through the Laguna Madre to the mainland, obliterating centuries of dune buildup and scaring the bay floor. I suppose dune-protection laws would have to be relaxed along with the broken promise.
   I suppose the 1.2-mile tracks ultimately will provide easier access from beach to lagoon, opening up these hard-to-reach waters to anglers without boats.
   But would there be fish when we get there?
  
  

Talk about fishing in the Coastal Bend