|
NON-TOXIC Aquatic Weed Management Advocates
They came from the hills of Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia in reply to
a call for help from Texas anglers. Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone? No, even
bigger heroes, Ray Scott, the "Father of Professional Bass Fishing," and
Tennessee Valley River Authority Aquatic Weed Manager, Doug Murphy.Who sent out the cry for help? Ed Parten, Terry Oldham - F.I.S.H.,
Mike Hastings - Pro Bass Angler, Sparky Anderson - Clean Water Action, Robin Richardson -
H.A.W.K. and Sue Pitman - The Chemical Connection. Who's Ed Parten? Ask any
bass fisherman in the State of Texas who Ed Parten is, and nine out of ten will tell you
he's the guy that led the battle to keep Carp out of Lake Conroe. Though he lost
that battle he has won many, many others. No individual has done more for bass
fishing in Texas than Ed Parten. If there's a project going on to improve Texas'
fisheries you can bet your last dollar that "Big Ed" will be involved, probably
organizing the project.Standing with Parten and the others was Ray Murski of Strike King Lures and thousands
of concerned Texas anglers. Bass Club members, Texas Black Bass Unlimited, Texas
Association of Bass Clubs, Honey Hole and many other Bass Fishing Organizations.Why was the call sent out? To prevent the killing of another
Texas Lake. This time Bastrop, less than a hundred miles from the Alamo. Makes
the hair on the back of my neck stand up just writing about it.Who's killing our lakes? Chemical and Power Generating
Companies, Texas River Authorities and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. Wielding the
kind of power and influence that comes from selling "Toxic Chemicals," under the
labels of "Aquatic Herbicides," to state government and
electric power generating companies for $2,000.00 per gallon, Chemical
Companies have influenced River Authorities and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
to pour thousands of gallons a year into Texas lakes and rivers. Many of these
water bodies are used as water supplies for Texas towns.Anglers agree that aquatic weeds need to be controlled. What they don't agree on
is using "Toxic Chemicals" to control them or complete eradication. There
are other ways to deal with this issue.Smart management programs use a variety of other means of controlling unwanted
vegetation. One such means is "Mechanical Harvesters." Lakes in the
north central United States, that have used mechanical control say that they have enhanced
aquatic life in their lakes and the water remains clear and clean. Most lakes need
aquatic vegetation to filter the water and control bottom erosion.Eradication leaves a lake without any vegetation for habitat or filtration.
After a few years the lakes are taken over with "Algae Bloom" and become murky
and are unhealthy fisheries.Most of the lakes with a history of "Mechanical Management" report enhanced
game fish populations. Back to our "heroes" at
the "Battle of Bastrop." Ray Scott wrote a letter to Texas
Governor George W. Bush asking Governor Bush
to declare a moratorium on the use of Toxic Herbicides and implement a feasibility study
on the use of mechanical devices to manage unwanted aquatic weeds. Bush agreed and
Scott arranged with the Tennessee Valley River Authority to bring a "Mechanical
Harvester" from Tennessee to Lake Bastrop for a test.The test results were very positive. In less than two days all aquatic vegetation
was mowed down to five feet below the surface. Not one fish was killed and a stand
of sub-surface vegetation was left for aquatic habitat and filtration. No this
didn't put another $100,000.00 or so in the Chemical Companies bank accounts but it did
cost $8,000.00. $8,000.00 to bring a machine all the way from Tennessee and back and
cut all the vegetation in the lake in less than a week.Who paid
the expenses? You might think the power company that wanted the weeds gone
in the first place, they'd have bought the "Toxic Chemicals." Or you might
think the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department or the Texas Water Quality Board or the
EPA. No.Heroes paid for it. Over two hundred
anglers and fishing industry companies, that's who paid for it. In a little over
three days checks from $5 to $1,000 flooded in.A pretty impressive display of concern and generosity by any measure.Where do we go from here? SMART, it stands for
Sensible Management of Aquatic Resources Together. Ray Scott, Ed Parten, Ray Murski,
Lindy Ellason, Randy Kindler, Pat McCarty, Texas Black Bass Unlimited, Texas Association
of Bass Clubs, Honey Hole, Texas Oilmans, F.I.S.H., B.A.I.T., H.A.W.K., Clean Water
Action, The Chemical Connection and many, many others put their heads together and
formulated a plan. The plan is to raise money to purchase a harvester and
demonstrate its effectiveness in managing aquatic weeds. SMART is
the name of the organization formed to implement this plan. You can be a part of it. If you
have time to volunteer for working with the fund raising committee you can call "Big
Ed" at 713-648-6152. Or you just want to send a
contribution to the fund you can mail a check to SMART at PO Box 11729,
Houston, Texas 77293. Fund Raiser. " An Evening with Ray Scott and a
Private Concert by Larry Gatlin." The first fund raising event was held October 23, 1999 at the Humble Civic Center in Humble, Texas. 800 tickets were sold. All proceeds from the event will go toward the purchase of a mechanical
harvester. Doors will open at 5:30pm and dinner will be
served at 7:00pm.
Activities:
 |
Celebrity meet and greet where Platinum table sponsors will visit with Ray
Scott, Larry Gatlin, Tournament Pros and other celebrities.
|
|
Dinner
|
|
Live Auction that will include two Triton Boats, Mercury Outboards, a Desk
and Credenza custom built for Ray Scott and MUCH more.
|
|
Silent Action
|
|
Raffle
|
|
Live Performance by Larry Gatlin
|
|
