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Fish Stories A4

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The

Island Moon Weekly

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April 3, 2014

The Island in Texas with PINS OIL.

Around The Island

By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com

Next Publication Date: 4/10/2014

Schlitterbahn Parking and Floating Building

By Dale Rankin

For decades Islanders have heard that one of these days The Island is going to explode with growth. As we begin the fourth month of 2014 it is looking like this may be “those days.” Here is a look at some of the projects now underway and their progress.

This time they left the whole car

Schlitterbahn. Project developer Paul Schexnailder told the Island Strategic Action Committee Tuesday night that there have been twenty two days of work lost to weather but that the park is still on schedule for a June opening, if there are no more weather delays.

What happened to the good old days when college students just wore big fur coats and ate goldfish to get into the fraternity of their choice? Maybe we should look on the bright side; at least they’re not spray painting bad words on the water tower.

Naked Men of Kleberg

Other information included: It will take approximately fifteen days to pour the remainder of the “rivers” at the site. The first two floors of the main building will be ready for the park’s opening day. The remainder will be finished after the first summer season and when complete will include three restaurants and convention space. A hotel will be located on the south and west sides of the building.

Above: Floating building moving to the Island Left: Size of the floating building in red compared to the main building currently under construction at Schlitterbahn

Schlitterbahn Parking. Schexnailder also said that when the park opens there will initially be 800 parking spaces located on eight acres,

Projects continued on A14

Beach Cleanup Continues

Spoil Island Cleanup Set for Saturday, April 12 Vic Schreck Padre Island Yacht Club

The Spring Spoil Island Cleanup is April 12th and there is a need for boats, Island residents, and others to volunteer for the clean up effort. Folks should arrive at the Padre Island Yacht Club, at 13402 White Cap Blvd at 8:00 a.m. either by boat or car where boats will be assigned and gloves and trash bags will be provided. Dumpsters will be located at the Padre Island Yacht Club, and boat ramps at Cobo De Bara and Cartagena.

By Dale Rankin

Lunch - hamburgers, chips, soft drinks, etc. will be served at the PIYC Club at noon.

As of Wednesday evening crews from the Texas General Land Office are still working to clean up oil on beaches at Padre Island National Seashore which is closed to vehicles.

Everyone’s help is needed and the weather looks like it will cooperate. We’ll see you there.

Kemp’s Ridley Nesting Will Begin Soon

A little Island history

Point Penascal - Google Maps

A drive down the beach in Kleberg County this week found a gaggle of naked men taking advantage of the lack of law enforcement before the planned takeover of that beach by Nueces County. The short arm of the law in Kleberg County is not able to reach all the way over from Kingsville so for years the Naked Men of Kleberg have taken advantage of this. But alas, all things must come to an end and running around naked on Kleberg Beach is one of them. So get your reverse lobster tans while you can boys.

Stand up and be counted If you are not registered to vote there is still time to do it before the runoff elections on May 27. Island voters made a good showing in the primary and their numbers were decisive in the most heated race on the ballot, for Nueces County Commissioner Precinct 4. The County Commissioners Court controls the budget to the Nueces County Coastal Parks Board which runs the public piers on North Padre Island and in Port Aransas. If you would like to see more public amenities there this is the election to help make it happen. You have until Monday April 28 to register, and it can be done online or by mail. If you don’t vote you forfeit your right to complain.

PointPenascal Texas

Directions

And say hello if you see us Around The Island.

Save

Park officials say they expect the beaches to be open by the weekend. While they are closed to traffic Bird Island Basin boat ramp, all park campgrounds, and the Malaquite Visitor Center remain open for full use.

Cleanup continued on A3

https://www.google.com/maps/preview?q=27.26254,+-97.42443&z

It Didn’t Look That Far on the Map

Explore this area

By Donna J. Shaver, Ph.D. Chief, Division G etting around of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery National Park Service Padre Island National Seashore donna_shaver@nps.gov Search nearby

Traffic ·Bicycling ·Terrain

Endangered Kemp’s ridley turtles will begin nesting in Texas this month. Sometimes nesting begins during the first week in April and sometimes not until the second, third, or even fourth weeks. Although nesting just began in Mexico, the water is still cold here so it will likely be a few days before nesting begins here. Hopefully they hold off crawling ashore until

Turtles continued on A8

Point Penascal

Editor’s note: This story by J.G. Burr first appeared in Texas Game and Fish Magazine in 1945. It chronicles the tale of a couple of tenderfoots who sought to go by boat to the land bridge in the Laguna Madre in 1928 by skiff and walk to the southern Laguna Madre, not knowing they had twenty miles of soft mud and sand to cross. We thank Dr. Richard Watson for sending it. This is part one. By J.G. Burr

Beach time This is the sweet spot of the Island season and beach driving has been very good due to the high tides. So get out there and get some sand on you folks.

Year 17, Issue 520

Update on Island Projects

Grab a bucket full of baby oil everybody, it looks like the beach oil is going to be around for a while. As oil spills go this isn’t a big one, but it’s enough to ruin a roomful of carpet when you get home, especially if you have a big ole beach dog.

We’re not sure if it’s some kind of rite of initiation or something but having students from TAMUCC crash their cars into the gate at the Padre Island Yacht Club is getting to be a regular occurrence. The first time it happened the driver took off but had the courtesy to leave his license plate behind on the ground. He eventually fessed up and paid for the damage but about the time the clubbers got a temporary gate up along came another student and, wham! took out the gate again. They also left the license plate this time but the difference was it was still attached to the car. Dave Ziler reports that the car was neatly parked in the Yacht Club lot with a purse still in, right next to the temporary gate and the dumpster, which the driver also took out.

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A Kemp's ridley re-enters the Gulf of Mexico after nesting at Padre Island 1 of 1 National Seashore.

In 1928 there arose a great clamor against the Game, Fish and Oyster Commission, which centered around the fisheries of the Laguna Madre. This long body of water parallels Padre Island which is about 110

miles long extending from near Corpus Christi to Port Isabel. For many years the Laguna output of reddish, sea trout and drum totaled approximately one-half of the littoral catch of the coast, despite occasional loss of fish by high salt content induced by evaporation resulting from drought and hot weather. With the recurrence of these periodical losses of fish coastal inhabitants were disposed to become vocal and sometimes abusive of State administrations. In other hot days during July and August, where passes afford abundant egress and ingress, most fish leave the bays for cooler water of the Gulf; but not so in the upper M ap data © 2014 Google

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History continued on A6

4/2/2014 12:19


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