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What Is Happening?Public Notice No. SWG-2022-00527 has been submitted to the USACE Board requesting approval to permanently fill all 8 acres of our estuarine wetlands for residential development. It is full of wildlife, sea life, and plant life all conducive to the environment that gives the Texas middle coast its unique beauty. And it has a high chance of being destroyed without public support.
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How Can I Help?
To help us preserve the Texas Coastline please email the US Army Corp of Engineers at [email protected]. By no means is the example letter below meant to represent your voice; in fact, we encourage you to craft your own, edit this one, or add to it with your own voice & perspective - including any/all personal experiences with the wetlands including photos, etc.
Feel free to share with others who might be interested!!
To: US Army Corp of Engineers
Subject: Public comment regarding Public Notice No.: SWG-2022-00527 Wetland Ecosystem Application by Caracol Investors, LP.
Body:
From: <Insert your name, address & your phone #)
To: US Army Corp of Engineers
District Engineer
Central Evaluation Unit
Regulatory Division CESWG-RDE
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Galveston District
2000 Fort Point Road
Galveston, Texas 77550
RE: SWG-2022-00527 Wetland Ecosystem Application by Caracol Investors, LP
Dear Corps of Engineers:
Thank you for making the information available on your website. Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments. This email is to serve as Public Comments regarding Public Notice No.: SWG-2022-00527, regarding the Caracol Investor Group, herein referred to as "Applicant”, proposal to permanently fill estuarine wetlands immediately adjacent the Intracoastal Waterway in Port O’Connor, Texas.
As USAC is aware, wetlands play many critical environmental roles, including providing habitat for rare, threatened, and endangered species; serving as rest stops for migratory birds; helping to prevent floods; controlling erosion; and filtering water. Since 1600, America has lost more than half of its wetlands. Wetlands can range in size and scope from small marshes to an area as large as the Everglades. Regardless of size, their presence is critical to the health of the world’s overall coastal ecosystem and to Texas’ environmental quality and biodiversity. Only ~5% of the total land area of Texas is wetlands, and they are rapidly disappearing. In accordance with the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), that was passed into law in 1989, I request that USAC consider the following requests and comments with the intention of protecting, restoring, and managing wetland ecosystems and other habitats critical to maintaining healthy populations of migratory birds.
I am submitting the following formal request to USAC for the following:
1. Public Hearing: I request USACE schedule a Public Hearing, with the objective of providing broad information from the Public as well as other critical governing bodies to assist USACE in the permit evaluation process.
2. USAC Conduct an In-depth review of Section 404(b)(1), which determines if the project is the least environmentally damaging practicable alternative. It is critical that we keep in mind the guiding principle that housing development is not dependent on water; only water dependent projects – where no other alternative options are available – should be considered.
In this review, it is important to note that the Applicant owns multiple alternative sites in Port O’Connor for residential development of 5 lots. In addition to Alternative Sites listed in the Application, the Applicant recently purchased an additional ~1.6 acre tract located <1/3 of a mile from the proposed wetland fill site. This tract includes existing ICW deep water access as it was the location of Boat House Bait, a marina and bait house. It is also important to note that the Applicant owned a 6.8 tract within Caracol, now called “The Point at Caracol” that was suitable for this project. In fact, The tract already included a Marina, as well as all of the additional elements the Applicant cited in Sections 2.0 Siting Criteria, including deep water dockage, bulkheads and space for future residential development that had been established and installed by the previous Owner & Developer (Trend Development, Inc. and Forestar Real Estate Group). In 2018, Caracol Investor Group subdivided this 6.8-acre tract into 4 “estate lots” and sold the lots individually. This sale is notable for two reasons:
a. The Marina, which included pre-existing deep-water dockage and common area that had historically been used by resident and fishing enthusiasts for offshore tournaments, including Poco Bueno & Lone Star Shootout, was abandoned by the Applicant. An Officer of the Applicant commented on various occasions that the cost of running adequate utilities to the dockage sites (power & water) was prohibitive, therefore Caracol Investor Group was not going to invest in the cost of a Marina in Caracol.
b. Two of the lots totaling ~3.2 acres, (close to half of the former Marina tract), that are closest to the jetties and the most desirable views of the surrounding bay, were sold to an Officer of the Applicant.
It is critical to gain understanding of why the Applicant would abandon and de-construct an existing Marina - citing cost concerns - only to Apply just a few years later to destroy Wetlands to build another Marina and develop 5 more residential lots? And why would the Applicant not disclose that tract as a suitable option, or the newly acquired deep water access tract in their Alternative Site Analysis?
3. In-depth Review and Public Disclosure of the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) that outlines the impact of the project on wetlands, wildlife and other waters. This would include, but not limited to, impact on marine and birdlife, including migratory birds such as the Eastern Black Rail as well as the endangered Whooping Crane. Also, what is the Applicant’s Drainage Plan?
Thank you for your consideration & partnership to protect our natural resources.
Sincerely,
<<Insert Name Here>>
Feel free to share with others who might be interested!!
To: US Army Corp of Engineers
Subject: Public comment regarding Public Notice No.: SWG-2022-00527 Wetland Ecosystem Application by Caracol Investors, LP.
Body:
From: <Insert your name, address & your phone #)
To: US Army Corp of Engineers
District Engineer
Central Evaluation Unit
Regulatory Division CESWG-RDE
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Galveston District
2000 Fort Point Road
Galveston, Texas 77550
RE: SWG-2022-00527 Wetland Ecosystem Application by Caracol Investors, LP
Dear Corps of Engineers:
Thank you for making the information available on your website. Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments. This email is to serve as Public Comments regarding Public Notice No.: SWG-2022-00527, regarding the Caracol Investor Group, herein referred to as "Applicant”, proposal to permanently fill estuarine wetlands immediately adjacent the Intracoastal Waterway in Port O’Connor, Texas.
As USAC is aware, wetlands play many critical environmental roles, including providing habitat for rare, threatened, and endangered species; serving as rest stops for migratory birds; helping to prevent floods; controlling erosion; and filtering water. Since 1600, America has lost more than half of its wetlands. Wetlands can range in size and scope from small marshes to an area as large as the Everglades. Regardless of size, their presence is critical to the health of the world’s overall coastal ecosystem and to Texas’ environmental quality and biodiversity. Only ~5% of the total land area of Texas is wetlands, and they are rapidly disappearing. In accordance with the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), that was passed into law in 1989, I request that USAC consider the following requests and comments with the intention of protecting, restoring, and managing wetland ecosystems and other habitats critical to maintaining healthy populations of migratory birds.
I am submitting the following formal request to USAC for the following:
1. Public Hearing: I request USACE schedule a Public Hearing, with the objective of providing broad information from the Public as well as other critical governing bodies to assist USACE in the permit evaluation process.
2. USAC Conduct an In-depth review of Section 404(b)(1), which determines if the project is the least environmentally damaging practicable alternative. It is critical that we keep in mind the guiding principle that housing development is not dependent on water; only water dependent projects – where no other alternative options are available – should be considered.
In this review, it is important to note that the Applicant owns multiple alternative sites in Port O’Connor for residential development of 5 lots. In addition to Alternative Sites listed in the Application, the Applicant recently purchased an additional ~1.6 acre tract located <1/3 of a mile from the proposed wetland fill site. This tract includes existing ICW deep water access as it was the location of Boat House Bait, a marina and bait house. It is also important to note that the Applicant owned a 6.8 tract within Caracol, now called “The Point at Caracol” that was suitable for this project. In fact, The tract already included a Marina, as well as all of the additional elements the Applicant cited in Sections 2.0 Siting Criteria, including deep water dockage, bulkheads and space for future residential development that had been established and installed by the previous Owner & Developer (Trend Development, Inc. and Forestar Real Estate Group). In 2018, Caracol Investor Group subdivided this 6.8-acre tract into 4 “estate lots” and sold the lots individually. This sale is notable for two reasons:
a. The Marina, which included pre-existing deep-water dockage and common area that had historically been used by resident and fishing enthusiasts for offshore tournaments, including Poco Bueno & Lone Star Shootout, was abandoned by the Applicant. An Officer of the Applicant commented on various occasions that the cost of running adequate utilities to the dockage sites (power & water) was prohibitive, therefore Caracol Investor Group was not going to invest in the cost of a Marina in Caracol.
b. Two of the lots totaling ~3.2 acres, (close to half of the former Marina tract), that are closest to the jetties and the most desirable views of the surrounding bay, were sold to an Officer of the Applicant.
It is critical to gain understanding of why the Applicant would abandon and de-construct an existing Marina - citing cost concerns - only to Apply just a few years later to destroy Wetlands to build another Marina and develop 5 more residential lots? And why would the Applicant not disclose that tract as a suitable option, or the newly acquired deep water access tract in their Alternative Site Analysis?
3. In-depth Review and Public Disclosure of the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) that outlines the impact of the project on wetlands, wildlife and other waters. This would include, but not limited to, impact on marine and birdlife, including migratory birds such as the Eastern Black Rail as well as the endangered Whooping Crane. Also, what is the Applicant’s Drainage Plan?
Thank you for your consideration & partnership to protect our natural resources.
Sincerely,
<<Insert Name Here>>
Public Notice U.S. Army Corps Permit Application No: SWG-2022-00527
The project site is located in estuarine wetlands immediately abutting the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW), south of Caracol Drive, in Port O’Connor, Calhoun County, Texas. The project can be located on the U.S.G.S quadrangle maps titled: Port O’Connor, Texas. Informally known as the Caracol Wetlands.
Conservation Projects in the Area...
The Texas Mid-Coast and Port O'Connor are hotspots for conservation right now, with every tract of land deserving the same amount of focus and attention around conservation as the larger efforts noted below.
- Powderhorn Ranch: In the heart of Port O Connor and one of the largest remaining undisturbed tracts of native coastal prairie habitat.
- Chester Island, locally known as Bird Island, which is our rookery island in Matagorda Bay, is also in close proximity to this wetland.
- Aransas Wildlife Refuge: A safe haven for threatened and endangered species and a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds.
- Boggy Bayou Nature Park: A Port O Connor initiative leveraging federal and county funds to conserve wetlands, drive habit restoration, and protect the land for future usage.
- Welder Flats Wildlife Refuge: A large tract of wetlands owned by GLO and managed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. This area also has extensive birdlife and is working to preserve habitat for unique and protected species like the whooping cranes.
- Matagorda Island Wildlife Management Area: A critical wildlife management area near Port O Connor managed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
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