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CCWA News
CCWA joins with Surfrider Foundation in 'Skip The Plastic'
January 2011 - Corpus Christi Windsurfing Association (CCWA) has joined the
Skip the
Plastic (STP) campaign, spearheaded by the
Texas Coastal Bend Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.
The campaign was adapted from the Surfrider’s national Rise Above Plastics campaign.
Local Surfrider Foundation member Neil McQueen reports that through the increased clout and representation of user groups like CCWA and
citizen committees organized by the City of Corpus Christi such as the Clean City Advisory Committee
and the Watershore and Beach Advisory Committee, as well as the
Corpus Christi Municipal Marina, we hope to engage the public and
retailers to reduce the amount of plastic shopping bags and
single-serve beverage bottles that end up as trash on our beaches
and in our waterways. Aside from the unsightly appearance this trash imparts to our
otherwise beautiful recreational areas, it also poses real threats to wildlife including sea turtles, dolphins and shorebirds.
It also leaves a lasting impression on tourists who come to the Coastal Bend expecting clean and natural settings."
As a partner in Skip the Plastic, the CCWA will have the opportunity to:
- Help build broad support to reduce plastic bag and single-serve beverage bottles use in local stores and restaurants.
- Promote recycling and reductions in plastic bag and single-serve beverage bottles use within your organization.
- Publicize your successes in recycling and plastic reduction through STP’s website and periodic press releases.
- Participate in annual meetings and/or email exchanges to learn about STP’s progress and provide input for future activities.
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DWD teaches 63 to windsurf on Sept 25
September 2010 - Sixty-three new windsurfers
were created on Saturday, September 25, through CCWA's annual Discover Windsurfing Day,
an annual event that provides
 free beginner windsurfing lessons at Bird
Island Basin, Padre Island National Seashore.
The staff at Worldwinds Windsurfing
and CCWA volunteers banded
together to pull the annual event off again without a hitch.
With fairly light winds and mostly sunny skies, the event went
swimmingly with every beginner returning to shore with a renewed
appreciation for the complexity and excitement of our sport.
DWD is CCWA's signature event and the one day
every year that we introduce our sport to beginners.
In addition to Worldwinds staff Don, Olivier and
Randy, CCWA volunteers included Alissa, Chip,
Terry, Monika, Dave, Michele, Bill, Meg,
Billy, Josh, Carrie, Mike, Don, Don, Robert and Larry.
VIEW PHOTO GALLERY
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CCWA members start son windsurfing at age 5
Kai Meyer and his dad Pete
windsurf on North Beach.
August 2010
August 2010 - CCWA members Carrie Robertson and
Pete Meyer took advantage of the low winds and flat water near
their house on North Beach this summer to get their
five-year-old son, Kai, out windsurfing. They used a kid's sail
that someone gave them at the 2009 CCWA Swap Meet (thank you to
whoever that was!) and one of their stock Windsurfers - much
like the board both Pete and Carrie learned to windsurf on back
in 1982.
Although Kai stayed focused for a while, his favorite part of
the experience was jumping off the board, hanging 10 on the
nose, and trying to knock Dad off. First rule when teaching
kids: keep it fun! When Kai tired out, Carrie and Pete got to
practice their freestyle moves with a 5.2 sail.
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CCWA Swap Meet brings windsurfers together
May 2010 - CCWA's
fourth annual "Wind & Water Swap Meet" was held at
Oleander
 Point
this year and provided windsurfers not only a chance to buy and
sell gear but to reconnect with friends and meet new ones. Buyers
shopped for free and
sellers paid $10 to sell all they wanted. The swap meet provides a
venue for water sports enthusiasts to buy and sell used gear for all water
sports -- windsurfing, kiiteboarding, kayaking, sailboating,
fishing -- as well as meet and visit with others interested in
water sports. At 6:30 pm that evening, the CCWA Club Social was
held at Brewsters.
VIEW PHOTOS
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CC Classic windsurfing & U.S. Kiteboarding Championships
May 2009 -
Only days before the US Wind & Water Open was to begin, its organizer, Epic
Sports & Entertainment, pulled out. Nevertheless, local
kiters and windsurfers stepped up to plate to organize and run both the windsurfing and kiteboarding
portions of the annual event held at McGee Beach in downtown
Corpus Christi. The
 windsurfing event,
called the Corpus Christi Classic, held formula course racing in the morning and speed
trails or slalom racing in the afternoons. The windsurfing
race director was local windsurfer Chad Allen, who was elected Vice
President of CCWA by the Board of Directors shortly before the
event. CCWA Commodore Chip Ducrest ran the speed trail event held on May 6 and 7.
The Corpus Christi Yacht Club
helped with the windsurfing races and hosted the kiteboarding portion of the event,
the US Kiteboarding National Championships,
which was sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation and
was an official International Kite Boarding Association event. A
total of 19 kiteboarders participated in the event which
included only course racing. A kiteboarding freestyle competition was held
on South Padre Island during the same time period.
Local Corpus kiteboarder Nils Stolzlechner, who competed in
the event, was a driving force behind organizing and promoting
the event, while local sailboat racer and Yacht Club Commodore Mark F oster
led the race committee which was made up of volunteers from the
CC Yacht Club.
This annual Corpus water sports event began years ago as the US Open Windsurfing
Regatta, then became the Velocity Games and finally the US Wind & Water Open. A
Caller-Times article reported
that Epic Sports & Entertainment dropped out of this year's event due to the swine flu outbreak but indicated that the company planned
on resuming its role in organizing the event next year.
VIEW PHOTOS FROM 2009 EVENT
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CCWA's 2009 Water Sports Swap Meet offers great deals
Buyers, sellers and old friends gather at CCWA's Water Sports Swap Meet.
May 2, 2009 - The CCWA's third annual Water Sports Swap Meet drew about
50-75 people throughout the morning May 2 to the old Coliseum parking lot on the CC Bayfront to buy and sell water sporting equipment. It's hands down the best place to buy used gear all
year as sellers outnumber buyers and gear abounds. Lots of great deals were made.
Although the event was designed to including
all kinds of water sports equipment, the focus was on windsurfing
gear with a little bit of diving, sailboating and surfing gear
also available. Buyers entered free; sellers paid $10, which went
to the CCWA to reimburse expenses for the city permit. CCWA
member Trina Haley organized the event.
The Screamin' Reach Race & Rally was scheduled for Saturday
afternoon after the Swap Meet. As it turns out, everyone except for Alissa Inmann and Barry Ritchie
bailed once they got to Texas A&M Beach and checked out the
conditions. The SW wind was blowing in up in the 30 mph range and
the bay was alive with chop and spray. Alissa did the downwind course from A&M to Oleander Point on a 4.7 square
meter sail, way bigger than what most recreational sailors were on that day.
Pete Meyer, for example, came home for a break from work Saturday
afternoon and sailed powered up on 3.7 at North Beach. Last year, the Screamin' Reach took place on a day when the
wind was light and from the north which set the downwind course going
across Corpus Christi Bay from North Beach to Texas A&M Beach.
This year, organizers first talked about holding the event in the
Gulf of Mexico, going from Packery Channel to Port Aransas, but
the day of the event switched it to the bay. CCWA Commodore Chip Ducrest
was this year's race director with help from Barry Ritchie from
Albuquerque.
2009 SWAP MEET GALLERY PHOTOS
CCWA board meets for second quarterly meeting
April 2009 - CCWA's Board of Directors
held their second quarterly meeting at the Executive Surf Club on April 7 to discuss club business and to plan events for the coming
year. They discussed possibly making a donation to the Division of Nearshore Research, which operates
the weather station in Corpus Christi Bay that
many windsurfers use for determining wind speeds and water temperature.
They also discussed the King of the Bay Fleet Rally held at April
4. the upcoming US Wind & Water Open to be held May 5-9 at McGee Beach, noting
that the event organizer, Epic Sports, had sanctioned the water sports aspect of the annual event
to local water sports enthusiasts. CCWA member Chad Allen will
oversee the windsurfing portion of the event and local kiteboarder Nils Stolzlechner
will oversee the kiteboarding part of the event.
CCWA Commodore Chip Ducrest noted that both men will be needing volunteers
to help with the racing. The board also discussed possibly charging a small fee
for those participating in CCWA's annual learn-to-windsurf event,
Discover Windsurfing Day, which will take place on September 26 at Bird Island Basin. Other events discussed included a
group downwinder set for April 18 from Port Aransas to Tiki Island, and the
"CCWA's Big 3" to be held on May 2, which combines three events into one
day: Water Sports Swap Meet, the Screamin' Reach Race and Rally and a
party afterwards on the beach in Port Aransas.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CCWA EVENTS CALENDAR
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Oleander Point King of the Bay Fleet Rally
April 4 - The King of the Bay brought windsurfers and kiteboarders
together for a GPS event and fleet rally at Oleander Point.
Kiteboarders and windsurfers sail together during the King of the Bay
event held at Oleander Point April 4. PHOTO: TAMAY TIPTON
Report by Chip Ducrest, Event Director & CCWA Commodore, CC-19
Held at the newly improved Oleander Point water sports park, the King of the Bay GPS event and Fleet Rally
on April 4 drew 18 participants. The weather was partly cloudy, with temps in the low 80s.
Winds were from the SE at 15-20 with gusts to 25 mph. A total of
16 people participated in the GPS challenge. Craig Bergh from the
Midwest Speed Quest provided five Navi GT-31 devices. Craig is
the North American distributor of these GPS units. More info:
www.midwestspeedquest.com.
Entry fee was $5, and GPS rental fee was $5. With that, participants were able to record their fastest speed
during a 45-minute period, then return the device for downloading and verification of accuracy.
The event lasted five hours, after which results were calculated, and winners determined in the following categories:
Max GPS speed, and best 10-second average.
The winner in both categories was windsurfer Guy Miller, from Austin. Second place was kiteboarder Nils Stolzlechner of Corpus Christi, and third place was pro windsurfer Enes Ylmazer,
also of Corpus Christi. The fleet rally was the last event of the
day, in breeze of 15-20 mph. About 18 participants sailed out as a group to bay marker #2 and back. It made for a great photo op, and good fun.
In appreciation of everyone’s participation, a raffle was held with prizes donated by several sponsors. The prizes consisted of
five beach permits (City of CC), six deck pads (Windsurf Deal),
one Windsurfing Hawaii waist harness (Windsurf Deal), one Maui Sails camo waist harness (Maui Sails/Worldwinds Windsurfing),
one painting from the 2009 Cabo Verde wave event (Accidental Sky/Chip Ducrest), and
two nights stay at the Omni hotel (Nils Stolzlechner). Everyone seemed to enjoy the event and is looking forward to more similar events from the CCWA. Finally, a big thanks to the sailors from Austin, and Houston, who made the trip to Corpus to show support for our events.
PHOTOS OF FLEET RALLY AWARDS
MORE ABOUT OLEANDER POINT LAUNCH
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Oleander Point bond improvements complete
Jan 11, 2009 - drainage swale is completed
Feb 11, 2009 - concrete rinse station slab with plumbing stubbed up
Feb 11, 2009 - one of a dozen or
more new palm trees being planted
Improvements
funded by Bond 2004 began in October 2008 at Oleander Point, one
of Corpus Christi's most popular windsurf launches. A wide
sloping drainage swale was constructed near the north end of
the park where, before, there was a steep drop-off. The
re-graded area was planted with sod to help alleviate
erosion. Other improvements to
Oleander Point under the bond project are a rinse or
wash down station located just uphill of the drainage swale.
The rinse station consists of a 15-foot-by-15-foot concrete slab and a knee-high water faucet with spray nozzle
intended as a location for wind sports enthusiasts to rinse off
their gear. The final touches were about 20 palm trees and a sign describing the wind sports activities
practiced at the park. The sign is still under construction. CCWA's former Commodore and new
Oleander
Launch Advocate, Joe Lynch, has been the City's contact for
the windsurfing community over the past two years.
MORE ABOUT OLEANDER POINT LAUNCH
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Windsurfers race with sailboats in Dennis Thor Regatta
March 21, 2009 - Windsurfers joined sailboat racers in this regatta which took place in very high winds on Corpus Christi Bay.
ARTICLE & PHOTOS: AUSTIN WINDSURF CLUB BLOG
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BIB BLAB - Bird Island Basin Wrap-Up
by Mike Murphy
February 2009 - In mid-October 2008 the first tropical cold front of the fall
(Angela) arrived and fortunately was primarily responsible for turning Hurricane
Ike north towards Galveston. Bird Island Basin (BIB) was closed twice in anticipation of
Hurricanes Dolly and Ike. Otherwise 2008 started and ended as an outstanding year with every month above average
in wind except October. There were 26 tropical cold fronts through mid-February
2009, with the last few being barely noticeable.
In June, representatives from CCWA met with Padre Island National
Seashore (PINS)Superintendent Joe Escoto and PINS Chief Enforcement Ranger
Dede Mladucky to provide feedback and to suggest ways to resolve some of the concerns received while the campsite host was
monitoring the camping parking lot. The CCWA supports removing all day-use parking restrictions, continuing the 14/56 day
rule and the campsite host idea. PINS has indicated that while the day-use restrictions have not been completely removed,
the rangers and campsite host will be more flexible with day-use parking restrictions from November through April. The
intent is to keep 4-5 campsites open at all times. PINS is also interested in talking with anyone who would like to
volunteer to be the campsite host, which may include several campsite hosts depending on availability
from November through April. A more flexible or seasonal enforcement of the 56-day limit was suggested but will
not be changed so that PINS remains consistent with other national parks. Dede confirmed that data gathered in the
fall and spring will be used to monitor compliance with the 56-day limit which may impact those who make two trips a year.
If you have any concerns please advise
Mike Murphy, CCWA's BIB Launch Advocate, and/or request that PINS involve the CCWA in the process.
The CCWA finished filling, loading, unloading and placing 1,000 sandbags for erosion control on 300
feet along the RV parking area and road at the north end of BIB. Thanks to all 68 volunteers who contributed 126 hours to the
sandbag project. There has been no feedback from PINS on this project, but it appears to be a reasonable start to reduce the erosion problem.
Some of the sandbags have deteriorated and additional sandbags would probably help although nothing is planned at this point.
The CCWA also held the Discover Windsurfing Day (DWD) at
BIB in October 2008. Iit was another successful day with a full slate of folks wanting to know more about windsurfing. The DWD will be at BIB again this year on September 26 and PINS will waive the
park entry fees in conjunction with the 93rd anniversary of the National Parks Service.
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McGarny sets new milestone at Bird Island Basin
Enthusiastic about windsurfing, Keith McGarny of Wisconsin logged the longest day on the water ever reported at BIB.
by Mike Murphy
February 2009 -
Keith McGarny from Wisconsin arrived in December 2008 as a
first-timer to Bird Island Basin (BIB). Keith works at a marina and gets extended time off while the water is frozen
up north. Last year Keith tried South Padre but ended up partying and not sailing much. Keith bought some old windsurfing gear for $400
and started windsurfing about three years ago and recently has been updating his equipment.
He mentioned that he had only completed a handful of decent jibes before arriving here but that has dramatically changed.
Keith has spent almost every day sailing and now regularly completes jibes, jumps and sails BIB from shore to shore.
In February 2009, Keith logged the longest day on the water
ever reported at BIB. He completed new distance milestone of 187 miles by sailing for 7 hours and 9 minutes with a moving average of 20 mph and peak speed of 32.4 mph.
He sailed from sunrise until dark with a 5.6 RRD sail and 85-liter Quatro
board. Imagine what his mileage might have been with longer
daylight hours? Keith hopes to hook-up with some folks to sail
the bay and Port Aransas before he leaves the area. Keith has
thoroughly established himself as a BIB regular and plans to
return to BIB again.
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CCWA board meets at Surf Club for first quarterly meeting
CCBA's Board of Directors held their first quarterly meeting at the Surf Club
on Jan 13. From left are Carrie Robertson (webmaster), Kyle's
friend, Trina Haley (secretary), Trucker Bob, Chip Ducrest
(commodore), Alissa Innman (newsletter editor) and Kyle Krebs (vice
commodore).
January 2009 - CCWA newly elected Board of Directors
held their first quarterly meeting at the Executive Surf Club on $2 Pint
Night on January 13 to discuss club business and to plan events for the coming
year. They elected former CCWA Commodore Joe Lynch as
Launch
Advocate for Oleander Point, since he has been working with the
City of Corpus Christi staff on the Oleander Point improvements
funded by Bond 2004. They also discussed ways to improve the
website and discussed the club newsletter which will be coming out
quarterly in 2009. They voted and approved for CCWA to join the
US Windsurfing Association to show support for the sport's
national organization. They discussed the CCWA offering assistance
to the organizers of the
US Wind & Water Open set to take place at McGee Beach in
downtown Corpus May 8-10, 2009. They discussed CCWA's annual event,
Discover Windsurfing Day, which will take place in September or
October at Bird Island Basin. Other events discussed included a
group downwinder in April from Port Aransas to Tiki Island and the
CCWA's Big 3, set for May 2, which combines three events into one
day: Water Sports Swap Meet, the Screamin' Reach Race and Rally and a
party afterwards. They discussed a CCWA party in Riviera south of
Corpus on Laguna Madre in May, a crawfish party in August, the
Canal Crawl in the fall and the Christmas party in December.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CCWA EVENTS CALENDAR
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CCWA elects new board members at Christmas party
Dec 6, 2008 - CCWA members elected a new Board of Directors during their end-of-year Christmas Party
and Membership Drive Raffle held at the Bay Yacht Club. Board members for 2009 are Chip DuCrest as commodore, Kyle Krebs as vice commodore and Trina
Haley as Treasurer/Secretary. Carrie Robertson will continue on
as webmaster for the fourth year. A newsletter editor has not
been chosen yet. Anyone interested?
READ MORE & VIEW PHOTOS
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CCWA Canal Crawl doubles in size for 2008 event
Oct 5, 2008 - CCWA member Mike Murphy organized this event
which has been held five times since 2000. Unlike the more serious
races that hit town such as the US Open, the Canal Crawl is a fun
race done on traditional longboards, as opposed to more modern race boards. Worldwinds windsurfing instructor and
former US Formula board race champion Angela Hurley led the pack
of six windsurfers through a challenging course the included many
narrow canals with very fluky, light winds that challenged even the
most experienced riders. Some were in costume.
READ MORE & VIEW PHOTOS
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CCWA's Discover Windsurfing Day held at Bird Island Basin
Oct 4 2008 - Unlike in previous years when CCWA held this
annual "learn to windsurf for free" day alongside the JFK Causeway,
this year's event was moved to Bird Island Basin, where Worldwinds
donated all the equipment and two instructors for the all-day event
that taught about 50 people to windsurf. Normally held in the
summer, this year's Discover Windsurfing Day (DWD) was held in
October. As a result, many college students from Texas A&M Corpus
Christi caught wind of the event and drove out to participate. In
previous years, the "drive by" aspect of the causeway had attracted
thrill seekers who might not had ever considered windsurfing before
seeing the "free windsurfing lessons" sign and signed up on a lark.
Since all participants this year were required to drive out to Bird
Island Basin and pay an entrance fee to get into Padre Island
National Seashore, only those serious about learning made the
effort to get there. As a result, many of this year's participants
seemed like people who really might get into windsurfing as a
result of the free lessons, as opposed to those who in previous
years had just had a mild curiosity about the sport. Many CCWA
members volunteered to make the event a success. Sponsors of the
event included CCWA, Worldwinds and Coke, which provided free
sodas, sports drinks and bottled water.
READ MORE & VIEW PHOTOS
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Windsurfer pictured on City's Parks Guide
 October 2008 -
A windsurfer was included in a photo montage gracing the cover of the
City's Parks & Recreation Guide for Fall 2008/Spring 2009. This is
notable not only because it was a windsurfer but because he was
riding on modern gear! Often, if a windsurfer makes it into a
promotional publication like this one, the image comes from a stock
collection so the gear is decades old. The image used this year was
of Jason Baney sailing in the Gulf on the south side of Packery
Channel during Hurricane Dolly in late July. Download the
publication at
ccparkandrec.com and click on the link under the photo.
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CCWA Board of Directors meets, discusses newsletter
Aug 2, 2008 - Executive Surf Club.
Four members of Board of Directors
attended. Newsletter editor Kyle Krebs is planning to publish a
newsletter this month. Board members discussed the 2008 calendar of events,
with the big event being Discover Windsurfing Day set for October
4. The club will need lots of volunteers to make it a success so
please save the date.
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Board combines three events into the 'CCWA Big 3'
 May 3 2008 -
This year, the CCWA Board of Directors decided to combine three annual events into
one "Big" day, reasoning that if club members and out-of-town windsurfers
needed to save only one day on the calendar for CCWA, participation would
increase. The three events included the 2nd annual Water Sports Swap Meet,
the Screamin' Reach Long Distance Fleet Rally and lastly the Party
& Shrimp Boil.
READ MORE & VIEW PHOTOS
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CCWA members featured in newspaper for volunteer efforts
April 2008 -
CCWA members Joe Lynch, Florence Tissot and
 Carrie Robertson volunteered with the City of Corpus Christi's
Storm Water Stenciling program on March 29 to help increase
awareness that rain water sweeps trash from city streets into the
bay. The CCWA volunteers joined others from Surfrider Foundation to
mark storm water drainage inlets near the Oleander Point
neighborhood. Walking through the streets dressed in bright yellow
vests, the volunteers glued plastic placards reading, "No Dumping -
Drains to Bays," onto the top of the storm water drain inlets. The
placards educate residents that trash tossed from vehicles, grass
clippings, plastic bags and hazardous waste that lands in the
inlets ends up in the bay. Read the full article online at the:
Caller-Times
VIEW PHOTOS
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 CCWA member organizes Oleander cleanup
April 2008 -
CCWA member Philip Keyserlingk organized a cleanup at Oleander
Point, one of Corpus' most popular windsurfing launches, as part
of the Texas GLO's Adopt-A-Beach Coastwide Cleanup on Saturday,
April 26. Volunteers from State Rep. Juan Garcia's office joined
in and "together we were able to make a dent," said Keyserlingk,
a Vice President at Value Bank. About 10 people joined in
despite a cold front that brought cooler temps and north wind.
They filled 8-10 large trash bags. The GLO's next coastwide
cleanup is September 27, 2008.
Website: GLO Adopt-A-Beach
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CCWA sandbaggerspose with the sandbags they filled during March 21 Bird Island
Basin sandbagging event. Volunteers
needed for second event set for April 12. The bags will be used to
control erosion at the BIB launch site.
PHOTO: Jim Kerns
CCWA completes Bird Island sandbag project on April 12
by Mike Murphy, CCWA's Bird Island Basin Launch Advocate
April 2008 - CCWA and other volunteers participated in
the Bird Island Basin sandbag project Saturday,
April 12. Joe Escoto, PINS Park Superintendent and Larry Turk, Facility Manager asked if the CCWA
could provide
volunteers to assist in filling sandbags for placement along the beach at Bird Island.
The reason for the sandbags is that the PINS staff is concerned with the erosion of about 300
feet of beach along the RV parking lot and road to the north end.
They received Corps of Engineers approval to use 1,000 sandbags to help control erosion.
The CCWA and other volunteers worked about 40 hours and completed 75
percent of the sandbags needed (VIEW
PHOTOS) before the final project day on April 12.
VIEW PHOTOS FROM MARCH 21, 2008 BIB SANDBAGGING PROJECT
CCWA FORUM DISCUSSION ON THIS PROJECT
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CCWA Board of Directors meets, plans events
Feb 16, 2008 - Executive Surf Club.
All members of Board of Directors
attended. Newsletter editor Kyle Krebs is planning to publish a
newsletter sometime in early March 2008. CCWA newsletters are moving
from being published monthly to being published quarterly this
year.
Board members discussed the 2008 calendar of events,
especially focusing on May 3, when three CCWA events are all
being planned for one big day.
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