TOBA Fundraiser

[Galveston Yankee]

Hello, Everyone!

TOBA has started the planning for its annual fundraiser. As many of you know, this is the only means of revenue that keeps TOBA running.

We have not yet set a date and are looking for ideas on how to have a good bash and raise a couple of dollars.

I am really looking for a bunch of help from you folks! What we have done the past few years has been nothing less than spectacular!

Anything that you can do this time around will be appreciated more than you will ever know!

I'll be posting some pics of the past fundraisers to refresh some memories and inspire some new ones.

Tom

[Badhabit]

You can count on me to do what I do best....LOL

[Harbormaster]

We'll be there! I can get American Rodsmith rods from uncle Robert!

Where is Tlo? Is he still involved? Will there be a TOBA tourney?

[Badhabit]

Dang good turnout

[Mr. Breeze]

Lots of new people in here, you might splain what TOBA is? Website?

[CoolChange©©]

http://www.tobaforum.org

[CoolChange©©]

Here's my contribution:

[stargazer]

Ill be there to help in anyway I can.

[Galveston Yankee]

Geesh!

BadHabit and CoolChange, Thanks for jumping right in! Methinks I'll try to get a couple of small hogs for the cooking. If any of you good folks out there haven't had Darrell's bbq yet, you don't know what you're missing!

Rick, Thanks for getting the link to the TOBA website on here for me.

BRIEFLY: TOBA is the organization that formed to fight the City of Galveston in its attempts to basically privatize the beaches on the island. The acronym stands for Texas Open Beach Advocates and Texas Open Beaches Act. We put a good fight in Galveston and are still fighting with the City and General Land Office to get the City to do what is right. The most recent victory was getting the ADA walkover for Col Robbins in Pirates Beach West subdivision after he was told he couldn't have one because they didn't want to draw people with disabilities into the subdivision.

A couple of other noteworthy events that occurred recenty include the inspection of ADA access to the beaches by investigators of the National Park Service from Washington, DC; a face-to-face with the land commissioner in Austin when we got him to state that he will support changes to the Open Beaches Act that will make it harder for local governments to restrict vehicular access to the beaches; the TOBA guided tour of beach access on Galveston Island for the deputy commissioner, coastal resources, the director of coastal stewardship and his primary assistant.

We have recently been giving advice to some folks in Corpus Christi who want to fight the closing of nearly one mile of beach just south of Packery Channel. CC received a report from a Georgia consulting firm that the area could bring over $780 million in development over the next 20 years. Sound familiar to those of you who followed the Galveston fiasco?

During the last legislative session, we were instrumental in defeating several pieces of legislation that would have been very bad for the beaches and would have further weakened the Open Beaches Act. One bill that didn't pass would have allowed for a geotextile tube to be placed on the beach from the bridge at San Luis Pass out around the houses on Treasure Island and let the land commissioner declare the tube to be the line of vegetation (where the beach starts). The problem here is that the houses are currently on the beach as defined by the Open Beaches Act. This change would have permitted the land commissioner to essentially eliminate the beach in that area so the State wouldn't have to make the people move the houses as is now required by the law.

Anyway, if you newbies go and check out the TOBA website, you can get caught up on recent events.

Harbormaster, to answer your question, no, Tim hasn't been actively involved with TOBA stuff since he took his new job and resigned as president. I think he needed to clear his head for a while!!!! American Rodsmith rods would be awesome. I've tried to win one the past two fundraisers and keep coming up empty handed!

Y'all pay attention to upcoming issues of Texas Fish and Game. There will be some articles about fishing and beach access co-written by Jim Smarr of Recreational Fishing Alliance and me. The first one gives the story of Galveston and how hard it is to find the beach there.

Oh yeah, we are also starting a drive for a state constitutional amendment that will give us the right to drive on the beaches. That one should be fun!

I'll post some more photos tonight.

Tom Brown
President, Texas Open Beach Advocates (for the newbies)

[Mont]

Tom, I can help out too. One weekend to avoid is the last weekend of Sept. The Lone Star Rally is in town then and this year, they are expecting close to a million attendees.