WELCOMING ADDRESS 



Jerry L. Stegman 

 Acting Regional Director 

 Region Two 

 U. S. Fish and 

 Wildlife Service 



On behalf of the U. S. Fish and 

 Wildlife Service (FWS), it is my 

 pleasure to welcome all of you to the 

 first National Symposium on Fresh- 

 water Inflow to Estuaries. 



As I looked over the program, I 

 was impressed by the comprehensive 

 subject matter that has been includ- 

 ed. I was also pleased to note the 

 diverse participation by representa- 

 tives of numerous Federal, state, and 

 private agencies. I am sure these 

 ingredients will combine to provide 

 an excellent symposium. 



You may have asked yourself, how 

 is it that a Fish and Wildlife Ser- 

 vice Regional Office located in 

 Albuquerque, New Mexico, is inter- 

 ested in co-hosting a symposium of 

 this type. The answer is that Texas 

 falls within the Albuquerque Region's 

 jurisdictional boundaries. Some of 

 the most biologically productive 

 coastal waters, barrier islands and 

 salt marshes in the Nation occur 

 along the Texas coast. We are con- 

 cerned with protecting this valuable 

 habitat from man's encroachment. 



The Fish and Wildlife Service 

 and the State of Texas recognize 

 many major threats to the Texas 

 coastline. Water-development proj- 

 ects are slowly but surely reducing 

 the amount of fresh water reaching 

 the estuaries. Channelization and 

 dredge and fill projects are de- 

 stroying valuable coastal environ- 

 ments. Oil and gas and coal develop- 



ment are destroying valuable wet 

 lands and are polluting these areas 

 with toxic chemicals. For example, 

 last year's IXTOC-I oil spill dis- 

 charged 3 million barrels which 

 translates into 126 million gallons 

 of oil into the western Gulf of 

 Mexico. Much of this found its way 

 to the Texas coast. There is strong 

 evidence that agricultural pesti- 

 cides are reaching the near coastal 

 areas . 



All of these and other activi- 

 ties threaten and degrade valuable 

 coastal fish and wildlife habitats 

 and the commercial and recreational 

 values associated with them. 



Region 2, in cooperation with 

 the State of Texas, has implemented 

 two major thrusts for habitat pres- 

 ervation on the Texas coast. 



o The first is our active Coastal 

 Land Acquisition Program. For in- 

 stance, since 1977, the FWS has ac- 

 quired approximately 54,000 acres of 

 prime coastal prairie marsh (composed 

 of salt, brackish, and freshwater 

 marshes). These areas provide irre- 

 placeable wintering habitat for wa- 

 terfowl, other migrating birds, resi- 

 dent wildlife, and nursery grounds 

 for finfish and shellfish. 



o The second is our activities 

 under the Fish and Wildlife Coordi- 

 nation Act, wherein we review and 

 report on various types of Federal 



