Introduction 
Sammy M. Ray and A.R. (Babe) Schwartz 
In May 1987 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Estuarine Programs Office 
invited Terry Whitledge and Sammy Ray to organize a seminar on Galveston Bay for presentation 
in the "Estuary-of-the-Month" seminar series. We immediately convened a meeting of about 30 
individuals, representing federal, state, universities and private organizations to develop this 
seminar. Since May 1987 we have held several meetings involving representation from user groups 
and regulatory agencies to develop an objective presentation of the uses, values, conflicts and 
problems of one of the nation's most important estuarine systems. After several months of hard work 
by many individuals, we are pleased to have the opportunity to tell the "Galveston Bay" story in our 
nation's capital. 
Although Texas does not have a formal Coastal Zone Management Program, the state has 
expended $5 million in a five-year effort to develop such a plan. This effort, while directly 
unsuccessful, has resulted in the enactment of several legislative measures relating to coastal 
environmental affairs, which began with the passage of the Open Beaches Act of 1958. With this 
landmark beginning, other major coastal environmental acts followed in rapid succession. These acts 
included the following: 
• Texas Sea Grant Program —1968 
• Gulf Coast Waste Disposal Authority —1969 
• Texas Coastal and Marine Council — 1971 
• Public Right to Freshwater Inflow — 1971 
• Coastal Public Lands Management Act —1973 
• Texas Energy and Natural Resources Council — 1978 
Each of these legislative actions, as well as other related acts, leaves no doubt that Texas has been 
more active in protecting its coastal environment than the lack of a formal Coastal Zone Management 
Program indicates. The passage of the Coastal Public Lands Management Act of 1973 is noteworthy 
in that, for the first time, it provided a mechanism for the comprehensive management of all state- 
owned submerged lands (1.75 million acres) in the bays and estuaries of Texas. As a part of the public 
lands management program, a submerged lands inventory depicting wetlands, oyster reefs, rooker¬ 
ies, sediment types, habitat assemblages, petroleum wells and pipelines, etc., has been developed. 
Furthermore, all submerged lands of Texas (4.2 million acres) have been "coded" environmentally 
by federal and state regulatory agencies to identify and locate environmentally sensitive habitats 
such as wetlands, submerged grass beds, rookeries and habitats for endangered species, etc. (See 
selected figures in Appendix I.) 
Another important step was taken by the Honorable William P. Clements, Jr., Governor of Texas, 
in his letter of May 29, 1987, to Mr. Lee M. Thomas, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, nominating Galveston Bay as an estuary of national significance to be preserved 
for the use and enjoyment of future generations. 
Shortly following Governor Clements' action, several environmentally concerned individuals 
organized the Galveston Bay Foundation. The development of this foundation, with trustees and 
members from all walks of life, is a monumental step toward ensuring a public advocate for the 
preservation of one of our most valuable national resources — Galveston Bay. Moreover, we believe 
that the Galveston Bay Foundation will provide the grass roots impetus for the establishment of a 
statutory Coastal Zone Management Program for Texas. 
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