Natural beauty abounds in the Bay Area. Everyone enjoys our green spaces and water sports. The beaches, bays and estuaries are clean and rich in plant and marine life. Citizens, tourist and businesses accept individual responsibility to preserve and protect our environmental assets. Through education and accountability, people place high value on their stewardship. This attitude, together with our conservation, recycling and waste disposal practices, is a model for other communities. Area leaders continue to participate in cooperative research to balance the dual necessities of business expansion and environment protection.

Establish a Corpus Christi/Nueces County Environment Trustees Committee, members of which will be appointed by the Corpus Christi City Council and the Nueces County Commissioners Court; numbers of this committee, purpose, and operation to be agreed upon by the city and county. Committee membership should include representatives of professional environmental services from municipal government, industry, Vision 2000, and environmental participant organizations. The committee will create a five-year strategic plan to consolidate environmental efforts with defined goals, identify current and anticipated needs, identify current resources, develop plans for a public education program, develop a landscape audit program to encourage and teach better water usage, encourage and raise environmental awareness, promote responsibility for a clean and health bay and estuary system, develop and implement a comprehensive waste stream management plan.

To coordinate and consolidate the best environmental efforts, an Environmental Trustees Committee must be established. There are many ongoing efforts in our community, municipal, industrial, business, individual and voluntary. We should have one source with knowledge of all actions and efforts. The committee will develop five-year plans to include all efforts. A position of City Environmental Services Director should be created to support the Committee and coordinate these efforts. Many programs and organizations already exist andareworkingforabetter, balanced environment. The Xeriscape Learning Center and Design Garden is complete and beautiful. It is excellent for visual displays and teaching/learning programs. We have a limited recycling program in effect with potential for greater development.

Public education is primary to a successful program. Our colleges and school systems already have some environmental programs in place. Our municipal governments have ongoing programs to promote better water usage, xeriscaping/greenscaping, tree awareness, recycling, and waste stream management. Education must be comprehensive and ongoing. For that, goals must be established, there must be dedicated budgets, public service announcements, and well thought out multi-media campaigns.

The availability of water is essential. The city has gone into agreement to secure future water supplies. Geographically, we have an excellent asset being located on the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico. Tourists are attracted to beautiful, clean and health areas. Proximity to the water draws many visitors, so we need now to conserve and wisely use the resources we have. We must learn how to avoid polluting our water supplies, bays and estuaries. Some efforts to this end are in place, but more must be understood and accomplished. Beneficiaries of clean water include residents, visitors and marine life.