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You are cordially invited! Please make plans to attend Bass Pro Shops Evening for Conservation, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 held at the new Bass Pro Shops opening in Pearland at the intersection of 288 and Beltway 8. Members of the Mouth Committee will represent Friends Of the River San Bernard and will be manning a booth at the event to create awareness of our river’s plight. The ribbon cutting event for the store will be at 6:00 p.m., followed by the store opening for a fun family night, giving people their first opportunity to see and shop the new Bass Pro Shops and visit with local conservation groups.

Roy Edwards FOR San Bernard River Mouth Chairman Original OC member     Another Look at the Mouth By Roy Edwards   Photos courtesy Raymond Butler, President, Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association   We all know that 2007 has been an unusually wet year in Brazoria County with a lot of rain run-off trying to exit to the Gulf through a closed San Bernard River Mouth and the restricted Brazos River. There is a horseshoe shaped bar across the mouth of the Brazos that averages about 18 inches deep. This has resulted in a San Bernard River that has remained basically a fresh water river this whole year – even down at River’s End, where we should have had more brackish to salty water because of tidal influence. But it just has not happened this year. All of our oyster beds look dead – just too much fresh water.   But what is happening down at what passes for the current mouth of the San Bernard River? How has this rain affected this vital exchange of salt and fresh water? Well, if you fish you know that there have been no Specs in the river this whole summer – no Flounder and only pockets of Redfish in the back bays. But what does the mouth look like? If you have been traveling to the mouth you know that the flow of rain water has opened the mouth again – to some extent. As rain water has ebbed and flowed this year the mouth alternately opened up a bit and silted in and opened and silted – the whole time moving steadily away from it’s original location and steadily closing the gap between the current mouth and the cut forced open by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the fourth Cedar Lake.   We all know that seeing the mouth from your boat does not show what is happening like an aerial shot of the same location. Enter Raymond Butler from the Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association who sent us the wonderful photos we are sharing with you in this post. Immediately below is a picture taken of the mouth May 12 of this year. Below is a shot showing the cut in the fourth Cedar Lake. And below is a picture of the mouth taken September 28, 2007. Study this picture. Something unusual has occurred. On all other aerial photos, the river - after it made its last 90 degree turn, went straight into the Gulf. In this picture (just above the plane’s wing tip) the river makes a second 90 degree turn between the surf line and the first sand bar. Then it proceeds several hundred yards, paralleling the beach before actually mixing with the Gulf waters. Below is what the mouth looked like January 7, 2006 after sands from the Brazos (+ 176,000 cubic yards per year) closed the mouth completely.     What does this tell us? Once the heavy rains of 2007 started and pushed open the mouth, the San Bernard again began its march toward Sargent and the cut into the fourth Cedar Lake – at quite a quick pace. As the rains decreased, the mouth again began to close. For more photos of the river mouth, taken by Raymond Butler, September 28, 2007 Click HERE

 

One of F.O.R.'s primary functions is to educate the public regarding the issues concerning the San Bernard River and it's Communities. Contact Pat Webb pat@sanbernardriver.com to schedule a guest speaker for your group or special event.

Notices & Reminders

What's New or Changed on the Web

• If you would like to receive periodic updates ( or if your email address has changed) see Membership tab above.
• Need Volunteers/Auction Items for the River Raiser
• F.O.R. Community Center contact: Pat Webb 964.4503 or Artie Burnett 798.7565.
• Raffle Ticket Sales Sign Up Sheet - Times and dates set -need volunteers -see River Raiser page.

• 2007 River Raiser
• River Wallpaper # 5 Photos by Bill Cone
• National Wildlife Refuge Week Oct 6-13 click for more info. on activities or to volunteer.
• October Breakfast Photos.