Friends of the River celebrates 1st year

Published March 4, 2007

Friends of the River San Bernard had its second annual Town Hall Meeting on Feb. 24 to celebrate the accomplishments of the organization’s first year and set goals for the yeat ahead. More than 170 people attended.

The meeting began with the reading of a letter from state Sen. Kyle Janek, R-Houston, congratulating the group on its goals and achievements for the past year. A copy of the letter can be found at sanbernardriver.com.

Jennifer Sanchez, acting director of the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge, invited those present to volunteer to participate in the preparation of the refuge’s new 10-acre Betty Brown Unit for a songbird sanctuary in time for the April Migration Celebration.

Cindy Jordye, environmental team leader from ConocoPhillips, congratulated the group for its efforts and, as a part of their public outreach, informed of an upcoming table top and river spill response drill scheduled to occur sometime in April.

After those announcements, the 2007 board of directors and the working committee chairs were introduced and synopses of their respective goals were presented to the group. Among the plans for the coming year are four boat parades, a spring river cleanup, a “Dig” event at the mouth of the river, a fundraiser, a “Dock Hop” on National Night Out and logo merchandise items will continue to be developed and distributed for sale to help in funding of the group’s operation.

Work with local, state and federal officials will continue toward the reopening of the mouth of the river, and new initiatives will start this year. As an extension of the Mouth Committee report, Robin Hardwicke, her husband, Keith, and their daughter, Laura, reported on their visit concerning the re-opening of the mouth of the San Bernard with Assistant Secretary of the Army John Paul Woodley Jr. at the Pentagon in Washington D.C.

After the recap, the keynote speaker, Peter M. Lavigne, spoke on the life of rivers and how groups and individuals could positively affect the health of their rivers. He spoke of environmental challenges to overcome and successes of other river groups in different parts of the nation. He also congratulated Friends of the River for how far it had come in one year.

Lavigne ended his talk with the following hopeful comment, “I saw the KHOU ‘Dying River’ segment, but I don’t think this river is dying anymore. What I see, is a river beginning to live again, and it is all due to all of you.”

Immediately after his talk, the executive committee presented him with an appreciation award.

Friends of the River member Ben Vollbaum later shared a 1942 film of cattle being driven across the mouth of the San Bernard River. Vollbaum is donating copies of the family film to the museums in Lake Jackson and Brazoria.

At the end of the meeting, Bob Bailey presented the second annual Ralph Primeau Memorial Award to Roy Edwards for his continued efforts to educate policymakers and the public about the precarious situation of the San Bernard River.

For information on Friends of the River and its future events, monitor sanbernardriver.com.