TCA centers efforts on protecting Neches
By GEORGIA PURDY Newsboy Correspondent

The Texas Conservation Alliance held their first-ever Jasper meeting Dec. 11, at the East Texas Regional Arts Center. The informational discussion, led by TCA President Janice Bezanson, centered on the Neches River Protection Initiative, an effort to protect the river and highlight its economic value as a tourism resource.

"I hope you know what a fabulous resource you have in the Neches River," Bezanson told the group of about 30 participants- some local and others from Houston to Jacksonville. "It nourishes the internationally famous Big Thicket which contains the most diverse habitat in Texas. We are interested in its preservation."

Formerly called The Committee on Natural Resources, TCA is a 35- year-old conservation group committed to protecting native ecosystems and promoting efficient use of natural resources in Texas and is also the Texas affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation, the nation's largest membersupported conservation organization.

The health of the Neches River and the ecosystems it supports is a prime concern for this group who joined with landowners, timber companies, conservation and other citizen groups to support the Neches River Wildlife Refuge approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last summer.

But before the ink could dry, the City of Dallas and the Texas Water Development Board filed suit against the U.S.F.W.S. to stop the refuge and build Fastrill Dam, which would impound 29,000 acres in Anderson and Cherokee Counties and take water from Region I (East Texas) to supply Dallas, which lies in Region D.

The majority of the meeting, however, focused on the group's long-held support for designating the Neches as a scenic river.

The only river in Texas to carry "Scenic" designation is a portion of the Rio Grande that runs through part of Big Bend National Park. It draws thousands of visitors each year as does the Buffalo River in Arkansas.

As Bezanson fielded questions, economic value to communities along the Neches River corridor was of major concern to the audience.

The group is planning a photography contest in 2008, photographs of the Neches that will first be exhibited in museums and then become a traveling exhibit to local communities. Details will be posted later.

More information on the Neches River Protection Initiative can be found on the group's website at www.tconr.org.