Yesterday, on his Facebook page, Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos, announced that,
The Surfrider Foundation South Texas Chapter is elated that Judge Cascos has brought this up so quickly! Unfortunately it will be at their Thursday, July 5th regular meeting which begins at 8:30AM but it is important for all to show up that care about this issue. If I can work until 3AM the night before and make it, then so can you! However, if you can not ( and I completely understand if you can't), I have laid out other ways for you to be able to take action and make a difference below!
Judge Cascos very candidly told me when I contacted him this morning that since Constable Zamora is an elected official, the Commissioners Court can not force him to do anything BUT I believe with enough pressure, getting him to enforce the litter laws within the parks can be achieved!
So what are we looking at?
On Monday, June 25th the Surfrider Foundation submitted a "Letter to the Editor" to multiple Cameron County newspapers outlining the problems regarding the beach trash and lack of litter law enforcemnet in Cameron County's Isla Blanca Park and other Beach Parks. In short, the problem is still a major one despite big advances by the county in addressing the situation such as the Surfrider Foundation suggested "Cash for Trash" program at the northern beaches at County Accesses 5 & 6 which has seen dramatic reductions in the amount of trash on a beach that could have been labeled a landfill a few years ago.
However, "Cash for Trash" has some obstacles being implemented in Isla Blanca Park. At the root of the problem is that the trash deposit that is collected and then refunded at the accesses is labeled as a beach user fee by the Texas General land Office and therefore can not be selectively charged to certain beach goers and must be charged indiscriminately to those that may just purchase a one day pass or those that purchase annual passes to the beaches. While this system works very well with only the occassional complaint because the majority of those that go through that gate do so only once during the day and are only required to return one bag of trash for their refund, at Isla Blanca many visitors such as fishermen and surfers will travel in and out of the park several times a day and to be charged that trash deposit every time would create a lot of negative feedback and end up having limited support while creating a headache to the attendant manning the automatic gates. The other logistical problem is where to place the required large dumpsters that would be needed to properly dispose of the trash bags. This possibly could be overcome with receipts that can be issued once a bag is returned and then displayed on the vehicle's windshield for the remainder of the day but then again, you have an issue with the attendant having to check everyone coming in and out of the park. There could be solutions found and the Surfrider Foundation will work on finding such a remedy.
The Surfrider Foundation believes, as we always have, that there must be a three step effort in addressing and reducing the trash within Isla Blanca Park and changing the behavior of those that use the park. The first is education and engagement without confrontation. The Isla Blanca All-stars have been doing a very good job of this with their very limited resources every Sunday evening since last Summer by leading by example with picking up trash around the crowds and then engaging the people on the beach in both English and Spanish. This has had very positive effects but they are only a few very motivated Volunteers taking on a monumental task. If you would like to help the All-stars and bolster their numbers, you can contact Madeleine Sandefur and she will gladly put you to work!
The second step in addressing the trash situation is cleanup. There is a small army of surfers, beach walkers and swimmers that help clean Isla Blanca Park on an every day basis but are quite honestly overwhelmed with the amount of trash. It has been conveyed to the Surfrider Foundation and others that they could quite possibly spend their entire day doing this and still feel as if they have not made a dent in the appearance of the beach, especially on weekends. I personally feel this way and even on days where there are large attempts at cleaning the beaches such as the GLO's Adopt-A-Beach Cleanups where Friends of Isla Blanca and Surfrider Foundation South Texas Chapter draft hundreds of volunteers to clean the beach; usually by the afternoon you could not even tell that literally hundreds of pounds of trash have been removed. Cameron County Parks and Recreation also make sporadic attempts at cleanig the beaches in the mornings, but as stated before, by the evening you can't even tell that any effort was made that morning.
The Parks Public Works can not take their vehicles down onto the beach after the crowds explode to empty the cans due to public safety concerns and by the end of the day the trash cans are overflowing from those that actually tried to properly dispose of their refuse. Of course this could be rectified by using liners that could be easily removed and replaced with the full bags being carried to the seawalls and loaded onto trucks but that takes an increase in manpower and better managerial oversight. However, it could be done.
The final cog in the wheel to a cleaner, healthier and safer beach for beach users and the one that would actually start changing the trash culture on the beaches of Isla Blanca and the other Beach Parks is enforcement of the litter laws, the writing of citations and levying of fines by JP Bennie Ochoa. Of course, JP Ochoa has not had much of an opportunity to issue fines , community service or any other penalty for littering because Constable Zamora has not directed his Deputies to patrol the actual beach at Isla Blanca and cite litterers. Yes, issuing a littering ticket is difficult. We are quite aware of this but a concerted effort of having Deputies or even a bolstered Code Enforcement Division watching people exit the beach between 5:30 and 7PM would provide opportunity for them to see individuals and groups actually leaving their trash behind and cite them for the infraction. This does not have to happen every day but if done a regular enough basis during the summer, the message will spread that the county is indeed very serious about the health and safety of their beaches and attitudes and behavior will change. After all, drivers didn't just start putting on their seatbelts when Texas required that by law, it took a concerted enforcement effort by local police agencies and State Troopers to change the attitudes of the drivers. In fact, they still have times of the year that they concentrate on just that.
Cleaning up the mess over and over again for those that choose to use our beaches as a dump will not ultimately rectify the trash problem. There has to be consequence and penalty for doing so and that is completely missing as of now. This was the point of the Surfrider Foundation Letter to the Editor.
You as an individual and as an organized group of concerned and frustrated beach lovers and users now have an opportunity to let your voices, complaints, concerns, ideas heard, take action and in turn, help Cameron County address this issue.
The Surfrider Foundation South Texas Chapter is elated that Judge Cascos has brought this up so quickly! Unfortunately it will be at their Thursday, July 5th regular meeting which begins at 8:30AM but it is important for all to show up that care about this issue. If I can work until 3AM the night before and make it, then so can you! However, if you can not ( and I completely understand if you can't), I have laid out other ways for you to be able to take action and make a difference below!
Judge Cascos very candidly told me when I contacted him this morning that since Constable Zamora is an elected official, the Commissioners Court can not force him to do anything BUT I believe with enough pressure, getting him to enforce the litter laws within the parks can be achieved!
So what are we looking at?
What Is The Issue & What Is Being And Can Done?
On Monday, June 25th the Surfrider Foundation submitted a "Letter to the Editor" to multiple Cameron County newspapers outlining the problems regarding the beach trash and lack of litter law enforcemnet in Cameron County's Isla Blanca Park and other Beach Parks. In short, the problem is still a major one despite big advances by the county in addressing the situation such as the Surfrider Foundation suggested "Cash for Trash" program at the northern beaches at County Accesses 5 & 6 which has seen dramatic reductions in the amount of trash on a beach that could have been labeled a landfill a few years ago.
However, "Cash for Trash" has some obstacles being implemented in Isla Blanca Park. At the root of the problem is that the trash deposit that is collected and then refunded at the accesses is labeled as a beach user fee by the Texas General land Office and therefore can not be selectively charged to certain beach goers and must be charged indiscriminately to those that may just purchase a one day pass or those that purchase annual passes to the beaches. While this system works very well with only the occassional complaint because the majority of those that go through that gate do so only once during the day and are only required to return one bag of trash for their refund, at Isla Blanca many visitors such as fishermen and surfers will travel in and out of the park several times a day and to be charged that trash deposit every time would create a lot of negative feedback and end up having limited support while creating a headache to the attendant manning the automatic gates. The other logistical problem is where to place the required large dumpsters that would be needed to properly dispose of the trash bags. This possibly could be overcome with receipts that can be issued once a bag is returned and then displayed on the vehicle's windshield for the remainder of the day but then again, you have an issue with the attendant having to check everyone coming in and out of the park. There could be solutions found and the Surfrider Foundation will work on finding such a remedy.
The Surfrider Foundation believes, as we always have, that there must be a three step effort in addressing and reducing the trash within Isla Blanca Park and changing the behavior of those that use the park. The first is education and engagement without confrontation. The Isla Blanca All-stars have been doing a very good job of this with their very limited resources every Sunday evening since last Summer by leading by example with picking up trash around the crowds and then engaging the people on the beach in both English and Spanish. This has had very positive effects but they are only a few very motivated Volunteers taking on a monumental task. If you would like to help the All-stars and bolster their numbers, you can contact Madeleine Sandefur and she will gladly put you to work!
The second step in addressing the trash situation is cleanup. There is a small army of surfers, beach walkers and swimmers that help clean Isla Blanca Park on an every day basis but are quite honestly overwhelmed with the amount of trash. It has been conveyed to the Surfrider Foundation and others that they could quite possibly spend their entire day doing this and still feel as if they have not made a dent in the appearance of the beach, especially on weekends. I personally feel this way and even on days where there are large attempts at cleaning the beaches such as the GLO's Adopt-A-Beach Cleanups where Friends of Isla Blanca and Surfrider Foundation South Texas Chapter draft hundreds of volunteers to clean the beach; usually by the afternoon you could not even tell that literally hundreds of pounds of trash have been removed. Cameron County Parks and Recreation also make sporadic attempts at cleanig the beaches in the mornings, but as stated before, by the evening you can't even tell that any effort was made that morning.
The Parks Public Works can not take their vehicles down onto the beach after the crowds explode to empty the cans due to public safety concerns and by the end of the day the trash cans are overflowing from those that actually tried to properly dispose of their refuse. Of course this could be rectified by using liners that could be easily removed and replaced with the full bags being carried to the seawalls and loaded onto trucks but that takes an increase in manpower and better managerial oversight. However, it could be done.
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| Photo compliments of Gene Bagley |
Cleaning up the mess over and over again for those that choose to use our beaches as a dump will not ultimately rectify the trash problem. There has to be consequence and penalty for doing so and that is completely missing as of now. This was the point of the Surfrider Foundation Letter to the Editor.
How Can You Take Action
You as an individual and as an organized group of concerned and frustrated beach lovers and users now have an opportunity to let your voices, complaints, concerns, ideas heard, take action and in turn, help Cameron County address this issue.
- The first is to help the Isla Blanca All-stars continue their educational efforts on Sundays within Isla Blanca Park by joining them at 7PM in Isla Blanca Park on Sundays and engaging the beach goers in a non-confrontational way. It works! I have been out there with them and witnessed it but they need more help and that could be you! If interested, please contact Madeleine Sandefur!
- Sign Surfrider Foundation South Texas Chapter's online petition to have Constable Zamora have his deputies start enforcing litter laws and issuing citations to those that are leaving trash and dangerous glass and shredded aluminum cans behind. By the way, glass is the easiest to enforce! If you have glass at all, you can be issued a citation on the spot! The petition can be found here and we are looking for 2,500 signatures, so spead the petition around to your email, Facebook and Twitter Contacts!
- Finally, attend the July 5th Cameron County Commissioners Court meeting at 8:30AM and speak to the Commissioners and Judge. Tell them your stories, your concerns and your ideas. This is what this meeting is for! Judge cascos wants to get the ball rolling and the dialogue going.
- Take photos of the trash on the beach, especially glass and dangerous debris along with overflowing garbage cans like the one above and send them to me as I plan on showing them at the Commissioners Court Meeting next Thursday.
- If you can not make the meeting then please contact Judge Cascos, County Commissioners, Cameron County Parks and Recreation and Pct.1 Constable Horacio Zamora with your comments
- Judge Carlos Cascos- Carlos.Cascos@co.cameron.tx.us
- Pct.1 Commissioner Sofia Benavides- sofia.benavides@co.cameron.tx.us
- Pct.2 Commissioner Ernie Hernandez- ernie.hernandez@co.cameron.tx.us
- Pct.3 Commissioner David Garza- DAGarza@co.cameron.tx.us
- Pct.4 Commissioner David Sanchez- 956-427-8069 (No email available)
- Pct.1 Constable Horacio Zamora- horacioa.zamora.co.cameron.tx.us
- Parks and Recreation Director Javier Mendez- JMendez@co.cameron.tx.us
- Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Joe Vega- JEVega@co.cameron.tx.us
Thank you all for your support and please spread this to all of your email, Facebook and Twitter friends! This is the beginning (again) of making a difference!
Constant pressure endlessly applied!
