Shoreline Management Action Plan
 The Shoreline Management Action Plan has been developed to enhance long range conservation of living and non-living bay resources and improve aesthetic appeal and public access to Galveston Bay by managing human use of the shoreline and adjacent lands from a system-wide perspective. Major initiatives proposed by The Galveston Bay Plan for shoreline management include the following:
- Shoreline Development Plans
- Consideration of Environmental Impacts
- Access to Galveston Bay
The Natural Resource Uses Subcommittee of the Galveston Bay Council is charged with facilitating implementation of the Shoreline Management Action Plan through our GBEP Partners.
Results!
- Under the Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Act, some $15 million in Texas fiscal year 2000 and 2001 were provided for erosion response efforts, which focused largely on the Gulf of Mexico side.
- The Coastal Coordination Council is compiling data on public shoreline access along the Texas coast. This will be used to coordinate efforts to provide more public access to public resources like Galveston Bay.
- Some cities are considering the importance of key wetland habitat along the shoreline, as wetland plans are being developed. However, integrated planning and management will be needed to reconcile the activities of improving public access and expanding recreational opportunities with maintaining shoreline integrity.
Shoreline Management Action Plan implementation highlights:
Model Shoreline Protection Ordinance for Dickinson
In 1999, Galveston Bay Estuary Program partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Houston-Galveston Area Council to identify shoreline management issues, evaluate the existing management structure, and to develop tools and resources to help implement recommendations for Shoreline Management contained in the Galveston Bay Plan. The project study area was within the City of Dickinson, along Dickinson Bayou, in an area bounded by IH-45 on the west, FM 517 on the north, SH 3 on the east, and Hughes Road on the south. This area was chosen due to its manageable size and because the issues of this area are representative of those facing other Galveston Bay communities.
The Dickinson Bayou watershed has been used for a number of other GBEP studies and demonstration projects. The City of Dickinson provided information about the bayou and surrounding land and worked with H-GAC to uncover the management issues and challenges posed by the study area. The issues associated with the study area are representative of those faced by other Galveston Bay communities, which allows the findings of this study to benefit both the City of Dickinson and other Bay communities. A model ordinance for the project was developed but never adopted, although the partners remain hopeful that it will be adopted in Dickinson or a sister municipality at some point. Find out more.
Search for other Galveston Bay Plan implementation projects.
See more information on the Shoreline Management Action Plan in The Galveston Bay Plan.
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Find out what you can do to help Galveston Bay!
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