There is a group of us that have decided to fight the standing timber structure cutting "Stump Cutting" on Lake Conroe.. we need you help.. don't let this happen to your lake..

Please sign..

http://www.change.org/petitions/save-lake-conroe

She is dead right on this guys, the operation has already been underway for a good while, Financed by homeownes Assn. and local marina.200 trees were cut today to make a nice place to ski and wakeboard the whole lake is in danger. Help now by signing the petition before its too late.
Catfishing your favorite lake with no availible cover should hit home,

http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/190779/site_id/1#import

Is Conroe a C of E lake? If not I'm not sure what you could do. If so... someone is facing jail time or a wallop of a fine.

Edit: Found some info on the web about Conroe. It is State owned and operated. Meaning if a private group is destroying fish habitat and erosion prevention I'm sure you can get the Game Wardens involved.

Tried to sign it but I keep getting this message:

There was an error submitting your form. Please try again later.

Hey Partime, Please try again later.

Excellent catfishery down there guys...definitly worth taking less than 5 minutes of your time and give it a sign.

Good luck Lou...

Why sign? Why not call your local Warden and have them arrested? Seems like the quicker solution...

here is a little history http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/6944950/Lake_Conroe_Habitat_Destructio

Doesn't see all that bad to me. Here are a few excerpts from the minutes at the meeting. It actually sounds like an improvement if they are creating more complex fish structures. The last quote is from the minutes where someone is actually apologizing for misunderstanding the intent of the cutting. Which I think is what has happened with this petition. From what I've read they are creating better fish habitat and safer waters for boaters. From the original post for this petition I was under the impression that they were cutting and removing stumps. Seems a bit misleading to me...


Minutes Quotes:

4.
We would like to properly weight anything that floats.
Ben Richardson mentioned that the binding usually breaks after one year. Ed Parten stated that
they use nylon straps which last 10-15 years under water. By the time the binding breaks, the
floaters are water logged and stay under. This would help the fish habitat. Mark Webb
mentioned that Blake Kellum suggested letting the tree top fall down by the tree thus creating a
more complex habitat.

13. Warren Oja discussed the potential floating trees in the north end of the Lake.
Approx. 600 acres
of dead trees found because trees did not have a deep enough root system prior to the drought
conditions. Trees are not usually cut in the riparian zone. They would fall on the lake bed
without water so they would never become water logged. This would mean that they will float
when water returns. He mentioned that trees could be hinged cut to keep stationary leaving them
attached to the stump. This would improve fish habitat. Blake Kellum offered the help of SJRA
for this project.

14. Ed Parten offered his apologies because he said that their viewpoint had been that the stump
cutting project was about the aesthetics of the Lake only for homeowners. He again reinforced
that he was in support of the project as discussed. Mike Bleier offered that no apologies were
needed that this project is simply about safety for all boaters, recreational users and anglers alike.

thats what they say, but they have two crews cutting stumps as we speak. One of the guys cutting said he cut 200 stumps yesterday on the southern 2/3 of the lake and he was not sure how many the other crew cut yesterday. The problem is they didnt start yesterday and they plan on cutting till the end of the month. Then they want to start on the remaining 1/3 of the lake. For those that dont know the southern 2/3s of the lake is not stumpy at all (no where close) compared to the remaining 1/3. So if they are eliminating the few stumps on the south end then they will have a field day on the north end where the real stumps are. The governing authorities have been misleading the public with magazine and newspaper articles. Thats why we are late in trying to stop them from cutting the southern 2/3 but the truth is we still have a shot at stopping them from cutting the remaining 1/3. The biggest problem is the governing authorities are not monitoring the cutting being done.

You are missing my point. Are they cutting the trees and securing them to the base of the stumps with nylon ropes?

If so I'd say the petition is moot.

However, if they are not preserving the trees by securing them to the stumps as the meeting minutes suggest, then I'd sign that petition and rub those minutes into their faces as publicly as possible.

WHICH IS IT?

Still not working. You guys need to do something to fix the site that has the petition, your likely missing out on a lot of signatures. It's been down for all day.

considering these same groups have removed all the vegetation from the lake already and now they are removing the top 16- 20 ft of the remaining cover from the lake How can any one think this will benefit the fish? when the the thremocline sets in, what cover will these fish have? Do all fish live on the bottom year round?? where will the birds roost after they remove all the stumps? with out scientific studies we are all guessing..

im not sure why you are having trouble i see people are signing it as we speak. I will look into it tho. thanks

if the stump sinks they let it sink, if it floats they are removing it.

They are not doing anything within the agreed proposal, they are not securing, they are not monitoring, they are not following any pinpointed stumps.. period, the whole point is SJRA is allowing wide spread cutting prior to any solid plan being approved. WE have been involved, WE have done the research, WE have been talking to the right people, WE need to stop the madness until the damage and the ducks are in a row.

Slab_Rookie, if you don't care to support then its your choice dont support, but why be so negative on any angling group that stays involved and cares about the closes home town lake they fish in.... just saying

It must have been my work computer, I just signed it from home with no problem.

Thanks Micheal, can you even imagine this happening on Twok.. I would cry....

You know what the most insulting issue of this is...they are using money that is suppose to be used for sporting purposes to make things more appealing for rich lake front home owners and pleasure boaters.

Lake Worth is next..but at least they are not going to be using sportsman's dollars to cut stumps...they are using gas royalities. Maybe they should using that money to build a park or perhaps lower taxes.

Bump!

signed!!!

It looks like they got matching federal money from the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act if you read the minutes:

http://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/FASPORT.HTML

These funds are collected from a 10% exices tax on fishing tackle. This act requires that the funds for the sole purpose of benefiting fisherman and fisheries. Their arguement that stump cutting will benefit the fishery is outrageous.

Signing a petition at this point isn't going to do any good if the cutting is already in progress. If you happen to know a lawyer that fishes this lake or is symphathic to your cause ask him or her to file for an injunction in Federal Court. You probably wouldn't win such a challenge but you could delay this topic long enough for public sediment to turn the tide.

they have cut stumps on the lower 2/3. we still have a chance to stop them from cutting the remaining 1/3. We need to continue to pass the word about the petition, we can make a difference...thanks