Known as ‘The Bowl,’ this section of dunes on the Kleberg County beach, recently purchased by Nueces County, is a draw for dune buggies and four-wheel drive vehicles seeking a thrill ride over the hills. Driving in the dunes is illegal, but without a memorandum of understanding between the two counties, there’s no way to easily enforce it. Staff photo
Nueces County has a new beach. An eight-mile stretch of ocean-front property formerly owned by the Texas General Land Office — and patrolled by no one with authority to issue a summons or fine or make arrests — was recently purchased by Nueces County for $630,000. The money came from a $1 million grant from the nonprofit Ed Rachel Foundation. The remainder will be used for law enforcement and park maintenance.
The beach with no name resides in Kleberg County but can only be accessed through Padre Island National Seashore or Park Road 6 at Padri Bali Beach in Nueces County. Years of lax law enforcement left the 3,600 acres of mostly dunes and wetlands environmentally unprotected. Four-wheelers make liberal use of the dunes for joy riding and an illegal shooting range hides in the wetlands. It has also become a dumping ground for trash and refuse.
“The beach side of the dunes appears to be OK,” said Scott Cross, director of coastal parks. “But there does appear to be damage to the dunes and the wetlands.”
Scott began plans to install bollards and wiring to block vehicle access to the dunes along six miles of Park Road 22 in March. He’s also installing “No Trespassing” signs along the beach side of the dunes.
Meanwhile, commissioners in Nueces and Kleberg counties began the process of approving a memorandum of understanding to allow Nueces County law enforcement to enforce the law in the park. Once that happens, the illegal dune buggy track and shooting range will be inaccessible.
“Initially, people will be upset because they can’t get to the back bay area anymore,” Cross said. “But having an unauthorized, unsupervised shooting range out there? That’s hogwash. That’s stopping. The county can’t have that kind of liability. And driving in the dunes? That’s ridiculous.”
The county plans to establish a land-use management plan to help decide where back bay access can be made available without negatively impacting critical grassland habitats. The dunes provide storm surge protection and stabilization for inland property. The wetlands nourish and nurture a wide variety of bird species and wildlife that depend on the area for survival.
“i have to weigh human and recreational uses with environmental uses,” Cross explained about decisions to cut off access while plans are underway. “How am I going to let all these things happen down there while giving the flora and fauna a voice at the table? That has economic value, too. That’s extremely important.”
While Nueces County commissioners remain committed to allowing uninhibited access to the beach, “it’s quite a balancing act” to permit recreation while protecting environmentally important — and sensitive — areas, Cross said.
“We are going to run into some challenges down there that we haven’t thought of yet,” he said. “My goal is to do it as properly as possible.”
Public opinion will be heard and considered as the process gets underway, he continued. The MOU and land management plans will be presented during public meetings, with time set aside for public comment.
“There’s always ample opportunity for people to speak out in public for or against any plans,” Cross said. “We feel good about the direction we’re going in. When you look at the property and look at how many years it has been used with little or no law enforcement and little or no oversights, with people doing what they wanted uninhibited, and look at where we’ve gotten in just two and a half months, I’m really excited about where we’re going.”
