Coastal Bend Bay’s Foundations Earth Day Bay Day

Background and History

Created August 23, 2004

WHAT IS EDBD?

 

            EDBD is an important education and outreach festival free for Coastal Bend residents.  EDBD provides a unique opportunity for citizens to learn about our bays and estuaries, wetlands, native plants and animals, recycling, conservation and other environmental issues.  We encourage citizens to protect natural resources, and we ask for their life-long commitment to conserve resources.  EDBD goals are:

 

1.                    Education.  We educate the public about our bays, estuaries, and other native habitats, and the importance of clean air, clean water and a clean environment to our Coastal quality of life.

 

2.                    Conservation.  We urge citizens to become more pro-active in their day-to-day lives in recycling, composting, conserving energy, water, and other resources, and preventing litter accumulation. 

 

3.                    Habitat Protection.  We encourage protection of native habitats (such as sea grasses) by asking citizens to take part in low- to no-impact outdoor activities such as kayaking, wind-surfing, birding, biking, fly-fishing, gardening, swimming and hiking. 

 

4.                    Participation.  We bring together groups, such as TAMU-CC, the City of Corpus Christi, Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program, Inc. (CBBEP), Beautify Corpus Christi, CBBF, Sierra Club, and Audubon, and we encourage our visitors to become active in these organizations.

 

 

WHO SPONSORS EDBD?

 

The Coastal Bend Bays Foundation is proud to have launched our first Earth Day Bay Day in 1999.  The following have been partners and sponsors of Earth Day Bay Day:


Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program

Flint Hills Resources

Valero

Goldston Engineering

Equistar

Nueces County

Nueces River Authority

Everest Water

HEB

Citgo

Whataburger Inc.

Dinah Bowman

Vickie Marcellen Allen

Christi Mathews

Evelyn Atkinson

Nueces County

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

Kenedy Foundation

Moorhouse Construction

Earl Sams Foundation

American Electric Power

Naismith Engineering

Port of Corpus Christi Authority

Trull Foundation

Coca Cola of the Southwest

Sherwin Alumina

Buc Days

Everest Water

Caller Times

Evelyn Atkinson

Junior League of Corpus Christi

Environmental Defense

Ed Rachel Foundation

OxyChem

Sierra Club

Coastal Bend Land Trust

Tor Minerals

Coastal Bend Council of Governments

Shiner Mosley

City of Corpus Christi - Water, Wastewater, Stormwater, Gas, Parks & Recreation, and Environmental Programs

 

 


WHY?

 

            The Coastal Bend has some of the most ecologically AND economically productive marine waters in the United States.  Preserving the resources in and around our bays and estuaries and the uplands in our watershed remains a top priority for the Coastal Bend Bays

Foundation.  We believe that educating the public is one of the most important ways to protect these precious resources.

 

DID YOU KNOW THESE EDBD FACTS?

 

·                      EDBD is in its 6th year;

 

·                      EDBD served 10,000 visitors and had 85 exhibitors in 2004, including resource protection agencies, regional environmental groups, and many businesses and non-profits;

 

·                      EDBD has many excellent free educational exhibits, such as the Walk Through the Wetlands, Last Chance Forever, Marine Mammal Stranding Network, TPWD Junior Angler Program, TPWD touch tanks, Boy Scouts camp exhibit, City of Corpus Christi Stormwater, Solid Waste, Recycling, and Water Department exhibits, Nueces River Authority, Geological Society, Tree Council, Texas State Aquarium, Coastal Bend Council of Governments, Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program, animal rehabbers, and much more;

 

·                      EDBD offers outstanding recreational activities such as, kayaking and sailing events on Corpus Christi Bay, birding, plant walks, fly-fishing demonstrations, climbing wall, wind-surfing simulator, nature tourism expo,  and more;

 

·                      EDBD offers great musical and story-telling entertainment; and

 

·                      EDBD has good food!

 

            For over 30 years, Earth Day events in this country have been educating people of all ages and raising their environmental awareness.  We hope you will join with your fellow Coastal Bend leaders who have committed to supporting EDBD. 

 

            The Coastal Bend Bays Foundation (CBBF) is a membership-based non-profit [501(c)(3)] public interest organization proudly serving Coastal Bend residents since 1991. 

 

Earth Day Bay Day YEAR

Location

Number of Visitors

Number of Exhibitors

Funding

1999

Hans and Pat Suter Park, Corpus Christi, Texas

200

3

$5,000

2000

Hazel Bazemore Park

1,300

20

$10,500

2001

Blucher Park

2,100

30

$12,500

2002

Hazel Bazemore Park

3,800

42

$15,000

2003

Hazel Bazemore Park

4,000

45

$18,000

2004

Naval Air Station Corpus Christi

10,000 plus

85

$21,000