# DFWAPC official position for the meeting with TPWD on January 19



## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

We all have an opinion on what needs to be said to TPWD on January 19. It would be great if each member of 
DFWAPC can attend the meeting. Please, if you have time, plan to attend the meeting on January 19 at 7:00PM.

Meeting place/time:
January 19 - 7:00 PM - 2011 Cabela's - 12901 Cabela's Drive, Fort Worth

I hope we all understand that *we must present our position as a club*. We must be constructive, clear, and easy to understand. Today I talked to some of the people actively involved in discussing the issues at hand. We agreed that the most productive approach would be to have appointed *speakers that will speak in behalf of the club*. The speakers will present the club's official position. They will also offer accreditation/collaboration with TPWD which will allow legal posession of tropical aquatic plants by hobbyists.

Please note that *the club's official position needs to be clearly separated from our personal views*. Everyone present is free to voice their opinion. *If you decide to express your thoughts please first clearly state that you are expressing your own opinion as an individual hobbyist.* We do not want to confuse the people who will be listening to us. We must come across as a group that is reasonable and co-operative.

As I said before - personally, it is my hope that because of this new law our club and our hobby will reach a little higher level of identity and recognition. Let's do our best to be positive and constructive.

--Nikolay


----------



## ukamikazu (Jun 4, 2010)

Good luck guys! Please let us know how it turns out!


----------



## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

ukamikazu said:


> Good luck guys! Please let us know how it turns out!


I sure hope you guys down South are planning on helping us out when they come to your area. They sure won't care if we don't


----------



## ukamikazu (Jun 4, 2010)

I will certainly be in attendance on the 13th in Austin. I also believe Frank Wazeter will be as well.


----------



## ayla (Jun 20, 2009)

I am not a member of the club, but I do plan to attend the meeting. 

Will merely being there be worth it at all? Will it matter?

I'd be happy to speak on my own if given a direction, but there seems to be so much going on that I'm not sure what would actually be helpful.


----------



## BobAlston (Jan 23, 2004)

ayla said:


> I am not a member of the club, but I do plan to attend the meeting.
> 
> Will merely being there be worth it at all? Will it matter?
> 
> I'd be happy to speak on my own if given a direction, but there seems to be so much going on that I'm not sure what would actually be helpful.


I suggest you read through the many posts of the main thread on this topic

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...-forwarded-aquatic-gardeners-association.html

and the state web site

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/exotic/aquatic_plants/

and decide if you think the TPWD should do anything differently than what they have stated so far on their web site. If you think they should do anything more than they have or differently, then tell them so.

JMHO

Bob


----------



## digital_gods (Apr 23, 2010)

@Ayla: Welcome to DFWAPC. We look forward to sharing out passion of aquascaping with you. Hope to see you at our meeting on January 23.


----------



## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

ayla said:


> I am not a member of the club, but I do plan to attend the meeting.
> 
> Will merely being there be worth it at all? Will it matter?
> 
> I'd be happy to speak on my own if given a direction, but there seems to be so much going on that I'm not sure what would actually be helpful.


Yes it will matter, even if you simply take up a chair. Numbers speak. The political climate across the country is geared to listening to the public right now. Even if you merely stated that you were concerned about the restrictive nature of the list on the hobbyist that would go A LONG WAY. We really want to have a hobbyist permit. I myself want the permit to exempt us.


----------



## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

We are getting some help from the nursery industry and water garden hobbyists. Read this from the Star Telegram: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/01/15/2771870/texas-plan-to-combat-invasive.html


----------



## BobAlston (Jan 23, 2004)

Michael said:


> We are getting some help from the nursery industry and water garden hobbyists. Read this from the Star Telegram: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/01/15/2771870/texas-plan-to-combat-invasive.html


Key point in the post:

"State Sen. *Glenn Hegar*, R-Katy, *co-sponsored *the 2009 measure that directed the department to establish a "white list" of non-native aquatic plants approved for sale or possession in Texas.

"What has happened with Caddo is horrible," said *Hegar, a farmer*. "These invasive species are just terrible and something you can't control. They can kill a lake and really impact local economies."

But after a year of wrangling, he acknowledges that the bill has had unintended consequences.

"This has been a long process on this deal, and I think we have a good ways to go," Hegar said.

"I think it's a more difficult issue to resolve than maybe at first blush it appears. But I'm committed to getting it right."

.
.
.
Hegar says he's committed to finding an equitable solution even if it means revisiting the issue in the current legislative session.

"I've said all along if we can't do it right, then we'll have to start all over again. *I want to make sure that we solve the problems of invasive species in our lakes and reservoirs but do not become overburdensome or overbearing on our nursery industry," he said.*

Bob


----------



## ukamikazu (Jun 4, 2010)

Glenn Hegar is on the Sunset Commission. Hmmm...

Anyhoo, yeah, e-mail, fax, write or visit this guy:
http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members/dist18/dist18.htm.


----------



## BobAlston (Jan 23, 2004)

ukamikazu said:


> Glenn Hegar is on the Sunset Commission. Hmmm...
> 
> Anyhoo, yeah, e-mail, fax, write or visit this guy:
> http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members/dist18/dist18.htm.


Thanks for that tidbit and the *link to EASILY send him an email*.

I just finished sending him the e-mail I had previously sent to the three State House co-sponsors.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...atic-gardeners-association-10.html#post574193

Some how I neglected to find out who was the Senate sponsor.

*I URGE!!!!!!!!! everyone within the sound of my voice to click on the link in the post immediately above and fill out the form to send the senator a message telling him of your concerns with the new aquatic plant ban.*
Bob


----------



## BobAlston (Jan 23, 2004)

Michael said:


> We are getting some help from the nursery industry and water garden hobbyists. Read this from the Star Telegram: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/01/15/2771870/texas-plan-to-combat-invasive.html


Note that you can also *leave comments *on the Star-Telegram web site by clicking on "comments" at the bottom of the article. I just did. You may have to register to do so but it is very easy to do so so don't let that stop you.

Bob


----------



## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

BobAlston said:


> Note that you can also *leave comments *on the Star-Telegram web site by clicking on "comments" at the bottom of the article. I just did. You may have to register to do so but it is very easy to do so so don't let that stop you.
> 
> Bob


:spit: at some of those peoples comments about elefphant ears etc, and just say no to exotics. very nearrow minded people.


----------



## BobAlston (Jan 23, 2004)

ukamikazu said:


> Glenn Hegar is on the Sunset Commission. Hmmm...
> 
> Anyhoo, yeah, e-mail, fax, write or visit this guy:
> http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members/dist18/dist18.htm.


I did some research on HB 3391. If I am interpreting the text correctly, the house bill originally required a black list for aquatic plants.

It apparently was the Senate amendments *<------WRONG. See correction below*. 
that changed that into a white list.

Below is a link for the history of HB 3391.

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/billlookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB3391

Click on the link "Text of Senate amendments". See the striken thru text and the underlined text, which I interpret as added.
*It is page 4546 (shown in upper left) and Section 14 of HB 3391.*

so my conclusion is that Mr. Hegan, Sunset commission member, *<------WRONG. See correction below*. 
is the creator of the white list as part of HB 3391.

Please advise if others read it the same way or differently.

Bob

CORRECTION:

I stand corrected. It appears that the language in Section 14 first appears in the version on the line marked "Engrossed". see the link below. It did not appear in the prior version. so apparently the change got made prior to the senate.

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/billlookup/Text.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB3391

Bob


----------



## Ekrindul (Jul 3, 2010)

BobAlston said:


> I did some research on HB 3391. If I am interpreting the text correctly, the house bill originally required a black list for aquatic plants. It apparently was the Senate amendments that changed that into a white list.
> 
> Below is a link for the history of HB 3391.
> 
> ...


Bob,

That doc is huge. What page number are you looking at. I'm not seeing it.

If you click on the amendments tab on that page, it shows 7 amendments, none of which relate to the section we are interested in. So, I would assume the white list concept was in the original draft. If I understand it correctly (probably I don't), HB3391 is more of an alteration of alot of existing legislation rather than a completely newly written bill. It looks like the authors of the bill introduced the white list.


----------



## BobAlston (Jan 23, 2004)

Ekrindul said:


> Bob,
> 
> That doc is huge. What page number are you looking at. I'm not seeing it.
> 
> If you click on the amendments tab on that page, it shows 7 amendments, none of which relate to the section we are interested in. So, I would assume the white list concept was in the original draft. If I understand it correctly (probably I don't), HB3391 is more of an alteration of alot of existing legislation rather than a completely newly written bill. It looks like the authors of the bill introduced the white list.


I stand corrected. It appears that the language in Section 14 first appears in the version on the line marked "Engrossed". see the link below. It did not appear in the prior version. so apparently the change got made prior to the senate.

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/billlookup/Text.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB3391

Bob


----------



## Tex Guy (Nov 23, 2008)

Somewhere along the line in this thread we heard that TPWD acknowledged that they introduced the concept. That's the only thing that makes sense to me. I can't imagine a legislator coming up with this on his/her own.


----------



## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

I wish any one going to the meeting luck, there is no way i can make it from plano to ft. worth in time with all the traffic..


----------



## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

The meeting with TPWD is *tomorrow night*! I hope every member of DFWAPC can *attend the meeting*. Please, if you have time, plan to attend the meeting on January 19 at 7:00PM. You can also bring neighbors and friends! We need warm bodies to show up! *Numbers do count!!*

*Meeting place/time:
January 19 - 7:00 PM - 2011 Cabela's - 12901 Cabela's Drive, Fort Worth*


----------



## ukamikazu (Jun 4, 2010)

I hope some folks are at the San Antonio meeting that's happening right now. I really hope one of them posts what happened.

Likewise, for all ya'll going to the Ft. Worth one tomorrow night, tell us what happens, please!


----------



## CrownMan (Sep 12, 2005)

Unless I have to be at work, I will be there.


----------



## digital_gods (Apr 23, 2010)

I'll be there.


----------



## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

I'm going to try to be there, but looks like it's going to be an hour and 15 min driving and that's with out traffic....


----------



## Pam916 (May 22, 2008)

I just finnished writing my letters and I will be there tonight.


----------



## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

stuck at the house, some one who has unlimited text, and internet on there phone please post updates of what goes on at the meeting, Thanks....


----------



## foreverknight (Jul 8, 2010)

can someone please email me a copy of the official club stand on this matter again. i love my copy from last night somehow

thank you


----------



## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Here is the DFWAPC position paper, as distributed at the meeting last night.

--Michael


----------

