According to Bob Stokes, president of the Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF), a clean and healthy Galveston Bay is important to everyone. For more than 30 years, GBF has been preserving, protecting and enhancing the bay, and since Stokes arrived in 2004, the foundation has made progress on many levels.
"We've had thousands of volunteers working throughout Galveston Bay, and we've restored and preserved thousands of acres of habitat," Stokes said. "We've recycled tons of oyster shells that we've put back into the bay to restore reefs. We've grown from a full-time staff of just four to a full-time staff of 24."
GBF has worked closely with many companies around the bay, but oil and gas companies are among its biggest supporters.
"We look for ways to make an impact with projects that allow us to truly make a difference," said Alma Kombargi, director, strategic relations, public affairs, Aramco Services Co. "It was a natural step for us to be a part of the oyster reef initiative. It fits with our company's belief in environmental stewardship, and with Hurricane Ike in 2008 and now with Hurricane Harvey, we had to help protect and preserve the bay."
Aramco volunteers have participated in GBF events to bag repurposed oyster shells, creating oyster reefs to provide critical habitats for bottom-dwelling fish, stabilizing the bay bottom and preventing shoreline erosion.
"Few natural resources are as essential for human development as water," said Frazier Wilson, manager of Shell's workforce development and diversity outreach. "Shell is proud to support the Galveston Bay Foundation and sponsor the Bike Around the Bay event, an annual two-day 170-mile bike ride around Galveston Bay that attracts over 1,000 cyclists. The collaboration aligns with our social investment strategy, supporting the environment by engaging our employees in volunteer activities to promote landscape, habitat and species conservation while also promoting physical wellbeing through fitness activities."
CITGO is also deeply committed to safeguarding the environment for future generations and enhancing the quality of life in the communities in which it has the privilege of operating.
"We are proud to support the Galveston Bay Foundation in its mission to preserve and enhance Galveston Bay," the company said in a statement. "Our partnership with the Galveston Bay Foundation is part of our CITGO Caring for Our Coast initiative, which launched in 2014 in remembrance of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita that devastated the Gulf Coast. Now in its fifth year, this initiative focuses on coastal restoration and conservation, continues to build on its success and supports on-theground habitat restoration, including educational and volunteer opportunities for the community and CITGO employees. The Galveston Bay Foundation has been an integral part of helping CITGO achieve our environmental stewardship goals and has made coastal restoration possible in the Galveston Bay area."
According to Stokes, the GBF is now working to build an education center and office in Kemah, Texas. In the past, GBF has operated in rented space away from the bay.
"We've purchased 30 acres of land directly on the bay, and we are raising funds to build this center," Stokes said. "Our vision is to have a place where people can come and experience Galveston Bay firsthand. We envision a center where thousands of school kids can visit and learn about the bay. This center will also serve as an important public access spot for everyone to experience the Galveston Bay."
For more information, visit www. galvbay.org or call (281) 332-3381.