Saturday

National Do Something Nice Day

FlatsWorthy promotes boating courtesy in coastal marshes


 

While viewing the damage from 2017’s Hurricane Harvey, the founders of a conservation group called FlatsWorthy realized that habitat damage was intensified by unnatural shortcut channels carved by boats through coastal marshes. The group was inspired to move beyond its original goal of promoting boating courtesy and evolve into a more ambitious effort to prove through science that nature can best heal itself without our intrusion. “Without intrusion” doesn’t mean ignoring the problem, but rather entails changing the behavior that causes it.

“We know that some boating habits inadvertently cause damage, while other behaviors show a blatant disregard for and ignorance of the fragile habitats essential to our angling pleasure,” says Chuck Naiser, FlatsWorthy president. “These resources are easily disturbed and easily damaged. Courtesy and respect are especially important in how effectively the shallow flats can be shared. If we anglers are careful in how we access these areas and show respect for these spaces and the efforts of other users, the generations that follow us will be able to share and enjoy these special places long into the future.”

To join this coalition of guides, paddlers, airboaters, fly-fishermen, wade anglers, flats polers and concerned citizens to reverse bad manners that cause destruction of our coastal flats, head on over to flatsworthy.com.

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