The meeting at Bayland Community Center was called to order at 7:05. Officers in attendance were Greg Fan, Vice Commodore; Bob Naeger, Purser; Christy Long, Newsletter Editor; Alice Nissen, Recorder. Tim Brooking, Boatswain, and Tom Douglas, Conservation Chairman, attended via Zoom. Twenty attendees in person and ten via Zoom. Last month’s general meeting minutes were approved.
Christy stated the newsletter is going well. She stated the club store is now open. She explained how to use it. Lots of shirts and mugs available as well as the ability to put our logo on other suggested items.
Tim stated we have one new member, seven renewing members for a total membership of 146. Facebook has 966 members. He introduced a new member, Mike Grove.
Greg gave the fleet captain report: There were six events last month with 31 participants of which 22 were members for a total of 67 miles. Kent Walters talked about the DeGray Lake trip; he said it was beautiful with mist on the water and lots of bird and waterfowl sightings. Joe Coker talked about Turtle Bayou and said it was low water but a fun trip. Christy stated the San Marcos trip was fun. The Colorado River trip was 27 miles, very hot and windy, with little flow. The Brazos River was 14 miles. The Ouachita River was six miles. Kent stated there was no current and the river was hard to read but they had fun.
Tom gave the conservation report. On September 20-23, Bayou Preservation annual symposium; Dr. Andrew Sansom will speak. The East Fork of the San Jacinto River, next meeting October 19. October 7, “Walk for the Wild” at Champion Lake. October 7, Greens Bayou Regatta. October 13 and 15, Hidalgo Falls River Festival. October 15, Rotary Regatta on Clear Creek. October 24, Double Bayou Watershed Partnership. October 31, Bacterial Implementations Group. January 31 and February 1, 12th State of the Bayou symposium. For detailed information on these events, see Tom’s Conservation Forum on our website and his conservation report in the newsletter.
Bob gave the purser report and stated as of the end of August income was $1875 and expenses were $1941 for a balance of $7602. Expenses were $590 insurance, $480 events, $470 website, and $110 post office box, $70 credit card fees.
Bob introduced tonight’s speaker, Joe Coker, a longtime, active member of HCC. Tonight’s presentation is called “Critter Night.” Texas is the “snakiest” state in the country with 115 species. Texas has venomous snakes: cobras and pit vipers, coral snakes, rattlers, water moccasins and copperheads. Two rattler species are the diamond back and timber rattler. Joe advised us we should be more careful getting in and out of our boats. Use a stick, make noise. A lot happens around a campsite: food attracts mice and mice attract snakes. Don’t go barefoot! The coral snake is the most venomous. It is, however, shy, timid, and nonaggressive. They have been found up to 8 feet underground. Their bites are seldom lethal, but seek immediate attention if bitten. A bite may or may not have venom. Rattle snakes are the next most dangerous. Their venom destroys tissue. Sometimes they don’t rattle. Identifying marks are batwing markings, stripes on the tail. They like to be near water, sand dunes, sand hills. One is more likely to see water moccasins because they put their heads up. Cottonmouth water moccasins always have a black mask on face. They do not chase and are nonaggressive. Cottonmouths have painful but not deadly bites. Eastern copperhead is the least venomous. They like woods and rocky areas. They have a Hershey kiss coppery pattern. If bitten by a snake, do not wait for symptoms: call 911 asap, take a photo of the snake, stay calm, elevate, remove rings and watches, clean bite with water. You will probably need to be towed out. Do not handle the snake. Do not suck the bite site. Do not take pain relievers or steroids. Do not apply a tourniquet.
Alligators have been around 25 million years, much longer than humans. Their ancestors were up to 50 feet long. There are only two species: American and Chinese (Yangtze). Texas has the most alligators in the USA, approximately 400,000, mostly in the Trinity River Basin. They live 30 to 50 years. Alligators’ habitats are swamps, marshes, rivers, and streams. Males reach 13-15 feet and weigh 500 to 1000 pounds. Females reach 9 to 12 feet and weigh 200 to 300 pounds. They can run 10 to 15 mph and swim 20 mph. Most alligators we see are females. April is alligators’ courting month, May mating, June through July nesting, August through September hatching. Gestation is 60 to 67 days. Females stay with their young for 2 to 3 years. Males eat babies. Alligators are not communal. Birds are their closest relatives. They have two-part stomachs. They ingest stones to weigh themselves down to stay under water. Hunting alligators is permissible from September 10th to the 30th. Crocodiles do not live in Texas (only in Florida). Crocodiles are volatile, aggressive, dangerous, and psychologically more sophisticated than alligators.
We would love to hear more about all of these fascinating “night critters.” Thank you, Joe, for a fabulous presentation. The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m.