WALLISVILLE, Texas (Sept. 19, 2016) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Chambers County Sherriff's Department and Lone Star Warriors Outdoors are combining resources to offer combat injured veterans the opportunity to participate in an organized feral hogs and alligator hunt Sept. 26-28, 2016, at the Wallisville Lake Project.
The Wallisville Lake Project is a 23,000-acre natural retreat located along the outskirts of the nation’s fourth largest city, the City of Houston. The project not only provides recreational opportunities for visitors to connect with the outdoors, it serves an important watershed function.
“This will be the first event of its kind for the Galveston District,” said Michael East, Natural Resource Specialist at the USACE Galveston District. “We’ll be providing land use for this 501c3 non-profit organization and are looking forward to partnering with other agencies to offer this opportunity to our combat veterans.”
East explained that over the last few decades the alligator and feral hog population has expanded rapidly within the Wallisville Lake Project. Damage caused by feral hogs is a growing problem in Texas, largely due to their destructive feeding habits, potential to spread disease and increasingly growing population.
“The Wallisville Lake Project is designed to primarily prevent the intrusion of saltwater up the Trinity River in order to conserve fresh water and to protect fresh water intakes for local municipalities, including the City of Houston, but it also serves as a favorite recreational destination among Houstonians,” said East. “Allowing this type of hunt will provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for combat veterans to experience this natural treasure while also assisting with our feral hog and alligator population management efforts.”
Six participants are scheduled to join the hunt. The alligators and hogs captured from this hunt will be taken to a processing facility to extract food and leather products.
“As the president of Lone Star Warriors Outdoors, I am thrilled to be partnering with great organizations to provide a hunt that a lot of people do not get to do,” said Chris Gill, Lone Star Warriors Outdoors. “For our combat injured veterans, this is not only a time for them to enjoy the outdoors, but a time for them to be around other that have been through the same things and can relate to them, allowing bonding to happen.”
“We hope to have a productive hunt and remind all visitors to put safety first when hunting or boating at the Wallisville Lake Project,” said East.
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