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Residents and conservationists urge wildlife protections at Galveston dune walkover hearing
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Summary
At a public hearing on proposed dune walkovers at 401 East Beach Drive, residents, Surfrider volunteers and conservation scientists urged wildlife corridors, fewer walkovers and greater developer engagement; staff described required mitigation but the commission took no action.
City planning staff held a public hearing on a dune mitigation plan tied to the construction of three dune walkovers at 401 East Beach Drive and heard multiple residents and conservation groups urge stronger protections for coastal habitat.
Staff described the project (Lot 1, Estates Of Grand Beach replat #22024, Abstract 628) and said mitigation is required for unavoidable impacts to dunes and dune vegetation; staff also noted Bureau of Economic Geology data showing the area is accreting about 3 feet per year. The presentation included maps, a close-up of the mitigation area and photos of the site. No formal action was taken at the hearing.
The hearing drew a series of public comments asking the city to account for wildlife connectivity and to limit structural impacts. "These concerns are shared by a broader group of engaged residents," said Jo Hewitt of East Beach, who said researchers (identified in her remarks as Dr. Bridget Von Holt of Princeton and Dr. Kristen Bresky of Michigan Tech) had attempted to share findings with the developer but had not received a response. Hewitt asked the commission to note the researchers' recommendations and to adhere to the 2011 comprehensive plan, including a minimum 50‑foot wetlands buffer.
Speakers from the Galveston chapter of the Surfrider Foundation urged the commission to reduce the number of walkovers and to prioritize natural landscapes. "We support a functional wildlife corridor," said Sarah Burgess, volunteer chair of the Surfrider Foundation Galveston chapter. Jeff Seinsheimer, a fourth‑generation Galveston resident and Surfrider executive‑committee member, said two walkovers would be adequate and asked that construction approach and dune crossings be limited to reduce vegetation damage.
Other commenters raised transparency concerns. Miller Johnson said he received notice about the hearing roughly seven days beforehand and described the proposed structures as "walkovers to nowhere," noting he had seen no plans that justify a walkway at one proposed location.
Joni Steinhaus, ocean program director for Turtle Island Restoration Network, described ecological risks she said are associated with elevated walkovers, including damage to native plants, increased erosion and fragmentation of habitat used by nesting sea turtles and shorebirds; she said the plans presented to the commission did not include wildlife corridors.
Surfrider speakers offered volunteer support for dune restoration plantings and asked staff to consider sourcing native plants locally. The chair closed the public hearing after the last speaker; the commission did not vote on or approve the dune walkover permits at this meeting.
Next steps: the hearing record will be part of the commission's review; staff and the applicant will proceed through the city's required permitting and mitigation process. The transcript records commenters' requests that the developer engage with local researchers and stakeholders before construction proceeds.
