Like so many coastal communities, Rockport-Fulton in Aransas County, Texas, celebrates its natural resources and maritime heritage. An active chamber of commerce features a festival almost every month to showcase birding, fishing, art, wine, sun-kissed water sports, coastal lifestyle and shopping. But it took a park project fueled by a monumental volunteer effort to bring it all together.
Aransas Pathways, a countywide ambition, aims to enhance, preserve, create and connect birding and nature areas, hike and bike trails, kayak launches and historical sites. The initiative is funded by a 2 percent tax charged at hotels, motels and lodges. More than 100 sites are planned to guide visitors through the area’s charm.
Already established are about 30 birding sites, 18 kayak launch sites, 65 miles of hike and bike trails, and about 40 historical sites, and all are connected by a single marketing campaign and a unified information source.
Tom Staley, director of Rockport’s Parks and Leisure Services, sees the project as a shared legacy that began with a single vision to tie together existing rights-of-way, railroad tracks and easements for a memorable and entertaining experience. It’s like a tourism cafeteria, allowing visitors to taste Aransas County’s many flavors.
The first step was convincing hotel owners and ultimately voters to take advantage of the two-cent venue tax. Following a grassroots campaign engaging community and civic clubs, county residents approved the tax in 2011 with 70 percent voter approval.
Partners in the project include the cities of Rockport and Fulton, the Aransas County Navigation District, Aransas County Commissioners Court, Aransas Bird and Nature Club, Aransas County Historical Commission, Aransas County Historical Society, Aransas First, Aransas History Center, Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardeners and the Rockport-Fulton Chamber of Commerce.
County commissioners appointed volunteers to the Aransas Pathways Committee, which decided how the money would be spent and established a working timeline. In the beginning, about 120 possible projects were whittled down to 20. The committee is working with a $2.25 million annual budget, with plans to amass additional funds through state and federal grants. But most funding comes from tourists’ dollars. All venues are free to the public.
Staley’s military background helped him convey some of the unglamorous aspects of public parks to an enthusiastic army of volunteers.
“You can’t just create a trail, then walk away,” Staley says. “With people comes trash and possibly vandalism. There’s maintenance, trash pickup and sometimes wildlife issues. And there’s always safety to keep in mind. It’s a big commitment.”
Staley says everyone involved had to understand that this long-term commitment required careful planning and upkeep.
Staley and Rockport Parks and Leisure Services plays a consulting role to help with housekeeping and permitting issues as well as to help avoid construction and maintenance pitfalls. The county road department and the navigation district added to the expertise. Pathways Project Manager John Strothman handles the day-to-day operations, and the committee meets with Strothman twice monthly.
Tapping into so much volunteer enthusiasm radiating in different direction comes with challenges, and Strothman said at first it was a battle of ideas. But now when the group settles on a decision, they work toward shared goals as a team, he says. Strothman and the steering committee provide oversight, while individual committees work on their separate projects. For example, Master Gardeners designed the gardens for the history center.
Sandy Jumper, director of tourism and events at the Chamber of Commerce, is in charge of marketing. Jumper says the pathways project is not just about tourism, though it certainly showcases what the region offers to visitors, while expanding the number of venues.
“I’ve gotten calls from people who are amazed at all the new venues,” Jumper says. “Lots of reporters around the state are calling. But we wanted the benefit to go beyond this, so all of these venues are there for our citizens as well.”
Organizers insisted that technology play a role in navigating and highlighting the sites, so with the help of the Chamber of Commerce, they created a simple mobile app and website that lists each point on the path, with a description and Google Map directions a finger tap away. There is something for nearly every taste, from a remote paddle on a shallow bay or an easy pedal through a wooded trail. The Pathways app guides visitors through historic sites and art galleries to a full complement of shopping along Rockport’s famed Austin Street shops, and it allows them to savor the colorful seafood markets lining the downtown harbor.
David Sikes is the Outdoors Columnist for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times in Corpus Christi, Texas.