IKE AND OUR ENVIRONMENT

Here is a brief recap of what is going on with many of our member groups, as of Oct 3.

Up and running:

• Armand Bayou Nature Center is open again but the boathouse still needs some repair and Bay Area Park remains closed, so pontoon boat tours and canoe paddles are being postponed.
• Nature Discovery Center in Bellaire is open.
• Houston Zoo is open, with clean-up help from one of our new elephants, 3-year-old Tucker, who arrived with his mother in mid August. Baby Mac, who is almost two, did not have to help – at least there are no pictures of his at work.

Clean up help needed:

• Houston Audubon sanctuaries need help and donations to restore sanctuaries on High Island. See the Audubon society’s website.
• Buffalo Bayou Partnership will be having bayou clean ups focused on repairing the damage that Ike left in his wake every Saturday for the next few months. To find out how to help, please email Jessalyn at jballard@buffalobayou.org. Boat tours are suspended.

Closed, cancelled, displaced:

• Houston Arboretum is closed for an indefinite time and classes and events are cancelled until further notice. Check the Arboretum’s website or call (713) 681-8433 for recorded updates. Volunteers may still be needed.
• Galveston Bay Foundation’s office in Webster did not sustain any damage but its 2008 LyondellBasell Bike Around the Bay Bike Ride has been cancelled. However, all riders are invited to Galveston the weekend of October 18-19 for a “Bike Around the Bay” volunteer event. Send an e-mail to vmintzer@galvbay.org.
• Lake Houston Park is closed for repairs. For information about Houston parks and to find out how to help, see the park’s website.
• Most of the Texas state parks in the path of Hurricane Ike are open for business. However, Galveston Island and Sea Rim state parks suffered catastrophic damage, and will be closed for some time. Brazos Bend, Lake Livingston, Martin Dies Jr. and Village Creek state parks are expected to reopen soon. San Jacinto Battlegrounds Historic Site in La Porte and the San Jacinto Monument are closed. For current status of state parks, go online.
• Galveston Houston Association for Smog Prevention and Mothers for Clean Air are temporary tenants at the American Lung Association, 2030 North Loop W # 250
Houston, TX 77018. The phone remains the same – (713) 528-3779. The roof of their office building was severely damaged.
• Artist Boat, which was based in Galveston, will relocate to Young Audiences of Houston. The new address is 1800 Saint James Pl # 303 Houston, TX 77056. The new phone number is (713) 520-9264.

Billboards

• As you see billboards of any size in our area that have been damaged, please take a photo, note the address, and email the information to storm@scenichouston.org. If the billboard is “totaled” it will not be allowed to be rebuilt.

Resources for Recovery

• H-GAC has compiled a list of resources to assist local governments, businesses, and the agricultural industry in their recovery.