Coalition Notes – 2010-09-09

1. GCBO’s Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza. Hummers are already arriving and the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory sanctuary is just about ready. GCBO looks forward to sharing its hummingbirds with you! Be sure to join GCBO on September 11th and/or 18th when we will host our annual Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza. This year’s XHX will be held the middle two Saturdays of the month to allow everyone a chance to attend. You can watch hummingbird banding, symbolically adopt a hummingbird, browse the Nature Store, hear exciting guest speakers, walk the nature trails, climb our new bird observation tower overlooking the Heron’s Haunt Wetland, or buy a plant to attract hummingbirds and butterflies to your own garden. More at www.gcbo.org.
2. Cash for Nash. Native Plant Society of Texas – Houston’s (NPSOT-H) is holding a fundraiser in support of the purchase of Nash Prairie property by the Nature Conservancy. Donors can purchase 4-inch pots of Texas Coneflower, Rudbeckia texana, for $5 each. NPSOT-H contracted Doremus Nursery of Warren to grow 200 pots from locally collected seeds. All profits will be donated to Nature Conservancy for the purchase of Nash Prairie. People may also donate these plants to local prairie restoration projects at (among others) Project Blazing Star ( Hermann Park ), Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, Pocket Prairies sponsored by Houston Audubon, Nature Discovery Center in Bellaire, Sheldon Lake State Park, Armand Bayou Nature Center, and Katy Prairie Conservancy. Please contact Sheryl Marquez, (Trisheratops@aol.com or 832.859.9252) to order. Plants may be picked up at the WildScapes Workshop on September 11, 2010.
3. State of the Prairie Conference. Registration for the 2010 State of the Prairie Conference is available online. The conference will take place November 4th and 5th. There will be presentations focused on prairie restoration techniques, educational resources, and protection through the use of conservation easements. To register, visit http://www.coastalprairiepartnership.org/?xg_source=msg_mes_network.
4. Brazilian Peppertree Removal on Galveston Island. Galveston Bay Foundation is engaged in a project to eradicate Brazilian peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolius) from Galveston Island. This opportunistic species quickly forms dense thickets, shading out native vegetation and drastically affecting plant and animal communities. Please visit the GBF website to read more about this project.
5. President’s Service Awards Go to Jesse Jones Park Volunteers. Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center announced it conferred the President’s Volunteer Service Award, a national honor offered in recognition of volunteer service, on nineteen volunteers and one volunteer family Monday, August 30 2010. Volunteers received certificates signed by President Obama and president’s service pins. Established in 2003, the award is available to individuals, groups, and families who have met or exceeded requirements for volunteer service, and have demonstrated exemplary citizenship through volunteering. Volunteers have contributed over 10,000 hours to the park in the past year by serving in such diverse areas as assisting with arts and crafts, programs, the volunteer newsletter, and the office; counseling at summer nature camp; festival food service; gardening; maintaining trails through the Adopt-a-Trail program; offering guided tours; and presenting living history demonstrations in the pioneer homestead. To engage new volunteers and present information regarding service opportunities, Jones Park offers a Volunteer Open House Saturday, September 25 at 10 a.m. More on the Harris County website.
6. Air Pollution Solutions New Educational Adventure for Middle School Students. Air Pollution Solutions is another successful partnering of curriculum specialist Cheryl Kaplan and AirAlliance Houston’s tried and true best practice tools of teaching health and science lessons through theater. In Air Pollution Solutions, the students learn the basic facts of air pollution: what it is, where it comes from, and what they can do about it. Students are lead through an improvisational drama where they are able to act out possible solutions to afternoon ozone exposure. More on the AirAlliance Houston website.
7. Scarecrow Contest at Armand Bayou Nature Center. ABNC is adding a scarecrow competition to its annual Martyn Farm Harvest Celebration and local environmental groups may want to participate. There is no entry fee, preferred construction materials are recycled, and the scarecrow design can be themed to feature the sponsoring group or organization. Applications are due 10/9/10 and installation begins 10/16/10. More on the ABNC website.