Community Notes 9-29-2010

1. Take Me Outdoors Houston. TPWD’s Take Me Outdoors Houston is set for Saturday, October 2, 2010, at Discovery Green. This is a family-oriented festival of the outdoors that will provide hands-on activities, booths, and opportunities to engage audiences who haven’t ever or don’t often get exposure to the great outdoors. For more information, visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website.
2. Forest Service 101 – An Introduction to Forest Service Planning Processes. The Sam Houston Trails Coalition (SHTC) will be holding a workshop to introduce the basics of how the Forest Service operates. The event will happen on Saturday, October 2, 2010,  from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Double Lake Shelter. More information on the CEC website.
3. SCS Land Use Conference. The Shell Center for Sustainability presents its annual sustainability conference on Tuesday, October 5, 2010. The focus this year is on land use in the Houston region. The conference presents twenty speakers in one day. There is no cost to attend. Registration is available online at http://shellcenter.rice.edu/Content.aspx?id=446.
4. “Texas Legacy Project: Stories of Courage and Conservation.” The Conservation History Association of Texas is delighted to announce the publication of a book, The Texas Legacy Project:  Stories of Courage and Conservation, edited by David Todd and David Weisman, featuring excerpts from more than 60 narrators, and by Texas A&M Press. There will be a book-signing on October 7, 2010, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at Brazos Bookstore. More at http://www.texaslegacy.org/bb/book.html.
5. Pepsi Refresh Project. The Green Ribbon Schools program of Texas Children in Nature Coalition has entered the Pepsi Refresh Project. On October 1st, they will be looking for online votes to win a  $250,000 grant to further develop the Green Schools program. Become a fan on Facebook to keep up with the project.
6. Students Against Bay City Coal Plant. St. Catherine’s Montessori students head to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in Austin this week to speak out against the proposed White Stallion Energy Center in Bay City, TX. Students have recently expressed their opposition to the proposed “clean coal” plant.
7. Final Public Hearing on Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan. Over the past 8 months the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has been developing a new Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan. The results have been compiled for the public to review and provide feedback. The final hearing will be held in Austin. If unable to attend, visit the website to review the draft and provide comments at http://www.dot.state.tx.us/public_involvement/transportation_plan/default.htm.
8. Air Quality Forecast. http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/compliance/monitoring/air/monops/forecast_today.html or http://www.ghasp.org/air-quality-aqi/.
   • September 31: Orange–Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. Winds may be light enough and background levels high enough for ozone to reach “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” on the south side of the Houston metro area and well downwind along the coast into the Coastal Bend area.
   • October 1: Yellow–Moderate. Winds may be light enough and background levels high enough for ozone to reach “Moderate” or possibly higher levels.
   • October 2: Yellow–Moderate. Winds may be light enough and background levels high enough for ozone to reach “Moderate” or possibly higher levels.
   • On September 29, TCEQ issued issued an Air Pollution Warning – Level Orange for ozone levels unhealthy for sensitive groups in the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria area.