Coalition Notes 12-08-2010

1. HANC Winter Holiday Native Tree & Shrub Sale. The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center will be selling over 30 different species of hard to find native trees and shrubs. The sale lasts from December 11 to 19, from 9am to 4pm each day. For more information, visit http://www.houstonarboretum.org/nativeplantsale_wintersale.asp.
2. Audubon Action Alert for White Stallion. National Audubon has sent out an Action Alert to urge the EPA to deny the permit for the White Stallion coal plant. Find the Audubon text and take action link below. Please feel free to send individual comments to help protect the Columbia Bottomlands and other important birding areas. More at http://www.houstonaudubon.org.
3. Texas Christmas Bird Counts. The 111th annual Christmas Bird Count, which is organized by the National Audubon Society, is scheduled for December 14, 2010 to January 5, 2011. Many bird counts will be taking place in the Houston area. To find a count nearby, visit http://www.houstonaudubon.org/default.aspx/MenuItemID/827/MenuGroup/CBC.htm.
4. Holiday in Sheldon Lake State Park. Sheldon Lake State Park is hosting a Holiday Celebration on December 11, 2010, from 1pm until 4pm. Activities include crafting fruit and origami ornaments, a nature walk, making recycled paper seed plots, face-painting, and writing letters to Santa. To learn more, visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=120872924639700.
5. BTA Welcomes New Executive Director. The Big Thicket Association is proud to announce that Dr. Teresa Tomkins-Walsh is now the executive director of the association. Terry brings to BTA a very diverse set of experiences. She has served as a contract archivist for the Houston Endowment and is currently director of the Houston History Archives in the University of Houston Center for Public History. She has also worked with the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, the Bayou Preservation Association, and The Park People and is now welcomed to BTA.
6. Gulf Coast Green 2011. The Gulf Coast Green 2011 Symposium and Expo, which is taking place in May 2011, is seeking presenters from architecture, interiors, planning, engineering, contracting, education, energy analysis, and other building-related professions. If interested, visit gulfcoastgreen.org to submit an application. The deadline for applications is December 22, 2010.