Community Notes 04-27-2011

1. Earth Day Celebration. Environmental Services and Parks and Recreation Departments from the city of Pasadena have organized an Earth Day Celebration at Burke-Crenshaw Park on April 30, 2011, from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Join the City of Pasadena to learn about environmental conservation while enjoying a day of fishing. Bring a blanket or chairs and stay afterwards to enjoy a free environmental movie in the park. Free hot dogs and drinks during the day and pop-corn in the evening. For more information call Luz Locke at 713-475-7264 or e-mail llocke@ci.pasadena.tx.us.
2. New Recycling Totes for the West University Little League Fields. Recycling totes will be paired with trash totes and have been placed in 12 locations throughout the West University Little League Fields fields. West U residents generate 5.3 lbs of trash per day per person, and approximately 4.3 lbs of this is recyclable. These totes can help the community’s recycling effort. For more information, visit http://instantnewswestu.com/2011/04/22/18686/.
3. Texas Nature Challenge. The goal of Texas Nature Challenge is to get families and kids outdoors by visiting as many participating parks and nature areas in Texas as they can this summer. The contest calls for families to visit designated nature sites across the region in which they live, completing missions at each site. The families who complete the most missions are eligible for a grand prize. The contest begins on April 30th and will end August 13th. To learn more, visit http://naturechallenge.tamu.edu/.
4. Free Trail Maps. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is celebrating the completion of Great Texas Wildlife Trails by giving away free large colorful trail maps that make it easy to find places to watch wildlife in Texas. The free trail maps can be picked up at any state park or TxDOT travel information center while supplies last, or by visiting the TPWD website: www.tpwd.state.tx.us.
5. Blackwood Nature Camp. May 1st is the last day to register for th Blackwood Nature Camp. There are three week-long sessions throughout the summer aimed at children, ages 8 to 13. Internships are also available for students ages 14 to 17. The camp is full of outdoor activities, such as natural crafts, adventure games, self-confidence building and group problem solving, exploring, swimming, canoeing, carving, nature journaling, dreaming, story telling, hiking, family overnights, and more. For more information, visithttp://www.blackwoodland.org/nature_camp/.