Coalition Notes 10-05-2011

1. Bike Around the Bay: October 8-9, 2011. Venture out for the fifth annual Bike Around the Bay cycling event. The ride is a fully supported two-day, 150-mile bicycle ride around Galveston Bay showcasing the natural beauty of Galveston Bay and benefiting the Galveston Bay Foundation. It starts in Anahuac, Texas at Fort Anahuac Park and continues along a scenic route that includes many fascinating sights and highlights. Riders will spend the night in Galveston where they will enjoy an informal dinner with other cyclists and friends and family. Day 2 will bring the riders north along the west side of Galveston Bay where they will ultimately finish outside of Baytown, Texas. Register today at www.bikearoundthebay.org.
2. WETMAAP – Wetland Education through Maps and Aerial Photography.Galveston Bay Foundation is offering the WETMAAP teacher training on Saturday, October 8, 2011. To register, contact: Rani Henderson Manager of Education Programs, 281-332-3381 x212 or rhenderson@galvbay.org. This workshop:
   • Provides U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) topographic maps and aerial photographs in standard size formats for reproduction and teaching
   • Facilitates teaching and learning of science, geography and math standards
   • Encourages place-based learning with local examples
   • Is ideal for middle school teachers, but also appropriate for all formal and informal educators
   • Includes introductions to the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance
   • Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
   • Reviews wetland functions and values
   • Uses aerial photos, topographic and habitat maps to understand wetlands changes of recent decades
   • Provides participants with $100 worth of aerial photographs and maps with an instructional binder and other materials
3. Float the Boat for Artist Boat. Help Float the Boat is this weekend on Saturday from 6-9:30 p.m. at Eiband’s on Postoffice during ArtWalk. Over $30,000 worth of retail items, hotel and vacation stays, great services, and gift items have been donated for the silent auction (this is where you come and bid like you mean it). There will be Alligator Handshake playing live music, bartenders with lots of wine, and even a raffle for a $1,000+ Necky Sea Kayak. Through Artist Boat, over 50,000 youth have experienced Galveston Bay and our natural environment over the past 9 years. More at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Artist-Boat/102364863794.
4. Houston Green Film Series: Botany of Desire. The Houston Green Film Series will continue on October 11th with the film Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. Botany of Desire is a two-hour PBS documentary based on the best-selling book by Michael Pollan that takes viewers on an eye-opening exploration of our relationship with the plant world – seen from the plants’ point of view. To learn more about the showing, visit http://usgbctexasgulfcoast.org.
5. Let the Battle Begin: Unveiling of Buffalo Bayou Invasive Plant Eradication Unit. Internationally recognized artist Mark Dion will unveil his uniquely envisioned “rugged emergency response vehicle” to its Houston home. The Buffalo Bayou Invasive Plant Eradication Unit will serve as part work station, laboratory, book mobile and beacon for public outreach in the battle against invasive plant species along Buffalo Bayou. Equipped with tools, field guides and books that encourage ongoing engagement with the environment, Dion’s creation provides an ethical, aesthetic and functional tool to promote ecological stewardship of one of our city’s finest assets. The unveiling will take place on October 12th from 6:30-8pm at Downtown’s Sabine Promenade. Please RSVP to Trudi Smith at tsmith@buffalobayou.org or 713-752-0314 ext. 3. For more information, visit http://www.buffalobayou.org/publicartplan.html.
6. Native Plant Society of Texas Annual Symposium. The Native Plant Society of Texas Annual Symposium will be held from October 13th-16th at the Omni Houston Hotel at Westside. The theme of the symposium is: Habitat CPR: Creating, Preserving, and Restoring Native Habitats in a Changing World, Featuring the Coastal Prairies and Marshes of Texas. The dual purpose theme will explore the various components of the Texas Coastal Prairies and Marshes and their significance as an important eco-habitat. For more on the symposium, visit http://npsot.org/.
7. Global Climate Change and Infectious Disease. Wednesday, October 19, 2011 Time 6:30 social, 7 – 8:30 p.m. Meeting Location Bay Area Community Center, 5002 NASA Parkway, Seabrook 77586. The Galveston Bay Area Sierra Club Houston presents Dr. Kim Schuenke, the Associate Director for the Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Disease at UTMB in Galveston, who will discuss diseases transmitted by insects which are on the rise. Dr. Schuenke will discuss factors that contribute to this phenomenon, and local efforts regarding disease surveillance and mosquito control. The One Health, One Medicine concept will also be discussed, in which we recognize that human, animal, and environmental health are closely related and intimately linked. Contact: Grace Martinez/281-732-1201 or Kim Schuenke/409-771-3060 gracemartinez7@earthlink.net kischuen@utmb.edu
8. Bioblitz 2011: Where Everyone Counts! Katy Prairie Conservancy is hosting Bioblitz 2011 on October 22nd. Expert biologists and amateur naturalists will take to the field to observe and record as many living species of plants, birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, fish, and fungi as they can during a one day period. This exciting day of citizen science will add to our understanding of the rich biodiversity of the Katy Prairie and will also highlight the need to conserve a sustainable part of this irreplaceable habitat. For more information, visit http://www.katyprairie.org/Katyprairiebioblitz.html, and to register, email Jaime Gonzalez at jgonzalez@katyprairie.org.
9. 8th Annual BPA Symposium. The Bayou Preservation Association (BPA) proudly presents its 8th Annual Water Symposium, “Water Quality Stewardship: The Past, Present and Future State of our Water Quality”. Friday, November 4, 2011, 7:30 am to 3:30 pm. This forum focuses on the current state of water quality in our bayous with policy–makers, stakeholders and government officials discussing how projects in our area incorporate features to address water quality now and in the future. Other key topics to be covered include a pictorial history of the bayou system; regulations and upcoming issues in water quality, water sustainability, a long range plan to address bacteria in our bayous, an update on Rebuild Houston, and local guidelines for Low Impact Development. Together, City of Houston Mayor Annise Parker and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. The keynote speaker for the event is COL Christopher W. Sallese, District Engineer and Commanding Officer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District. Register today at http://www.bayoupreservation.org/2011_Symposium.
10. The Raptors Are Coming! En-Raptor-Ed Family Day Event Saturday, November 5, 11 am – 1 pm Benefiting the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory Honoring Jan Cato, Event Founder & Friend to Birds Located at The Kinkaid School 201 Kinkaid Drive, Houston The stars of the show are raptors from naturalist Jonathan Wood’s The Raptor Project. His raptor entourage includes birds of prey from every habitat on the planet: Arctic, Desert, Rainforest, Wetland, Prairie, Woodland and Tundra. Think falcons, hawks, owls, eagles! Lunch provided by Beck’s Prime Burgers, Dogs and Chicken. Adults $100, Children $10 For further information: www.gcbo.org.
11. State of the Gulf Report. Save Our Gulf members of the Waterkeeper Alliance recently released the comprehensive State of the Gulf Report. The report was written from the perspective of the seven members of the Waterkeeper Alliance situated on the front lines in the Gulf Coast region whose communities continue to be directly impacted by the this ongoing disaster. The report documents progress, current gulf conditions, and makes recommendations for restoration. The report can be found at http://saveourgulf.org/updates/.