Coalition Notes 04-02-2012

1. Bayou Bash. The Bufalo Bayou Bayou Bash will take place on April 14th from 1-4pm at the Sabine Promenade. You can join over 400 bayou friends for live music by The Beans, crawfish, libations, lawn games, and more, along the banks of Buffalo Bayou. Tickets will be $20 for Bayou Buddies and $25 for non-members. There will be a $10 increase at the door. Tickets are available now. Visit http://www.buffalobayou.org/ to learn more and to purchase tickets.
2. 2012 Call of the Wild Speaker Series – Ian Bullock. The next lecture of the 2012 Call of the Wild Speaker Series will take place on April 5th at 7pm at the Houston Zoo Brown Education Center. The topic is ‘Polar Ecology: Puffins and Penguins in a Changing World’, and the speaker is Ian Bullock, Seabird Biologist with Oceanites Antarctic Penguin Monitoring Programme. Ian’s research experience extends to both Arctic and Antarctic regions, where a changing environment is now impacting polar seabird populations. Tickets for the lecture are $10-18. More at http://www.houstonzoo.org/lectureseries/.
3. Birds and Bottomlands Blitz – Wildflowers and Prairie Habitat. The Gulf Coast Bird Observatory is holding the Birds and Bottomlands Blitz on April 7th from 9-11am. The focus will be ‘Wildflowers and Prairie Habitat with Thomas Adams’. This is an outdoor event that will require hiking through woods and fields. More at http://www.gcbo.org/.
   
4. 4 The Park Fun Run. Memorial Park Conservancy is hosting the fourth annual “4The Park” race on April 7th. The races begin at 8am in the Picnic Loop. Participation in the run supports the Conservancy in preserving, restoring, and enhancing Memorial Park. Online registration closes April 6th at 7pm. Visit http://www.memorialparkconservancy.org/ for more.
5. Jones Park Photo Contest. A contest is great incentive for roving the trails looking for a great shot! One photo may be submitted for each category: wildlife, scenic/wildflowers, and people in the park. Only photos taken between May 1, 2011 and Monday, April 30, 2012 in Jones Park will be considered. Check web site at www.hcp4.net/jones for more details. Deadline is Monday, April 30, or postmarked by Wednesday, April 25 if mailed.
6. Memorial Park Changes. Memorial Park lost thousands of trees to the drought and is currently undergoing one of the largest reforestation efforts in an urban park. In addition to the dead trees removed along the roads by DRC Emergency Services Company, roughly half of the dead trees in the park will be removed to make room for replanting. These actions are part of a revised Forestry Plan that takes into account the devastating impact of the drought. Memorial Park Conservancy is offering tours (April 3 at 6:00 pm, April 4 at 7 am, and April 14 at various times) for the public to discuss the plans and give feedback. Visit http://www.memorialparkconservancy.org/ for more.
   
7. TNC Picnic for the Planet. The Nature Conservancy is promoting Picnic for the Planet throughout Texas. Picnic for the Planet is the world’s largest Earth Day celebration on April 22nd. You can attend an event in your area or even sign up to host one! Picnics can be done with your family, in the work place, or at your children’s schools. For more information, check out www.nature.org/earthday.
8. Activist Training – Clean Air and Water. Houston is the ninth smoggiest metropolitan area in the country and Galveston Bay is at risk because the Clean Water Act no longer protects our smaller streams and waterways. Keeping our air and water clean and safe in Texas isn’t always easy, but you can learn how to do it! Environment Texas and the Public Interest Network are holding an activist training in Houston on April 12th from 4-6pm at the Freed-Montrose Neighborhood Library (4100 Montrose Blvd). It’s free (though donations are welcomed and encouraged) and open to the public. Attend to learn the best ways to organize your community and meet fellow activists. Bring your family and your friends! Email tessa@environmenttexas.org for more information and to RSVP.
9. Gulf Coast Bird Observatory Spring Fling. Migration is heating up on the Gulf coast. Twice each year, billions of birds, entire species, swarm across the globe, traveling thousands of miles as they migrate between breeding and wintering grounds – stopping enroute to refuel at coastal stopover sites. GCBO manages its own patch of stopover habitat – the bird sanctuaries at Quintana just ten miles south of our Lake Jackson headquarters where we host a month-long Spring Fling Visitor Station each April. GCBO staff and volunteers assist with bird identification, provide local information and bird checklists, sell snacks and field guides, and post a daily bird list. With this year’s strong westerly weather pattern, Quintana is already attracting many atypical species like Green-tailed Towhee and Harris’s Sparrow. The Spring Fling Visitor Station operates daily during the month of April. For a map go to www.gcbo.org.
10. Give 5 for Conservation. On Saturday, April 21, the Katy Prairie Conservancy and four other Houston-area conservation groups — Bayou Land Conservancy, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Galveston Bay Foundation, and Houston Audubon — are collaborating for the inaugural Give 5% campaign! For more information, visit the Give 5 website.
11. Save the Date:
    • Earth Day Houston. Saturday, April 7, 2012. More at http://earthdayhouston.org/.
    • Green the Prairie. April 21st from 8am to noon. http://www.facebook.com/
    • Galveston Bay Oyster Appellation Tasting. April 21, 2012. www.galvbay.org.