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July 31, 2012

Coalition Notes 07-30-2012

  1. RDA 2012 Design Charrette. Rice Design Alliance’s 2012 design charrette, “People, Places and Promenades,” will focus on creating a master plan for the Museum Park Super Neighborhood. The charrette will be held Saturday, August 4, 2012 from 8 am to 4 pm. ( A reception where the winning entries will be announced will be held on August 6, 2012 from 6 pm to 8 pm). More information is available at http://ricedesignalliance.org/.
  2. Paddling Texas Trails. Get outdoors this summer and paddle one of Texas’ 38 paddling trails. A fresh Video News Report is now available on the Texas Parks & Wildlife site called “Paddling Texas Trails.”There are more than 15 major river systems and 11,000 streams in Texas but finding a place to put in or take out a kayak or canoe can be difficult since much of the land on both sides of the bank is privately owned. Now Texas Parks and Wildlife has a plan to help get folks on the rivers by creating a series of paddling trails near urban areas. Here is a list of local trails:
    • Columbus Paddling Trail – Paddling the Colorado River through the town of Columbus you have the opportunity to see wildflowers, birds, turtles and more! This 6.5 mile trail can take anywhere from two to five hours to complete, and the peaceful waters and calm rapids will give you a wonderful day on the river.
    • Buffalo Bayou Paddling Trail (Houston) – This 26-mile paddling trail is the first paddling trail in Houston. Enjoy paddling through downtown Houston, enjoying the birds, turtles, fish and other wildlife found in this otherwise urban environment.
    • Christmas Bay Paddling Trail – The Christmas Bay Paddling Trail is a 19.1-mile circumnavigation of this pristine minor bay on the western end of the Galveston Bay complex. This small bay is unique since it supports the largest stand of seagrass (over 200 acres) on the upper Texas coast. This habitat is vital to a healthy fishery. Easily accessible from the Houston metropolitan area, the Christmas Bay Paddling Trail offers popular, shorter loops of 3.8 and 10.3 miles with outstanding coastal angling and bird watching opportunities.
    • Armand Bayou Paddling Trail – The Armand Bayou Paddling Trail follows Armand Bayou from near its confluence with Clear Lake, through the Armand Bayou Nature Center to Horsepen Bayou, where alligators in excess of 10 ft. are commonly seen. Much of the area is part of the Armand Bayou Coastal Preserve. More than 220 species of bird are found in the area, including osprey, roseate spoonbill, various egrets, herons and pelicans. The preserve offers a stunning glimpse into two increasingly rare ecosystems – a riparian coastal flatwoods forest and a coastal tall grass prairie. One popular access point to the trail is Bay Area Park located on Bay Area Boulevard. Paddlers who put-in at the park can either paddle upstream following a meandering bayou or downstream as the Bayou widens near Clear Lake.
    • Galveston Island State Park Paddling Trail – Galveston Island State Park hosts three paddling trails, the 2.6-mile Dana Cove (Lake Como) trail, the 4.8-mile Oak Bayou trail and the 2.8-mile Jenkins Bayou trail. The Jenkins Bayou trail begins at the western end of Clapper Rail Road and takes paddlers along the bayou and out to the marsh restoration terrace field. The Oak Bayou Trail is accessed along the main park road and also highlights the terrace field, as well as areas of natural high marsh where laughing gulls, various tern species and oystercatchers may be found nesting each spring. The Dana Cove (Lake Como) trail begins at the end of the main park and continues through the seagrass beds that have recolonized behind constructed geo-textile breakwaters.
  3. TAEP Call for Papers. The Texas Association of Environmental Professionals Environmental Challenges and Innovations Conference: Gulf Coast 2012 (ECIC12) Committee is seeking abstracts for sessions and workshops should be submitted to conference@taep.org before July 31, 2012.
  4. 2012 Bike Around the Bay. Registration is now open for Bike Around the Bay. It is a fun, fully supported 2-day, 180-mile bicycle ride that will take place October 13th-14th. All levels of riders are welcome and encouraged to register. Start a team, join a team, or register as an individual. Regular registration is open through September 28th ($30 + $150 donations) and late registration is open from September 29th – October 10th ($30 + $170 donations). Learn more and register at http://gbf.convio.net/. For more information or assistance in establishing a team, contact Jessica Curran at jcurran@galvbay.org.
  5. What’s Your Park Personality? The Trust for Public Land is encouraging everyone to have a little adventure by heading outside and visiting a park. Fancy yourself a trailblazer? Or are you a green thumb? How about a navigator? There’s more than one way to be a park person. Take the free online quiz and discover your park personality at http://www.tpl.org/.
  6. Save the Date: RDA Gala. Rice Design Alliance’s annual gala, honoring Stephen Klineberg and celebrating its 40th anniversary and the Rice School of Architecture’s 100th anniversary, will be held Sunday, October 14, 2012, at Rice University. More information is available at http://ricedesignalliance.org.