Coalition Notes 08-27-2012

1. Redfish Raft-Up Benefiting the Galveston Bay Foundation. GBF’s annual Redfish Raft-Up will be held the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, September 2, 2012 in Galveston Bay. Get ready for a day on the water enjoying live music by Kelly McGuire from the Star Gazer or from the comfort of your own boat. This 2012 Labor Day Redfish Raft-Up Cruise will be the 8th annual event and has a huge following of fans who come year after year. The Star Gazer Yacht will depart from Star Fleet’s private Kemah marina and head past the Kemah Boardwalk and out into Galveston Bay. The yacht will cruise 8 miles to Redfish Island where it will drop anchor surrounded by hundreds of boats of all shapes and sizes. You will not want to miss this special Houston Labor Day Redfish Raft-Up Party Event! Learn more at http://galvbay.org/events.
   
2. Whole Foods Market 5% Community Giving Day – Buffalo Bayou Partnership. Visit a Whole Foods Market in the Houston and Sugar Land Area on September 5th! The stores will donate 5% of that day’s net sales to Buffalo Bayou Partnership, an organization dedicated to the revitalization and transformation of Buffalo Bayou. Shop for groceries and show your support! Visit www.buffalobayou.org for more information.
3. GCBO Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza. 8:00am to noon. Autumn is hummingbird season in Texas, as thousands of these tiny creatures move through the state on their southward migration to Mexico and Central America. Join the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory September 8th and 15th to see hummingbirds being banded, adopt a hummingbird, browse the Nature Store, walk the nature trails, or buy a plant to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. More at www.gcbo.org.
   
4. 2012 Wildscapes Workshop and Native Plant Sale. Don’t miss the 2012 Wildscapes Workshop and Native Plant Sale at the Houston Zoo’s Brown Education Center on September 8th from 8:30am-3:30pm. The theme of the Wildscapes Workshop: Landscaping with Native Plants to Attract Wildlife. Topics include Saving the College Park Prairie, Invasive Plants, Gardening for Wildlife, and Reconnecting People With Nature. This event will feature a wide variety of hard-to-find native plants that support butterflies and birds. Pre-registration is required. Lunch, refreshments, and entry to the zoo are included in registration ($35 per person; $30 for NPSOT members). Learn more at http://npsot.org/Houston/.
5. TWRC Wildlife Center Expansion. The TWRC Wildlife Center has expanded with another location in The Woodlands. The center opened on July 23rd and is now accepting ill, injured, and orphaned animals brought in by caring individuals from the community. The current hours of operation are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. The physical address is 1118 Pruitt Road (across from the Montgomery County Preserve). Learn more about the organization at http://www.twrcwildlifecenter.org/.
6. Mini Wonders Celebration at Children’s Museum of Houston. The Children’s Museum of Houston has fun-filled week of problem-solving activities and idea-discovering at the exclusive Tot*Spot exhibit (for children 35 months and under) and throughout the entire Museum. This exciting week starts on August 23rd and runs through the 29th. There are many opportunities for kids to learn about going green with activities like making necklaces from recycled materials, sorting items into a reduce, reuse or recycle bin at the EcoStation, and playing the “Go Green Game.” Learn more at http://www.cmhouston.org/.
7. Introduction to Wildlife Rehabilitation. TWRC Wildlife Center is growing and we are in need of wildlife rehabilitators. With our recent expansion into The Woodlands, our admissions have increased. Rehabilitating wildlife and returning healthy animals to the wild is a very rewarding experience. TWRC Wildlife Center is offering a free 3-hour class, “Introduction to Wildlife Rehabilitation”, on September 15 beginning at 10:00am. The class is designed to provide more information to those interested in wildlife rehabilitation and will give you the opportunity to ask questions. The class is being held at the South Regional Library, 2101 Lake Robbins Drive in The Woodlands. Reservations are required and you can register at www.twrcwildlifecenter.org. The deadline for reservations is Wednesday, September 12th. You must be 21 years of age to rehabilitate wildlife. For more information, please contact Cheryl Conley at: vicepresident@twrcwildlifecenter.org. If you love wildlife, you’ll want to attend this class!
8. USGBC – Texas Gulf Coast Chapter named BBB Accredited Charity. The U.S. Green Building Council-Texas Gulf Coast Chapter was recently awarded the Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity seal, which recognizes chapter as a mission-driven, transparent and efficient non-profit organization. This seal is considered one of the highest benchmarks a non-profit organization can receive. It is designed to help sponsors and community members understand how effective a non-profit accomplishes its mission. Read more at http://www.reuters.com/.
   
9. Houston Clean Air Network and Realtime Ozone Mapping. On August 20, 2012, the University of Houston, Air Alliance Houston, and the American Lung Association, Plains-Gulf Region launched the Houston Clean Air Network website and the first real-time ozone map designed to reach a wide range of users at a local level. This groundbreaking resource promises to change the way Houston-area resident view ozone and individual exposure. Visit the website to learn more: http://houstoncleanairnetwork.com. You check the weather when you go out…now you can check the air quality, too.