Community Notes 09-10-2012

1. Kleb Woods Hummingbird Festival. Commissioner Radack’s annual Kleb Woods Hummingbird Festival at the Kleb Woods Nature Center, 20303 Draper Road at Mueschke Road in Tomball, will be Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012, 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. This year’s event will feature hummingbird expert Sumita Prasad, who will be capturing and banding the small birds and giving patrons a chance to closely examine the unique creatures. Kleb Woods Nature Center naturalist Kendra Kocab will present a program on how to identify hummingbirds and how to document sightings. Gary Clark, a professor at Lone Star College-North Harris and the author of a weekly newspaper column on nature, will also be there to discuss local hummingbirds. His talk will be illustrated by his wife – professional photographer Kathy Adams Clark. For more information, call (281) 357-5324.
2. Texas State Parks Geocache Challenge. Discover hidden items while revealing exciting facts and stories about Texas State Parks! Geocaches are hidden in many state parks, historic sites, and natural areas. The Texas Geocache Challenge will begin on October 1st at 8am when the coordinates will be released. Learn more at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/.
3. Campus RainWorks Challenge. The U.S. EPA’s Office of Water is pleased to announce the Campus RainWorks Challenge for undergraduate and graduate students. Student teams are invited to create an innovative green infrastructure design for a site on their campus showing how managing stormwater at its source can benefit the campus community and the environment. Winning teams will earn a cash prize, as well as research funds for their faculty advisor to conduct research on green infrastructure. More at http://water.epa.gov/.
4. 2013 Star Award Nominations. Star AwardsThe Houston West Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the 15th annual Economic Development Summit and Star Awards Luncheon in February. This exciting event aims to honor and recognize businesses that have had a positive impact on the West Houston economy in 2012. The Energy Corridor invites you to nominate businesses in our area that deserve to be recognized for their outstanding business performance, community outreach, and growth. To make your nomination for this year’s Star Awards, visit the Houston West Chamber of Commerce website to complete a nomination and application form. Read more at http://www.energycorridor.org/.
5. American Grants and Loans Catalog. The American Grants and Loans Catalog is now available. The new and revised 2012 edition contains more than 2800 financial programs, subsidies, scholarships, grants and loans offered by the US federal government. The Database is also available with IP recognition, which allows you to login without a username or password. Programs in the Catalog provide a wide range of benefits and services for categories such as: Agriculture, Disaster Prevention and Relief Education, Energy, Environmental Quality, Food and Nutrition, Health, Natural Resources, Regional Development, Science and Technology, Transportation, and more. The CD version is $69.95 and the printed version is $149.95. If interested, call 1 (888) 341-8645.
6. 2012 Leadership Award Winners. The State of Texas Alliance for Recycling has announced the winners of the 2012 Environmental Leadership Awards. Among the winners was The City of Houston – Joyce Marie Powell as the Volunteer of the Year. See the full list at http://recyclingstar.org/.
7. TV: Texas Parks & Wildlife. Broadcast on KUHT Channel 8 at 3:00 PM each Saturday and on cable channels in Baytown, Deer Park, Seabrook, and on HCC. More info on the TPWD website (* indicates a segment about the Houston area). This week’s broadcast will include:
   • Reclaiming the River – Colorado River
   • Lone Star Land Steward: Colorado County WMA
   • Village Creek State Park*
   • A Place to Hunt
8. Air Quality Forecast. http://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/monops/forecast_today.html. Houston Clean Air Network and Realtime Ozone Mapping: http://houstoncleanairnetwork.com.
   • September 11: Orange–Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups–Ozone. Winds may be light enough and incoming background levels high enough for ozone levels to reach “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” on the north and northwest side of the Houston area with highest concentrations in the afternoon and early evening.
   • September 12: Yellow–Moderate–Ozone–Winds may be light enough and incoming background levels high enough for ozone to reach “Moderate” levels on the north and northwest side of the Houston with highest concentrations in the afternoon and early evening
   • August 29: Green–Good. Decreasing background levels, increasing clouds, and moderate winds should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.
   • On September 7 & 10, 2012, TCEQ issued Air Pollution Warnings – Level Orange for unhealthy levels of ozone in the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria areas. During a Level Orange warning, active children and adults as well as people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor exposure.