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September 24, 2012

Coalition Notes 09-24-2012

  1. Houston Green Film Series: Urbanized. The Houston Green Film Series will continue on September 26, 2012, at the Rice Media Center (2030 University Blvd) from 6:30-8:30pm. The film, ‘Urbanized,’ examines cities and the issues and strategies behind urban design. It features some of the world’s foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers. More at http://www.facebook.com/.
  2. Houston Audubon’s Fall Event: That’s Crowbiz! Come hear about the complex and fascinating social life of the American Crow, one of our the interesting but least appreciated birds. The speaker is Kevin J. McGowan, instructor for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Home Study Course in Bird Biology and online short-course, Courtship and Rivalry in Birds. Kevin will share insights gained from 25 years of following the life stories of over 2,000 banded individual crows. Family values, care giving, slumber parties, neighborhood watch, dynasties, treachery, and murder. It’s all there! The event will take place on September 27, 2012, at 7pm at the United Way Center (50 Waugh). Learn more at http://www.houstonaudubon.org/.
  3. Green Building Tour: University of Texas School of Nursing. As one in a series of free tours of green buildings in Houston, you are invited to see the LEED Gold UT School of Nursing, on Friday, September 28, 2012, in an “open house style” guided tour approximately every 30 minutes from 11am to 2pm. The Tour will begin at the University of Texas School of Nursing, 6901 Bertner Avenue, Houston, Texas 77030. Please visit www.houstontx.gov/mayor/leedtour.pdf for more details and a map.
  4. Bike Around the Bay! Sign up for a FUN fully supported 2-day, 180-mile bicycle ride. All levels of riders are welcome and encouraged to register. Start a team, join a team, or register as an individual using the buttons to the right. This great ride benefits the Galveston Bay Foundation. Regular registration ends on September 28, 2012. Learn more at http://gbf.convio.net/.
  5. Houston Toad Teacher Workshop. Several organizations are teaming up, including the Houston Zoo, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, LCRA, and Amphibian Ark to offer the first ever Houston Toad Teacher Workshop on Saturday, September 29, 2012, at McKinney Roughs Nature Park in Bastrop, Texas. This workshop and education program is designed so you can get all of the facts, resources and activities you need to talk about amphibians and the Houston toad in the classroom, or with the public. Participants of the FREE workshop will receive 4 state continuing education teacher credits from the Houston Zoo and a free flash drive which will include an educators guide, video clips, frog and toad calls, and tons of activities and resources. To register, email rachel@amphibianark.org. When you register please provide your full name, email address, school or organization, and county you teach in. Learn more at http://houstonwilderness.org/index.php/.
  6. Willow Waterhole Harvest Moon Festival. See the Harvest Moon rising… take a horse-drawn hayride; take the kids on a ride on a miniature train or just stroll the Willow Waterhole paths as the moon peeks above the horizon. The Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy will be holding the Harvest Moon Festival on September 29, 2012, from 6-8pm at the South Gazebo at Willow Waterhole Conservation Reserve (5300 Dryad Drive). Admission is free. Learn more at http://www.facebook.com/.
  7. Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center 30th Anniversary Celebration. Celebrate the 30th anniversary of Jones Park with Commissioner R. Jack Cagle, staff, volunteers, and friends at a concert on the outdoor stage featuring the Lone Star College Steel Drum Bank, directed by Jeff Gleason, with Commissioner Cagle addressing the park’s beginnings and its future. The celebration will be on October 6, 2012, from 3-6pm. Bring lawn chairs and picnic baskets for a relaxing afternoon in the park. Tea and lemonade will be served. This is a free event. Visit http://www.hcp4.net/jones/ for more information.
  8. Kayaking Courses. Artist Boat is offering advanced kayak courses this fall and spring break. The first course is ACA Quickstart for paddlers wanting more knowledge on paddling and safety skills. This 4-hour course will be held on October 20th, November 17th, and December 1st. The second course is for people wanting to become certified kayak instructors. All classes are limited in size. To learn more, contact Kelly Cloughly at 409-770-0722 or download the flyers at http://www.guidrynews.com/.
  9. Artist Boat – Kayak Raffle. Would you like to own your own kayak but it’s too expensive? Here’s your chance! Artist Boat is raffling a $1700 kayak which could be yours for only $10 per raffle ticket! This year you can even buy raffle tickets right online! Entrance tickets for Float the Boat festival are also available online. Purchase tickets at: http://www.artistboat.org/float-the-boat.html. The Float the Boat Fundraiser on November 9th at Galveston Artist Residency (2521 Ships Mechanic Row).
  10. Center for Houston’s Future IMPACT Dinner and Conversation with James Fallows. Honor IMPACT Award Finalists Bill Boyar, Ruthanne Mefford and Sylvia Mayer with the Center for Houston’s Future on October 4, 2012, 6-7pm, at the River Oaks Country Club. There will be dinner and a conversation with James Fallows, National Correspondent for The Atlantic and youngest ever Chief White House Speechwriter. Register online at https://www.houston.org/.
  11. Wetland Field Day at Sheldon Lake State Park. If you have an interest in restoring or recreating freshwater wetlands, head out to Sheldon Lake State Park on October 18, 2012, 10am-3pm, for a Wetland Field Day. The event will be held at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s regional offices on 14200 Garrett Rd at Sheldon Lake State Park in northeast Harris County. The Field Day will showcase the project with presentations from local experts in the morning, followed by a visit to the wetlands in the afternoon. The Sheldon Lake prairie wetland represents a new and unique approach to restoration, combining modern mapping and geo-positioning with traditional methods for restoring freshwater wetland systems. The event is free and lunch will be provided, but reservations are required. To learn more, contact Marissa Sipocz at 281-450-9674 or m-sipocz@tamu.edu or visit http://agrilife.org/.
  12. Go With the Flow: Stormwater Management in a Challenging Environment. Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens first Sustainable Landscape Conference is scheduled for Friday, October 19, 2012. Learn cutting-edge solutions for building infrastructure to protect property from floods and severe drought. The Greater Houston region is experiencing wild swings in rainfall that is generating both raging floods and severe drought, leading to catastrophic loss of property and productivity. How can we build our infrastructure to protect ourselves from these disasters while conserving a precious resource? This conference, led by engineers, landscape architects, and public park and infrastructure managers, will offer first-hand insight into, and examples of, cutting-edge solutions being implemented in a diverse range of local projects. For more information, visit http://themercersociety.org.
  13. Two Zero Emission Vehicle Projects Selected by Department of Energy. Earlier this year, Houston-Galveston Area Council submitted two proposals in response to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Zero Emission Cargo Transportation funding solicitation. H-GAC was recently notified that the two zero emission vehicle demonstration projects have been recommended for award. The awards will provide a combined $5.8 million for the demonstration and deployment of zero emission trucks within the Houston region. Project partners will provide a cost share of more than $6.1 million. The first project will demonstrate 30 all-electric heavy-duty delivery vehicles built by Smith Electric Vehicles, in collaboration with the Center for Transportation and Environment, UPS, Frito-Lay, Coca-Cola, Cintas, and Federal Express. The second project will demonstrate 20 hydrogen-electric heavy-duty drayage trucks built by Vision Industries Corporation, in collaboration with Total Transportation Services, Environmental Defense Fund, and Air Products and Chemicals.
  14. Save the Date!