Coalition Notes 01-07-2013

1. Chevron Houston Marathon Run for a Reason Charity. It’s time to vote for your favorite charity! Chevron has partnered with the Houston Marathon Foundation to celebrate and recognize the success of Chevron Houston Marathon’s Run for a Reason Program. From December 19 – January 8, you can vote for your favorite Run for a Reason charity. (Limit one (1) vote per person.) Chevron will donate $50,000 to the charity that receives the most votes. The participating charities that are also partners of CEC include Buffalo Bayou Partnership and Memorial Park Conservancy. Visit http://houstonmarathon.wordpress.com/ and vote!
2. Houston Audubon Log Cabin Grand Re-Opening. The log cabin in Houston Audubon’s Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary is re-opening after its first major restoration in more than 20 years! The public is invited to a celebration on January 12th, 12:30-5:00pm, at the cabin, which will feature tours of the cabin, nature activities and crafts, face painting, live music by “Wild Ben & the Buccaneers”, live animals, and interactions with “Edith Moore” as interpreted by local actress Linda Royce. This event is free. Park in the Memorial Drive United Methodist Church west parking lot at 12955 Memorial Drive and enter the nature sanctuary through the marked gate. More at www.houstonaudubon.org.
3. Frank and Cindy Liu Distinguished Visitor Lecture Series – Peter Park. There is a great lecture coming up with Design Critic Peter J. Park on January 14 at 6pm at the BioScience Research Collective (6500 Main Street at University Blvd). Park, who works in Urban Planning and Design at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, served as planning director for two large U. S. cities over the last 16 years. In Milwaukee and Denver, his integrated approach to comprehensive planning, urban design, and development review resulted in clear visions for sustainable urban development, places of high quality design, and streamlined development permitting systems. He led the preparation of downtown plans, numerous neighborhood plans, and comprehensive zoning code updates in both cities. This lecture is part of the Chao Center for Asian Studies’ Frank & Cindy Liu Distinguished Visiting Lecture Series, and is co-sponsored by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, BetterHouston, CNU – Houston, and HoustonTomorrow. Please register for this event at https://signup.rice.edu/Liu/.
4. The 13th Annual Urban Harvest Fruit Tree Sale. Mark your calendar for this once a year fruit-tree-fest. The 13th Annual Urban Harvest Fruit Tree Sale will be held on Saturday, January 19, 2013, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or until sold out, at Houston Community College, 5601 West Loop South, just south of Hwy 59. This sale brings together far more types and varieties of fruit trees than can be found anywhere else in the greater Houston area. Best fruit trees are available only during the winter at this sale. For more information, visit http://www.urbanharvest.org/events/fruittreesales.html.
5. Katy Prairie Field Day. Want to get your hands dirty? The second Thursday of each month, from 8 am to 3 pm, KPC hosts Field Days, generally at our Indiangrass Preserve. Volunteers will work in KPC’s Coastal Prairie Native Seed Nursery watering, weeding, and potting seedlings. Occasionally, we work at other locations. Email info@katyprairie.org for more details.
6. GCBO Birds & Bottomlands Blitz. GCBO Birds & Bottomlands Blitz takes place on the 2nd Saturday of each month. The next even January 12th, 9-11am, at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory and will cover Trees and Shrubs of the Bottomlands with Michael Lange and Thomas Adams. Michael Lange is a biologist at the Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex and is in charge of their Columbia Bottomlands acquisition program. Thomas Adams is a botanist at the Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex. This is an outdoor event that will require hiking through woods and fields. Visit http://www.gcbo.org/ for more information.
7. HANC Class: Build a Nest Box for the Eastern Screech Owl. Birds of all kinds need protection from predators and bad weather and a safe place to raise their young. Improve our urban habitat for Houston’s most valuable owl, the Eastern Screech Owl, by taking this hands-on, family-friendly workshop. You’ll learn about the fascinating habits of the Eastern Screech Owl and build a nesting box from used lumber diverted from the local landfill by the City of Houston’s ReUse Warehouse. One child age 10 and up is welcome with each paid adult. The class will be held on January 13th, 1-3pm, at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. More at http://www.houstonarboretum.org/.
8. Hermann Park Bird Survey. The Hermann Park Bird Survey takes place on the 2nd Monday each month. The next survey will be held on January 14th, 8:30-11:30am, at Hermann Park (meet in the parking lot behind the Historic Golf Clubhouse). New participants are welcome. More at http://www.houstonaudubon.org/.
9. Bolivar Horseshoe Marsh Work Day. Bolivar Bolivar Horseshoe Marsh Work Days take place on the third Thursday of every month. The next work day is on January 17th, from 9am-12pm. Activities include planting and re-potting native grasses and wildflowers for a 5-acre coastal prairie restoration project. New volunteers are welcome! To sign up, please contact Flo Hannah at fhannah@houstonaudubon.org. More at http://cechouston.org/.