Community Notes 02-04-2013

1. Biomimicry: Emulating Nature’s Genius to Inspire Innovation for a Sustainable Future. Learn about biomimicry at an adult lecture with Linda Paisley on February 6, 2013, at 7pm at the Nature Discovery Center (7112 Newcastle Street). Biomimicry offers a holistic and deeply rooted method for achieving true sustainability. Nature embodies more than four billion years of experience perfecting the designs and behaviors that make organisms and living systems thrive. Biomimicry is the investigation and search of nature for solutions to humanity’s form, process, and system design challenges. Attend for an exciting talk about cutting edge theory for urban planning, architecture, home living, and meeting environmental challenges. Linda Paisley is a certified Biomimicry Specialist, she has participated in Biomimicry Workshops in Peru, Arizona, and in Austin, Texas. Linda also serves on the Boards of the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center and the Blackwood Land Institute. Light refreshments are served. More here.
2. 2013 OHBA Summit. The Organic Horticulture Benets Alliance (OHBA) hosts their annual OHBA Summit on February 9, 2013. The organic education conference will be held at the United Way Building, located at 50 Waugh Dr, Houston TX, 77007 from 7:30 AM- 4:45 PM. OHBA Summit is a valuable and intense series of educational seminars for elite horticulture professionals. Attendees are encouraged to create a personalized agenda for the day, to leave the Summit with solutions specic to ones professional and personal needs. Five of the most respected and inuential educators in the eld of Organics have been chosen to present proven results along with break-out Round Table Discussions to provide interactive, solution-based exchanges in a smaller setting. Learn more and register at http://www.ohbasummit.org/.
3. 2013 Tree Planting Competition. The Houston Area Urban Forestry Council and Harris County Flood Control District are once again sponsoring the Texas Urban Forestry Council’s Regional Tree Planting Competition to be held in conjunction with local Arbor Day celebrations. This event is a regional competition and the 3 fastest planting times will be forwarded to the State as Regional winners where their times will be included in the finals for the State Competition. Each team will consist of 10 planting members and a non-working captain and scoring will be based not only on time, but also on correct hole depth/width, mulching, planting techniques, etc. The Houston Area Urban Forestry Council will be supplying the judges and timers for the event and again, the 3 top times will be sent to the TUFC for consideration in the State Award for best time. The competition will be on February 9, 2013, at the HCFCD Retention Basin. More at www.haufc.org. Contact Mickey Merritt, 713-688-891 or Matt Weaver, 713-688-8932 for more information.
4. Japhet Creek Restoration/Clean-up. The next Japhet Creek Restoration/Clean-up will take place on February 9th, 8:30am-12pm at 4600 Clinton Dr. Activities at Japhet Creek Linear Park clean-ups include picking up trash, planting native trees and bushes, clearing the pathways of vines and limbs, mulching around trees and in pathways, removing non-native plant species, and other outdoor tasks. Groups of volunteers may be working along the banks and in the waterway. For more information, go to http://www.buffalobayou.org/getinvolved.html or call or email the volunteer coordinator at 713-492-9397 or eileen4510@aol.com.
5. You and Your Health – Food Health & Chemicals. A 6-session course on health will begin on February 10, 2013, 4:00 to 5:30 PM, at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church. The course will take place every Sunday until March 17th. Come learn about a number of areas related to food health, including basic nutrition, food product contents and labeling, food production concerns (toxins, mercury, GMO, hormones, etc.), organic foods, natural medicine and vitamins. The first class will include content from the church’s Earth Ministry program, including nature spirituality, a snapshot of current environmental issues and ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Teaching is Dr. Sandra Solaiman, a full professor and Professor Emeritus at Tuskegee University, Auburn University and Mississippi State University. She has more than 30 years experience in the area of nutritional sciences. RSVP to MDUMCearthministry@gmail.com.
6. Wanted: Coastal Ghost Busters. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is looking for volunteers interested in helping to remove abandoned crab traps — ghostlike killers of marine life — from their haunts along the coast. Starting Feb. 15 and continuing through Feb. 24, all Texas bays will be closed for crabbing. Any traps left in the water will be assumed to be abandoned and considered “litter” under state law. This allows volunteers to legally remove any crab traps they find. For more information about the Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program and how you can volunteer, please contact your local TPWD Coastal Fisheries Office or Art Morris at the Corpus Christi Field Station: (361) 825-3356 or email: crabtrap@tpwd.state.tx.us. The local TPWD coordinator in Galveston Bay is Bill Balboa, 281-534-0110. Volunteers are needed at Jones Lake State Ramp (Fat Boys) — Facilitated & trap drop-off site; Seabrook SH 146 Bridge Public Boat Ramp — Trap drop-off site; Fort Anahuac County Park Boat Ramp — Facilitated by Galveston Bay Foundation & trap drop-off site; and Chocolate Bayou State Boat Ramp- FM 2004 — Facilitated & trap drop-off site. More at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/.
7. Missouri City Future Parks Projects Online Survey. Preserving Missouri City’s pristine parks and planning for future recreational green spaces is a priority for City Council, citizens and staff. As part of the City’s commitment to parks’ projects, staff is currently reviewing the Parks and Recreation Master Plan to identify areas for growth and development. Resident input is needed for the process. Please take a few minutes to honestly answer this survey about parks and recreation in Missouri City. The survey can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/. Read more at http://www.guidrynews.com/.
8. Dickinson Bayou Project Among 24 Grants Awarded Nationwide. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has been awarded a $500,000 federal grant from the National Coastal Wetland Conservation Grant Program administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore and enhance approximately 27 acres of estuarine intertidal emergent wetlands and tidal channels along the Dickinson Bayou part of the Galveston Bay estuary, a nationally significant ecosystem benefiting invertebrates, fish and wildlife species. The project also will improve water quality and enhance recreational fishing and birding opportunities for the public. For more information about the Dickinson Bayou project, contact the project manager, Jan Culbertson with TPWD in Dickinson, jan.culbertson@tpwd.state.tx.us, (281) 534-0111.
9. National Green Week 2013. February 4th – February 8th is National Green Week. National Green Week is an annual event that empowers schools to engage in sustainability focused lessons, projects or activities between February 4 and the end of Earth Month (April). Participating districts, schools, classrooms or youth groups choose a week, then select from GEF’s sustainability focused programs to be their ‘green theme.’ Each theme provides 5 day standards- based lesson sets, activities, recommended reading, sustainability tips, contests, and more! Learn more at http://www.greeneducationfoundation.org/.
10. 2013 WaterWeek T-Shirt Design Contest. Ready, Set, DRAW !! Enter the 2013 WaterWeek T-Shirt Design Contest with the teme Water–Use it Wisely! The top artist’s class receives free bus transportation to one day of the April 29-May 3 WaterWeek festival and t-shirts sporting the winning design. Contest deadline is March 8, 2013. Each year, more than 1,500 students and educators gain new insight into the importance of conserving their drinking water resources at the annual WaterWeek Festival at the WaterWorks Education Center. More at http://www.houstonwaterworks.org/.
11. 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:
    • Stewards in Waiting
      Bat Caves of Texas
      Outdoor Info: Intro to Geocaching
      Biking Big Bend
12. Air Quality Forecast. http://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/monops/forecast_today.html. Houston Clean Air Network and Realtime Ozone Mapping: http://houstoncleanairnetwork.com.
    • February 5: Yellow–Moderate–Ozone. Winds may be light enough for the PM2.5 daily AQI to reach “Moderate” levels in the Houston area, with highest concentrations in the morning and evening.
    • February 6: Green–Good. Moderate winds and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.
    • February 7: Green–Good. Moderate winds and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.