Houston Environmental News Update February 4, 2014

Houston Environmental News Update February 4, 2014

COALITION NOTES

1. Urban Harvest Class: Pruning Your Grapes, Muscadines, Jujubes, Persimmons and Mulberries. Winter is the season for this garden maintenance activity so critical to healthy trees and successful fruit production. Learn by observing an experienced pruner. Winter is the season for this garden maintenance activity so critical to healthy trees and successful fruit tree production. Come learn about pruning in this class held on February 7, 2014, from 4-6pm. All pruning is done under the supervision of a skilled orchardist. It is highly recommended that prior to class you take the How to Prune & Train Fruit Trees class. The cost is $36 per person. http://urbanharvest.org
2. ABNC Adult Outdoor Program. The coastal tallgrass prairie has one of the most diverse plant communities in North America. Despite this, prairies continue to be one of the most under appreciated ecosystems. Join Stewardship Coordinator, Mark Kramer, and the Stewardship Team as Armand Bayou Nature Center hosts the first of its Adult Outdoor Programs on Saturday, February 8th, 2014, at 10am. The February Adult Program will include information on prairie ecology, prairie restoration and prescribed burns. Hike through some of the 900 acres of prairie with your guide as you view the grasses, shrubs and wildflowers in a pre-prescribed burn area. This “behind the scenes” tour will acquaint you with the conservation efforts performed at the Nature Center by the dedicated professionals and volunteers who maintain this significant environmental community. Typically the prairie holds ankle deep water throughout winter months, therefore, you are advised to dress for the weather and waterproof boots are recommended. Group size is limited, so please make your reservations early by calling 281-474-2551×10.
3. Backyard Composting Workshop. Don’t trash it! Compost it! According to the Houston-Galveston Area Council, up to 30% of our garbage is leaves, grass clippings, and tree limbs. Learn how to compost at the Backyard Composting Workshop on February 9, 2014, 2-5pm, at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. There will be two parts. Part 1: Learn the science behind decomposition and how to create compost from your own nutrient-rich kitchen waste and yard debris using different types of compost bins. Part 2: The workshop becomes hands-on, as your instructor guides each participant through the steps to build their own 55 gallon compost barrel. Includes both barrel and frame kit to make one compost tumbler. Prices are $20M / $30NM for Part 1; $80M / $95NM for Part 2; and $90M / $115NM for both parts. Register at www.houstonarboretum.org.
4. Houston Zoo Educator Workshop. Ever wonder if your students are getting it? Join the Houston Zoo to explore various assessments that help you connect the dots from your lessons to their understanding. Assessment strategies for all subjects and grade levels will be presented. The workshop will be held on February 13, 2014, from 9am-3pm. Registration includes admission to the Zoo, lunch, giveaways, and so much more! Earn 6 credit hours. The cost is $20. Register at http://houstonzoo.doubleknot.com.
5. Dinner and a Cruise with Hermann Park Conservancy and Pinewood Cafe. Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Hermann Park Conservancy and Pinewood Cafe at the second annual “Dinner and a Cruise” on February 14, 2014. Make a lunch reservation or a dinner reservation for 5:30pm or 7:00pm. Visit Hermann Park for a charming and romantic Valentine’s Day complete with pedal boat rides! On this special day, guests can take in the sunset on the patio overlooking McGovern Lake, or enjoy a casual lunchtime rendezvous, savoring a three-course meal of picnic-style fare from Pinewood Cafe. Beer and wine will be available for purchase and live music will entertain guests throughout the evening. After the al fresco meal, lovebirds can continue the celebration with a fun (and romantic) half hour cruise around the lake on Hermann Park’s pedal boats. The price is $50 per couple. Space is limited; advance ticket purchase for dinner is required. Purchase tickets here.
6. Discussion on Memorial Park’s Ecology. As part of the long-range master planning effort, the Memorial Park Conservancy is sponsoring an dialogue on the ecology of Memorial Park. The Master Planning team invites those with knowledge of, expertise in and / or a strong interest in Memorial Park’s ecology to participate. The Conservancy seeks your input, concerns and requests and will facilitate a conversation in which everyone all learn from each other. Help us identify issues and opportunities that need to be considered in Master Planning that relate to the park’s ecology. Additionally, the Master Planning team will deliver a short presentation on how the planning process works with respect to ecology. The meeting will be held on Saturday, February 15, 2014, from 9-11am. Location is TBD. Please RSVP by February 5, 2014 if you plan to participate by emailing the Conservancy at info@memorialparkconservancy.org OR by calling 713/863-8403, extension 1. Learn more about the Master Plan at www.memorialparkconservancy.org.
7. Rainwater Harvesting Workshop. Going “green” by using organic lawn care products and less labor-intensive practices is just the first step in the process to convert your unsustainable lawn into a less-thirsty native plant landscape. Go “greener” by harvesting rainwater to nourish your soil, reduce your water bill and water in between downpours. The Rainwater Harvesting Workshop will be held on February 16, 2014, 2-5pm, at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. Part 1: Learn about how one ancient civilization built a catchment system whose basic features remain the core of any successful rainwater harvesting system today. Part 2: You will be guided through the 10 steps to convert a food-grade plastic barrel into your very own barrel guaranteed not to leak or breed mosquito! Cost for Part 2 includes one barrel and conversion kit. The cost is $20M/$30NM (Part 1); $80M/$95NM (Part 2); $90M/$115NM (Part 1&2). Register here.
8. Houston Green Film Series: Story of Stuff Film Festival. The Houston Green Film Series will continue on February 19, 2014, from 6:30-9:30pm at the Rice Media Center. Transition Houston and partners in the Houston Green Film Series will screen four of Annie Leonard’s Story of Stuff videos interleaved with conversations between Steve Stelzer and experts about the topics presented. According to the Story of Stuff website, “We have a problem with Stuff. We use too much, too much of it is toxic and we don’t share it very well. But that’s not the way things have to be. Together, we can build a society based on better not more, sharing not selfishness, community not division.” A light dinner will be served, courtesy of Dr. Pat Speck and Dry Bones Cafe. The film is free to the public, though donations are suggested and kindly appreciated. Learn more at www.facebook.com.
9. Call of the Wild Speaker Series: Dr. George Archibald. Dr. George Archibald co-founded the International Crane Foundation (ICF) in the spring of 1973, as the world center for the study and preservation of cranes. Today he continues to advance ICF’s mission in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Cuba, China, India, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, South Korea and Russia. Join the Houston Zoo as Dr. Archibald migrates through Houston on his way to Port Aransas, Texas, home to the annual Whooping Crane Festival. The event will be held on February 19, 2014, 6:30-8:30pm at the Brown Education Center. Register at www.houstonzoo.org.
10. Houston Wilderness Annual Luncheon. The Houston Wilderness Annual Luncheon will be held on February 20, 2014, at the River Oaks Country Club from 11:30am-1pm. This luncheon has always been an outstanding and very well attended event, and this year the event will include the presentation of the inaugural Houston Wilderness Wild Life Award. Houston Wilderness has developed this award to honor those who make significant contributions to protecting, preserving and raising awareness of the 10 precious ecoregions in the 24-county Greater Houston region. In the same collaborative spirit, Houston Wilderness works throughout the region with a broad-based alliance of business, environmental and government interests to convene a range of stakeholder groups to promote, protect and preserve the biodiversity in the 10 ecoregions; provide collaborative problem-solving opportunities on critical environmental issues; and educate the public on the many exciting outdoor opportunities in the Greater Houston Region and the health benefits associated with nature. These efforts yield decreased repetitive flooding, improved water quality, increased ecotourism and overall economic growth for our region. Learn more about the luncheon here.
11. Volunteer for Annual Abandoned Crab Trap Removal. Each year, Texas Parks and Wildlife announces a 10-day period of time when good samaritans may legally collect and properly dispose of abandoned crab traps in Galveston Bay. Crab traps left in the bay after crabbing season can endanger important wildlife like the diamondback terrapin, entangle other wildlife, or get tangled up in boat propellers. On February 22, 2014, the Galveston Bay Foundation will host a crab trap removal and disposal site at Fort Anahuac Park. GBF is now recruiting volunteers, airboats, kayaks, and other small flat-bottom boats to assist with this vital project. To learn more and to sign up to volunteer, visit galvbay.org.
12. 2014 Bayou Adventure Race. BPA’s 2014 Bayou Adventure Race will be held on February 22, 2014, from 9am-2pm. The 2014 Third Annual Bayou Adventure Race will consist of three legs. The first leg will be a 5K run along the South and North banks of Buffalo Bayou from Dairy Ashford to Highway 6. As runners arrive at Highway 6 they will quickly grab their boats and paddle down the Buffalo Bayou for 5K until they reach the Dairy Ashford takeout. After carrying their boats up to the transition area, competitors will switch to their mountain bikes and race for 10K to 15k around the dirt trails of Terry Hershey Park and return to where it all began to declare a winner. This year on top of the normal three legged adventure race, there will also be a 10K run, a Duathalon consisting of just two events, an adventure race relay where three member teams will compete, each doing one section of the adventure race, and finally a Half Marathon! Come Join the fun and test your abilities at the 2014 Third Annual Bayou Adventure Race! Register at www.bayouadventurerace.org.
13. Design the Prize. The Rice Design Alliance invites Houston-area architecture students and young design professionals to design and fabricate the prize that will be awarded to SPOTLIGHT winners for the next five years. Students at the Rice School of Architecture, the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture at the University of Houston, the School of Architecture at Prairie View A&M University, and design professionals residing in the Houston area who graduated from an accredited program since 2000 may submit digital conceptual drawings and descriptions of their three-dimensional object January 27 through March 17, 2014. The competition will occur in two phases: design and production. Evaluated by a seven-member RDA competition jury, these phases will proceed according to the following schedule: Call for entries: January 31; Deadline: March 17; Announcement of semi-finalists: April 4; Deadline for semi-finalists to submit prototype: May 19; Announcement of winner: May 30; Deadline for winner to complete and deliver first award: August 8. The remaining four awards must then be delivered to RDA in Anderson Hall at Rice University by January 31, 2015. Learn more here.
14. Walk for the Woods Project – Save the Date! The 3rd Annual Walk for the Woods Project will be held on April 5, 2014, at 10am at Neighborhood Centers, Inc – Ripley House. Walk for the woods is a 5K walk that will take you on a journey through Houston’s historic East End, where many of The Woods Project’s students live and play. This walk raises money for The Woods Project, which is an organization that seeks to develop leadership capacity and life skills in low income youth through a series of outdoor education/environmental awareness programs at wilderness sites in the United States. Save the date for this great event and learn more at www.thewoodsproject.org.
15. USA Today’s “Best Museums in U.S.” The Children’s Museum of Houston is the in the running for “Best Museum in the U.S.” in the USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. The Children’s Museum of Houston is competing against 19-other museums across the country, and it’s the only museum from Texas to be nominated. The poll is open now and runs through February 17, 2014. Visit www.10best.com to vote for your favorite museum. Supporters may vote every day.
16. NatureFest – Call for Exhibitors. The staff of Jones Park in Humble, Texas, would be honored for your organization to join NatureFest as an exhibitor this year. This free, family-focused public event attracts over 1,100 visitors, and is a great opportunity to share what your organization is all about. It will be held on March 1, 2014, from 9am-3:30pm. NatureFest is an annual Jones Park festival, which offers catch and release fishing, live animal interactions, children’s activities, and much more! There is still time for exhibitors to register! For all exhibitors who still wish to attend NatureFest, the final date for sending in your registration forms will be Wednesday, February 12, 2014. More at www.hcp4.net. Registration form modified

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COMMUNITY NOTES

1. Climate Change: Is It a Real Threat? Join UH Energy for the upcoming energy symposium, held on February 11, 2014, 6:30-8pm, at Hilton University of Houston, Waldorf-Astoria Ballroom. The series is presented by UH’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) and is free to the public. The topic is Climate Change: Is It a Real Threat? Guest speakers include Richard A. Feely, Ph.D. – National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration; John W. Nielsen-Gammon, Ph.D. – Texas A&M University; and David Hone – Royal Dutch Shell. Please RSVP at uhenergyseries.evenbrite.com. Learn more here.
2. Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) Work Session. Proposition 6 provides $2 billion to the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) for water projects in the state. The TWDB will be hosting Board Work Sessions throughout the spring to determine how these funds will be allocated. You can get involved by attending one of these sessions and providing your input. The sessions will be held across the state. On February 11, 2014, a work session will be held at the San Jacinto River Authority in Conroe, TX at 10:30am. Learn more about the event at www.twdb.texas.gov.
3. Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center Photo Contest. Are there any people out there that love taking pictures??? Send in your photos to the Nature Center’s first photo contest! Participants must submit two photos: One photo of a Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center sign (digital submisssion); and one photo for entry into the contest (submitted via email AND regular mail). Email the photos to nature.center@mctx.org, and mail them to Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center/Photo Contest Submission/1300 Riley Fuzzel Rd/Spring, TX 77386. Photos must be postmarked by February 28, 2014. Only one submission per person. Both digital and film process accepted. Voting will take place on Facebook and in person at the Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center from March 1, 2014 through March 12, 2014. If you have any questions, call 281-364-4225.
4. Houston KidWind Challenge. Think you or your class has what it takes to build the most efficient, functional, and innovative wind turbine? Try your luck at the KidWind Challenge! Be creative, have fun, and apply your knowledge of wind energy to win cool prizes. Participants need to be students in the 4th-12th grade. Find a team consisting of 1-10 students, find an adult coach (teacher parent, etc.), and find a generator, some parts, and a whole lot of creativity! Register online. The challenge will be held on February 6, 2014, at T-STEM E4 Academy at Attucks. Can’t make it to this event? The Challenge Online is always open and free to students K-college, worldwide! Learn more about the Challenge and find rules, learning resources, parts, and building tips online at challenge.kidwind.org.
5. Telluride Mountainfilm Festival. The most inspiring and thought provoking film festival on earth is returning to Houston for two days, starting on February 21, 2014. This festival is a life changing ideas summit and social gathering. Come out for two amazing evenings filled with the best documentaries, powerful short films, avant-garde animation, adrenaline films, guest filmmakers, and expert panelists. The festival will be held at the Asia Society Texas Center in the Museum District. Learn more at www.mountainfilm.org. Find a schedule of events here, and purchase tickets here. Seating is limited so purchase tickets today!
7. Westbury Community Garden. The Houston Housing Authority, the Houston Parks Board, Mayor Annise Parker, City Council member Larry Green, and Joe Turner – Director of the Houston Parks and Recreation Department have been working together to save the 7 acres Westbury Community Garden and to keep it as greenspace, as it has been for the last 30 years. A capital campaign has been started to raise $500,000 (the total cost of the land). To make a donation, visit https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/.
8. Texas Brigades Summer Program. The Texas Brigades is a combination of five educational programs: Bobwhite Brigade (quail), Buckskin Brigade (deer), Bass Brigade, Waterfowl Brigade (ducks and geese), and Ranch Brigade (cattle). Each camp is 4 ½ days of intense, interactive, fun learning from top wildlife and natural resource professionals in Texas. Subjects covered include everything from biology, habitat management, watersheds, population dynamics, ecology, and botany, to photography, journalism, firearm safety, fishing, communication, critical-thinking, team building, and leadership. Texas Brigades is now accepting applications for the summer program. All students with an interest in biology, wildlife, fisheries, conservation, or the outdoors are encouraged to apply. You must be 13-17 years of age and you should also be willing to commit to conducting a minimum of three educational programs when you return home. Applications must be postmarked by March 15, 2014. Find out more at http://www.texasbrigades.org/.
9. Gulf Restoration Comment Period. Responding to requests from the public, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees (Trustees) have extended the public review and comment period for the Draft Programmatic and Phase III Early Restoration Plan and Draft Early Restoration Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (draft). The draft, which proposes $627 million in early restoration projects across the Gulf states is now available for public review and comment through February 19, 2014 rather than February 4, the original deadline. This marks the third and largest phase of early restoration to date. Included in the draft are 44 proposed projects. Some aim to restore barrier islands, dunes, marshes, shorelines and oyster beds. Others, such as boat ramps and park enhancements, seek to address the lost recreational use of natural resources. The draft also proposes a programmatic plan for continuing to pursue early restoration. The draft, available at www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov, includes the programmatic plan and the complete list of proposed projects, with locations and descriptions. (Click here for a list of proposed projects). More at http://content.govdelivery.com/.
10. Houston Write-a-thon. Reading an ordinance or understanding a city process can be complex. Abbreviations, legal language, and references to other documents can sometimes feel like doing homework. The first ever “Houston Write-a-thon” aims to fix that. The City of Houston and Mayor Annise Parker, along with Open Houston, Code for America, January Advisors, and many other great partners are hosting an open and free event to help translate our ordinances, our processes, and our manuals into language that’s easier to navigate. This is a call to action for you to lend your expertise and to work with writers, designers, and civil servants to improve government communication for all of us. Read more at http://www.edforh.com/. The Write-a-thon will be held on February 22, 2014 from 10am-5pm at the Freed-Montrose Library. Find out more at http://www.houstonwriteathon.com/.
11. TV: Texas Parks & Wildlife. Broadcast on KUHT Channel 8 at 3:00 PM each Saturday and on municipal access cable channels in Baytown, Deer Park, Houston, Nassau Bay, Pasadena, Seabrook, Sugar Land, and on HCC TV. More info on the TPWD website (* indicates a segment about the Houston area).
    • Purple Martins
    • Parks & Wildlife People: Charlie Wilson
    • State Park Ambassadors
    • Battle at the Fork
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 4, 2014: Green–Good. Moderate to strong winds and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.
    • February 5, 2014: Green–Good. Moderate winds, cold temperatures, and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.
    • February 6, 2014: Green–Good. Moderate winds, cold temperatures, and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.

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ECONOTES Featured News Articles–For dozens of additional headlines, visit the CEC website. (You can let us know about articles, too. E-mail news@cechouston.org).

1. ‘Going local’ challenges chefs, farmers (David Kaplan – Houston Chronicle, 1/28/2014)
   A handful of Houston restaurants are “going local,” serving up menus sourced entirely from small farms and ranches in the area, or as close to Houston as the chefs can find. But that can turn a modestly priced meal into a credit-card stretcher, adding 50 percent or more to the tab. The question then becomes: How much can a restaurant charge customers for local food without chasing them off? Increasingly, restaurateurs here and elsewhere are facing the same kinds of choices as diners express growing concern about the origins of their food. Chefs and farmers got together recently to discuss the challenges in the local-food movement at an event sponsored by Houston Food Policy Workgroup, an offshoot of Houston Tomorrow, which champions local quality-of-life issues.
   www.houstonchronicle.com
2. About That Tainted Seafood from Texas (Deborah Blum – Wired)
   One of harbingers of warm weather here in Madison is the arrival of trucks packed with seafood from Galveston, Texas. The fishermen hoist a banner proclaiming “Never Been Frozen” and simply wait for customers to cue up. Imagine me in that cue, as I have been for many years, breathing the balmy spring air and loading up on seafood from the famous bay. And imagine how dismayed I was when I discovered, while doing some background reading on dioxins, that the state of Texas has been allowing that and other notable industrial compounds – to seep into those waters – and, of course, into the fish that live there. The dioxins, in particular, have been directly traced from waste pits on the edge of the San Jacinto River as it rambles from Lake Houston and into this, one of our country’s great estuaries.
   www.wired.com
3. Restoration work moving indoors at NDC (Robin Foster – The Examiner, 1/30/2014)
   Long-needed repairs and renovations are under way at the Nature Discovery Center. And while the work is cause for excitement, it comes at a cost — programming will be scaled back, if only for the month of February, in order for the work to be completed. Collectively known as the Gateway Project, the capital improvements at Henshaw House and surrounding grounds of Russ Pitman Park will update classrooms and office space, improve pathways and outdoor facilities and further highlight habitat zones that represent the Gulf Coast region. The improvement plans are said to help the Nature Discovery Center capitalize on its location in what some are referring to as a Bellaire park corridor. Russ Pitman Park is adjacent to Evergreen Park, and both are only a few blocks south of the developing Evelyn’s Park.
   www.yourhoustonnews.com