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April 27, 2016

Houston Environmental News Update April 27, 2016

CEC, along with several of its member organizations, is participating in the first Big Give Houston. Big Give Houston celebrates 24 hours of Houstonians coming together to give local. CEC member groups which are participating include Artist Boat, Avenue CDC, Bayou Preservation Association, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Galveston Bay Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Houston Peace and Justice Center, Houston Community Tool Bank, Katy Prairie Conservancy, Keep Houston Beautiful, Recipe for Success, and Texas Campaign for the Environment. With a minimum donation at $10, we’re encouraging everyone to support the organizations that support the community where we live, work and play. https://biggivehouston.org/

Read on for this week’s news.

CEC NOTES

COALITION NOTES

  1. Earth Month at OKRA Charity Saloon. Good grief! OKRA Charity Saloon sure has made it difficult to vote for a charity this month. All four featured charities are CEC member groups: Katy Prairie Conservancy, Houston Parks Board,  Keep Houston Beautiful, and Friends of Mandell Park. The good news? Any winner for Earth Month is a win for our environmental community, so eat, drink, and be merry.
  2. Environmental Enforcement Roundtable – Sampling 101: Strategies and Procedures for Environmental Enforcement Cases. Sampling is an important part of many environmental enforcement investigations and in certain situations can make or break a case. At the upcoming roundtable, hear from Gary Steinmetz with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. He’ll cover topics such as basic sampling procedures, setting up the investigation, and preparing for court. The round table will be from 10am-noon at the H-GAC offices on April 28, 2016. RSVP by April 27, 2016, to Erin Livingston at 832-681-2525 or erin.livingston@h-gac.com.
  3. Gulf Coast Green 2016. Gulf Coast Green 2016 Symposium and Green Product Showcase continues to bring like-minded green building professionals together to experience next-generation sustainable building solutions. Held this year at the new MATCH Center in midtown Houston, this one-day forum is designed to share cutting edge ideas in a creative context to inspire your inner muse. This year’s conference will explore how art and the principles of sustainable design can enrich the classic architectural qualities as described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius: firmitas, utilitas, and venustas, which roughly translate to durability, utility, and beauty. The symposium will take place April 28, 2016, at the Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston (MATCH). https://aiahouston.org
  4. GBF Marsh Mania. Join GBF for a wet and muddy good time at Marsh Mania on April 30, 2016, from 9am-1pm. Marsh Mania is the nationally-recognized, signature community-based wetlands restoration and education event of the Galveston Bay area. The goal of Marsh Mania is to involve local citizens in hands-on wetlands restoration activities while increasing their awareness and appreciation of wetland habitats and functions. In its 17 years, Marsh Mania has involved more than 7,650 community volunteers in the restoration of over 205 acres of vital salt marsh habitat at 84 sites around Galveston Bay. Volunteers are the heart and soul of Marsh Mania. Register as a volunteer at www.emailmeform.com.
  5. Permablitz Saturday: Get Your Garden ON! Join Transition Houston for a Permablitz on Sunday, May 1, 2016, 8:30am-1pm! Come together with like minded people to learn how to live more sustainably and help build community! The projects for the recipient of this permablitz include installing a basic water reclamation system and compost bin, adding a garden bed, and more! Bring yourself and a friend! Morning refreshments will be provided and there will be a potluck lunch. RSVP to www.transitionhouston.org.
  6. Transition Houston: Building Political Will to Manage Climate Change Risks

    Transition Houston’s quarterly meeting will feature Peter Bryn of the Houston Climate Lobby and Yudith Nieto from T.E.J.A.S who attended the COP21 Climate Conference in Paris! They’ll be sharing their experiences and engaging us in how to have productive, respective dialogue on climate change, risks, and solutions. Learn more at www.transitionhouston.org.

  7. National Public Gardens Day: Sketchbooks in the Garden. Learn techniques that local botanical artist Betsy Barry uses when capturing the essence of the plants at Mercer Botanic Garden. This class will be held on May 6, 2016, 9am-noon. Space is limited and registration is required. Cost for each participant is $95. Discounts are available to TMS members based on level of membership. To register, contact The Mercer Society at 713-274-4166.
  8. Volunteer Stewardship Workdays at the Coastal Heritage Preserve

    Artist Boat has many volunteer opportunities in the upcoming months. In each volunteer workday, Artist Boat staff train volunteers in a specific land management task, like identifying and removing invasive fire ants from the Preserve, cutting and spraying invasive McCartney rose bushes, growing native prairie grasses in our outdoor nursery, or just how to identify native plants and animals at the Preserve. Each day is about four hours long, which includes a private, hour-long guided tour of the Preserve and free breakfast or lunch. Upcoming dates include May 6, 7, 15, 18, 22, and 28. Learn more and sign up at www.artistboat.org.

  9. Rain Barrel and Compost Bin Truckload Sale. Don’t miss this opportunity! The current order period for well-priced rain barrels and compost bins will close on May 8, 2016. They are great for the garden! The City of Houston Green Building Resource Center is partnering with RainWater Solutions to enable you to place your order now for pickup on May 14, 2016. Simply visit www.RainBarrelProgram.org/Houston. Help support the GBRC!
  10. Bayou Preservation Association 50th Anniversary Luncheon. As Bayou Preservation Association turns 50, we will celebrate the accomplishments in our waterways and watersheds with a luncheon and look to the continuation of our mission to celebrate, protect and restore the natural richness of all our bayous and streams. The Terry Hershey Bayou Stewardship Awards and other special 50th Anniversary Awards will be presented. May 9, 2016, at the Junior League of Houston. Learn more at www.bayoupreservation.org.
  11. Bay Day Festival. Celebrate the Bay with GBF at Bay Day 2016 on May 14, 2016, 11am-4pm at Kemah Boardwalk! Bay Day is a one-day celebration presented by the Galveston Bay Foundation and numerous community partners. It is a fun event for families and adults that annually draws more than 5,000 attendees to experience and learn more about Galveston Bay, the largest bay in Texas and one of the most productive estuaries in the country! Festival highlights include bay-themed arts and crafts, live animal demonstrations and touch tanks, a scavenger hunt, science and marine exhibits, live music, and more. Children and adults will have fun learning about the importance of Galveston Bay in our everyday lives at exhibitor booths including Baytown Nature Center, Houston Zoo, Sea Center Texas, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and much more. http://galvbay.org
  12. World Oceans Day Festival – Art Contest. Get ready for World Oceans Day by preparing your own creative masterpiece utilizing marine debris to be displayed at Galveston’s first World Oceans Day! This contest is open to ocean-lovers of all ages! The art pieces must be  submitted between May 30 and June 3, 2016, from 8am-5pm at the Artist Boat Office. Then save the date for the World Oceans Day Festival on Stewart Beach on June 8, 2016, 4-7pm. The World Oceans Day Festival features something for ocean-lovers of all ages! Local, regional, and national organizations will host interactive activities to highlight how we are all connected to the ocean. Spend an evening on the beach and celebrate the Ocean with the rest of the world! Learn more at www.artistboat.org.
  13. Bayou City Birding Zines. Would you like to learn about the birds who live along Houston’s bayous and in the nearby parks and neighborhoods? And are you a kid or a young-at-heart adult? If yes, the Bayou City Birding Zines (mini-magazines) are for you! Each of the Bayou City Birding Zines features a small group of birds who share something in common. You can download the zines – they’re FREE! – print them, and fold them into miniature field guides you can read at home and take with you when you go outside. And if you would rather print out the zines as mini-posters, these are available too. A new zine will be added about once a month, with the next one to put the spotlight on some common and not-so-common woodpeckers. All of the zines feature birds found within Houston’s 610 Loop, with most of the photos taken on the hike and bike trails that border the White Oak Bayou. Learn more and find previous zines at http://whiteoakbayou.org.
  14. Raising Funds for EarthShare of Texas. The Reliant EcoShare program raised more than $450,000 for EarthShare of Texas to support over 35 environmental and conservation organizations in Texas, including The Nature Conservancy of Texas, Galveston Bay Foundation and Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation. However, the funds don’t stop there! From now until June 3, 2016, you can share your Lone Star point-of-view on social media by using the hashtags #FromWhereIStand and #ReliantOneOfAKind. For every photo showcasing the state’s natural beauty, Reliant will donate $5 toward EarthShare of Texas, up to $5,000. Read more at www.businesswire.com.
  15. Family Adventure to Yellowstone with the Houston Zoo. Join the Houston Zoo on the next adventure through Yellowstone to enjoy hiking, wildlife, and the opportunity to contribute to citizen science projects dedicated to saving animals. Don’t miss your chance to experience an adventure of a lifetime with your family. The trip will be from July 6-11, 2016. The cost is $1,995 for 1st family member, $1,349 for each subsequent family member (cost does not include airfare into Jackson Hole, Wyoming). Reserve your spot now at www.houstonzoo.org.
  16. Volunteer Stewardship Workdays at the Coastal Heritage Preserve. Artist Boat has many volunteer opportunities in the upcoming months. In each volunteer workday, Artist Boat staff train volunteers in a specific land management task, like identifying and removing invasive fire ants from the Preserve, cutting and spraying invasive McCartney rose bushes, growing native prairie grasses in our outdoor nursery, or just how to identify native plants and animals at the Preserve. Each day is about four hours long, which includes a private, hour-long guided tour of the Preserve and free breakfast or lunch. Upcoming dates include May 6, 7, 15, 18, 22, and 28. Learn more and sign up at www.artistboat.org.
  17. Bucket Brigade Interpretive Beach Tours. The Bucket Brigade is out on Galveston beaches providing FREE interpretive tours of the coastal and marine ecosystems! Tours last approximately 45 minutes and include hands-on exploration of questions such as “what is in out water”, “how is seaweed a good thing” and “how do I connect to the ocean” that is fun and educational for ocean-lovers of all ages! Tours are available at multiple Galveston beach locations, including Stewart and East Beaches, during the weekends in April and May and daily in the summer. Sign up for tours is on location. For more information on tour times and locations, please visit www.artistboat.org or call 409-770-0722. The Bucket Brigade is a program of Artist Boat and the Galveston Island Park Board of Trustees.

COMMUNITY NOTES

  1. Solarize Houston. Solarize Houston is a grass roots, volunteer, non-profit group organizing Houstonians in a group purchase of solar panels and installation for residents and businesses in Houston. Solarize Houston’s mission is to increase awareness and accelerate use of solar energy for electricity generation in Houston. The organization is currently putting together a group purchase which is expected to result in a discount on the purchase of solar systems installed at the homes of participating Houstonians. The more people that enroll, the better the terms for everyone. Learn more and enroll at http://solarize-houston.org.
  2. EPA Community Meeting on US Oil Recovery. U.S. Oil Recovery is a Superfund site in Pasadena that made headlines in 2013. The 17-acre site’s owner Klaus Genssler claimed he was operating a hazardous waste recycling facility. In reality he was hoarding and failing to process hazardous wastes. The site was responsible for toxic chemical releases that eventually got Genssler indicted on six felony counts for storing and releasing benzene. After Genssler fled the country, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) placed U.S. Oil Recovery on the Superfund list of especially toxic waste sites that require federal intervention. The EPA will begin its Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study fieldwork on the site in May. There will be a community meeting held on April 28, 2016, 6:30-8:30pm at John Phelps Courthouse Annex 4 (101 S Richey St). At this meeting, EPA will discuss the community involvement process, superfund process, history of site, removal actions to date, and remedial plans. Learn more at http://airalliancehouston.org.
  3. 11th National Prescription Drug Take Back Event. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will host its 11th National Prescription Drug Take Back event in communities across the country this month. As part of this nationwide program, from 10am-2pm on April 30, 2016, residents are invited to bring their expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs to various sites around the region. Find a site near you: www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov.
  4. ­Bayou City Art Festival. This year, Art Colony Association, Inc. will celebrate 45 years of fine art as it spotlights more than 350 artists during its annual Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park from April 29 – May 1, 2016. With an adoration of animals and spunky, colorful paintings, April Murphy, a local Houstonian, will serve as the featured artist. Festival patrons will enjoy a vibrant walk through Memorial Park as they take in the sights of artwork from 19 different disciplines and enjoy an array of delicious, local foods. Eco-friendly artwork will have a presence at the Bayou City Art Festival through the artwork of various artists across the nation. These artists practice under different disciplines but make their pieces using sustainable material. The artists that use sustainable material include Ana Huberman Lazovsky, Charlie Hardwick, and Anne London. Tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for children, ages 3­12. Shuttle buses return this year at Northwest Mall for easy access to festival grounds in front of the admission gates. Shuttle tickets are on sale now for $3. Learn more at www.artcolonyassociation.org.
  5. Conservation Grant Proposals. Do you have an avian habitat acquisition, conservation or enhancement project to fund? Submit your project proposal now to be eligible for potential funding from the Great Texas Birding Classic. Funds raised through this annual event fund projects throughout the state each year, with almost $850,000 in grants given to date! Submit your project proposal form by May 1, 2016, for consideration by this year’s winning teams. Visit Conservation Grants for project criteria, proposal forms, and a list of previously funded projects. Contact Nature Tourism Manager Shelly Plante by phone (512-389-4500) or email (shelly.plante@tpwd.texas.gov) if you have any questions about your proposal or the Birding Classic. Learn more at https://tpwd.texas.gov.
  6. Grant to Restore & Enhance the Monarch Butterfly Habitat. The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) is working in cooperation with 143 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) located in Texas to enhance and restore the Monarch Butterfly habitat. It is estimated that over the past 20 years the Monarch population has declined from 1 billion to less than 60 million due to a number of factors. One of the most prominent factors that has contributed to this steep population decline is the loss of habitat and food sources. As a result of this decline of the Monarch Butterfly population, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) as well as the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have provided funds to enhance and restore the Monarch Butterfly habitat. The project provides funding to develop conservation plans and plant pollinator friendly plant species on 1,600 Texas rural lands along the Monarch’s migratory pattern. The funding will be made available to farmers, ranchers or private landowners with tracts of land between 1 and 30 acres. The funds will pay $375 per acre to cover seed cost, planting and maintenance of the land. Entities such as schools or municipalities qualify for funding to develop a Monarch Butterfly garden between 100 and 300 square feet. Applications will be available on May 2, 2016 on the project website at www.tsswcb.texas.gov.
  7. Mining The HMNS: An Investigation by The Natural History Museum. Is the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences a museum, or a PR front for the fossil fuel industry? This is the central question of “Mining the HMNS”, an exhibition by The Natural History Museum that interrogates the symbiotic relationship between the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences and its corporate sponsors. The exhibition excavates key narratives and displays in the Houston museum, and highlights the voices and stories that are excluded–those of the low-income predominantly Latino and African-American fence-line communities along the Houston Ship Channel. In partnership with T.E.J.A.S. (Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services), The Natural History Museum will co-host monthly “Toxic Tours” of East Houston’s petrochemical plants and refineries, and conduct extensive air quality monitoring tests in collaboration with scientists from Texas State University. Situated at the confluence of scientific research, environmental justice, and critical museum practice, the exhibition aims to model the museum of the future–one that works to mobilize a collective response to the challenges of the Anthropocene. This exhibit at the Project Row Houses (2521 Holman Street) will be on display from March 26, 2016 until June 19, 2016. There will also be Toxic Tours that will be held on the first Saturday of the month (May 7 and June 4) from 10am-12:30pm. Learn more at www.facebook.com.
  8. Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Feasibility Study – Public Comment. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) intends to prepare a Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement for the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Study. A notice of intent was published in the Federal Register, Vol. 81, No. 62, on Thursday, March 31, 2016. This study will identify and evaluate the feasibility of a developing a comprehensive plan for flood damage reduction, hurricane and storm risk reduction, and ecosystem restoration for the coastal areas of the state of Texas. The study will focus on providing for the protection, conservation, and restoration of wetlands, barrier islands, shorelines, and related lands and features that protect critical resources, habitat, and infrastructure from the impacts of coastal storms, hurricanes, erosion, and subsidence. Interested parties are encouraged to provide their input and recommendations for all significant issues of the study, via CoastalTexas@usace.army.mil . Learn more at www.swg.usace.army.mil. The USACE invites your comments by May 9, 2016, on the scope of the Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement:
    • Question #1: What are the critical natural and human environmental problems and needs that should be addressed in the Draft EIS?
    • Question #2: What are the significant resources that should be considered in the Draft EIS?
    • Question #3: What are the reasonable alternatives that should be considered in the Draft EIS?
  9. Texas Community Forestry Awards Nominations. Celebrate the accomplishments of those who have dedicated their talents to spreading a leafy green canopy over Texas by nominating them for the 2016 Texas Community Forestry Awards Program. This program is open to anyone who has a role in building stronger communities by planting, maintaining or protecting trees. There are five categories: Arborist of the Year, The Gold Leaf Award – Landscape Improvement, Arboricultural Project of the Year, Outstanding Arbor Day Activities, and ISAT Volunteer of the Year. Nominations are due by June 2, 2016. Learn more at http://isatexas.com.
  10. 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, Texas City, Galveston, Nassau Bay, Pasadena, Seabrook, Sugar Land, and on HCC TV. More info on the TPWD website (* indicates a segment about the Houston area). For a preview, visit TPWD’s YouTube Page.
    • Birding in the Brushlands
    • Lone Star Land Steward: The BigWoods on the Trinity
    • Fishing With Your Piers
    • Texas State Railroad