Houston Environmental News Update May 4, 2016

Read on for this week’s news.

CEC NOTES

• CEC is looking for photos
  The image here is a variation on NASA’s iconic Blue Marble. While we love the Blue Marble, and the picture of attendees at the Greater Houston Environmental Summit that usually graces the banner of our newsletter, we’re hoping to provide some more variety. Do you have a photo (or more) that you’d be willing to share? Please send it to photo@cechouston.org for consideration. All photographers will be recognized.
• New Subscribers Thank you to our new subscribers: Jeff, Tiffany, Nikia, Leon, Liz, Timothy, Shelley, and Elizabeth. We hope you enjoy our emails. Please consider liking us on facebook.

COALITION NOTES

1. Exploration Green! Launch Party. Join Exploration Green! for an evening of fun, dinner, and an update on the state of the Exploration Green Conservancy at Villa Capri on the lake in Seabrook. Meet the board members of EGC and important volunteers who will make the EGC a top notch recreation facility deep in the heart of Clear Lake. Dinner tickets are now on sale for $35 and can be purchased at the Exploration Green website. Social is at 6:00pm, dinner at 6:30, and the State of the Conservancy presentation will start about 7:15. Learn more at www.explorationgreen.org.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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!
5. 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.
6. Hogg Bird Sanctuary Public Update Meeting. Houston Parks Board, Memorial Park Conservancy and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department invite you to attend a Hogg Bird Sanctuary Public Update Meeting on May 9, 2016, 6:30-7:30pm. Using the Memorial Park Conservancy’s Master Plan for Hogg Bird Sanctuary as a starting point, a steering committee of stakeholders has conducted additional research with consultant Design Workshop. Come hear about the findings and proposed improvements to Hogg Bird Sanctuary. Questions? Email info@houstonparksboard.org.
7. Gulf-Houston Regional Conservation Plan – Planning Meeting. The Gulf-Houston Regional Conservation Planning Meeting will be held on May 10, 2016, 9:30-11am at Houston Wilderness. The meeting discussion will include recent grant proposals submitted to the RESTORE Bucket 1 RFGA and upcoming RCP Initiative activities. RSVP to Rita@houstonwilderness.org.
8. 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
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. Upcoming Events
    • Cigna Sunday Streets Houston – May 22, 2016
    • Greens Bayou Regatta – June 4, 2016
    • World Oceans Day in Galveston – June 8, 2016

COMMUNITY NOTES

1. Harris County Flood Control District Tools. Find a “How To” Guide for informational tools that the Harris County Flood Control District has online at www.hcfcd.org and www.harriscountyfws.org. This information can be used to identify potential impacts of additional heavy rainfall on the reservoirs and neighborhoods adjacent to the reservoirs.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. An Evening with Rick Darke. OHBA is very excited to bring Rick Darke, noted author, designer, photographer, and horticulturist to Houston. Rick Darke heads RICK DARKE LLC, a Pennsylvania-based consulting firm focused on the design and management of living landscapes. Darke’s work is grounded in an observational ethic that blends art, ecology, and cultural geography. Projects include parks, scenic byways, transportation corridors, corporate and collegiate campuses, conservation developments, post industrial brownfields, botanic gardens and residential landscapes. Rick worked for over 20 years at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania as plant curator and has helped design gardens around the world. This event will be held on May 17, 2016, 6:30-8:30pm at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. www.ohbaonline.org
5. 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?
6. 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.
7. 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.
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