CEC NOTES

Environmental Year in Review: 2018 Survey Results

We asked what you believe have been the most significant environmental accomplishments, controversies, issues, news, and events over the past year in the greater Houston region. Here’s what you told us:

• Houston’s selection as the 101st city in the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities Global Network
• Industrial pollution, especially near 610 East Loop
• Flood management
• Harvey
• Flooding
• Sustainability
• Mayor Turner’s announcement of a Climate Action Plan at Earth Day
• The decline in the population of monarch butterflies
• The rise in the population of the lesser prairie-chicken
• The Galveston Bay Record Card overall score of C
• President Trump’s proposed border wall which would run through the National Butterfly Center along the Rio Grande

We welcome additional suggestions for the list.

1. Audubon Christmas Bird Count
   The Audubon Christmas Bird Count continues through Jan. 5, 2019. Organized each year by the National Audubon Society, this global, all-volunteer effort collects data on local bird populations. Individual counts are open to birders of all levels, and there is no fee to participate. Several events are scheduled across the region. For details and dates for each count, visit houstonaudubon.org.
   • Brazoria-Columbia Bottomlands (TXBR): 1/5
   • Huntsville [Walker Co.] (TXHU): 1/5
2. Christmas tree recycling
   The City of Houston is offering drop-off service at 26 locations around the city through Jan. 15, 2019. See fox26houston.com for details. Don’t forget: The trees must have all decorations, ornaments, tinsel, lights and stands removed. Flocked trees cannot be recycled.The City of Pearland continues recycling Christmas trees through Jan. 12, 2019. Recycling will be 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at the Stella Roberts Recycling Center, 5800 Magnolia, Pearland. For more information, visit keeppearlandbeautiful.org. 
3. Scenic City Certification Program application due March 31
   The mission of the Scenic City Certification Program is to support and recognize Texas municipalities that implement high-quality scenic standards for public roadways and public spaces. The Scenic City Certification Program provides a proven, highly-regarded tool to Texas cities for assessment, evaluation and recognition of infrastructure standards. Any Texas city may apply to the Scenic City Certification Program for an objective, points-based review of existing municipal infrastructure ordinances. The application period continues through March 31. For more information, visit sceniccitycertification.org.
4. Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston 2019 Kick-Off
   On Jan. 6, 2019, from 2-4 p.m., the Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston will hold its 2019 Kick-Off at First Congregational Church, 10840 Beinhorn Road. Leaders from several faiths will discuss the ethics of eating from their faith perspective, and there will be a presentation on the top ten actions houses of worship and steps their members can take now to preserve the environment. For more information and to register, visit eventbrite.com.
5. Terry Hershey Bayou Stewardship Award Nomination due January 9
   Each year, the prestigious Terry Hershey Bayou Stewardship Awards recognize community members who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to aiding in the conservation, preservation, restoration and/or advocacy of Houston’s waterways. Nominees can be from the nonprofit, public or private sectors. The recipients will be honored at Bayou Preservation Association’s 2019 Luncheon on May 21, 2019. The deadline for nominations is Jan.9, 2019. For more information, visit bayoupreservation.org
6. “How Geologic Forces Shape Texas Rivers” presentation
   On Jan. 9, 2019, beginning at 7 p.m., the Houston Canoe Club will hold a meeting featuring a presentation by Dr. William Dupré, emeritus professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Houston, called “How Geologic Forces Shape Texas Rivers.” The event will be held at the Bayland Community Center, 6400 Bissonnet Drive. For more information, visit thcc.clubexpress.com.
7. 12th Annual Texas STEM Conference
   From Jan. 9-11, 2019, the 12th Annual Texas STEM Conference, hosted by the Texas STEM Council, will be held at the Grand Hyatt in San Antonio. More than 1,000 STEM colleagues will learn cutting-edge technologies, STEM best practices, innovative approaches to teaching and learning, how to implement more effective partnership strategies, and more. For more information and to register, visit txstem.org.
8. Urban Harvest 2019 classes begin January 10
   From Jan. 10 through May 16, 2019, Urban Harvest will hold a series of 10 classes on Growing Organic Vegetables. Those who complete the 25-hour course will become certified Organic Vegetable Specialists. Other classes offered this spring include Growing Fruit Trees in Small Spaces, Sustainable Living Through Permaculture, and Designing Green Homes and Communities. For information on all class offerings and to register, visit urbanharvest.networkforgood.com.
9. Houston Audubon presents “BirdCast: Perspectives on Bird Migration”
   On Jan. 10, 2019, from 7-8:30 p.m., Houston Audubon will present Dr. Andrew Farnsworth, research associate at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, who will discuss BirdCast, a collaborative effort between ornithologists and computer scientists to further our understanding of the biology of bird migration by using state-of-the-art machine learning and computer science techniques in combination with data collected with remote sensing methods. The event will be held at the United Way building, 50 Waugh Drive. For more information, visit houstonaudubon.org.
10. Sierra Club Houston Group presents Riverwoods: Exploring the Wild Neches
    On Jan. 10, 2019, from 7:30-9:30 p.m., the Sierra Club Houston Group will host its monthly meeting, featuring a presentation by author/photographer Charles Kruvand, who will discuss his new book about the Neches River, Riverwoods: Exploring the Wild Neches. The event will be held at St. Stephen’s Pecore Hall, 1805 W. Alabama Drive. For more information, visit sierraclub.org/texas/houston.
11. High Island Volunteering with Houston Audubon
    On Jan. 12, 2019, from 8:30 a.m.-noon, Houston Audubon will host a volunteer coastal restoration workday at High Island in Chambers County. A lunch will be provided. For more information and to register, visit houstonaudubon.org.
12. Houston Botanic Garden Call for Volunteers
    The Houston Botanic Garden is holding volunteer orientations on Jan. 12, 2019 (9 -10:30 a.m.) and Feb. 12, 2019 (6:30 – 8 p.m.). HBG has many volunteer opportunities available from administrative and special
    events support to hosting site walks to getting your hands dirty in the Garden. For more information and
    to register, complete the online form.
13. Free Farm Tour: Explore Your Food
    On Jan. 12, 2019, beginning at 9:30 a.m., Finca Tres Robles, 257 N. Greenwood St., will host three free tours of the farm to allow people to see what’s growing on the farm and meet who is growing it. For more information, see the Facebook event.
14. Gulf of Mexico Climate and Resilience Community of Practice grants
    The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, in collaboration with NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management and the Gulf of Mexico Climate and Resilience Community of Practice, is seeking coastal communities to participate in climate adaptation projects that will serve as local examples for other Gulf communities. This collaborative project will involve financial assistance through a small grant award. Interested communities should submit a Letter of Intent detailing the need for incorporating climate considerations into their existing planning frameworks and their interest in implementing a project to reduce risk to coastal climate stressors and/or extreme weather events. The deadline for LOI submissions is Jan. 15, 2018. For more information, visit masgc.org.
15. Society for the Advancement of Volunteer Youth at Moody Gardens
    The Society for the Advancement of Volunteer Youth (SAVY) provides students aged 14-17 with the opportunity to volunteer within their community while gaining experience in a variety of career fields. Through the SAVY program, participants have an experience that only Moody Gardens can offer. The application period for the next session runs through March 22. For more information, visit moodygardens.com.
16. Call for submissions for Gulf Coast Green 2019
    The 2019 Gulf Coast Symposium and Expo, the leading green building conference in the region. will be held May 17, 2019 at Rice University’s Moody Center for the Arts. Submissions are now being sought from presenters from the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, planning, interior design, government, education, the arts, contracting, energy analysis, and other building-related professions relevant to the conference theme, “CROSSROADS: Inclusive Exchange.” The deadline for submissions is Jan 21, 2019. For more information, visit aiahouston.org.
17. TV: Texas Parks & Wildlife
    Broadcast on KUHT Channel 8 at 3 p.m. 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.
    • UT-Austin’s Gulf Coast DesignLab students go to Galveston*
    • Trawling Texas bays to collect data on marine species
    • The Alum Creek Wildlife Management Association works to improve land management in the Lost Pines