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Houston Environmental News Update August 26, 2020
August 26, 2020

Houston Environmental News Update August 26, 2020

Laura, Forest Action Plan comments, This Place Called Houston, Virtual Plumeria Plant Sale, Creation Care Fest, Wildscape Workshop, Green Jobs, and more

Hurricane Laura moving through the Gulf of Mexico was visible from one million miles away on Aug. 25, 2020. Credit: NASA/NOAA

We were planning to talk about back-to-school as the introduction to this week’s newsletter, but, well…

As we write this, Hurricane Laura is on the verge of becoming a Category 5 storm. According to the National Hurricane Center, “Reports from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that the maximum sustained winds have increased to near 150 mph (240 km/h) with higher gusts. Laura is an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some additional strengthening is possible tonight before Laura reaches the northwest Gulf coast overnight.” It is being described as catastrophic, unsurvivable, and destructive.

Our thoughts go out to our neighbors in the path of the storm, especially to the people with the fewest resources to recover quickly. Please stay safe.

Banner image: Hurricane Laura, composite image courtesy NASA’s Earth Observatory.

Please scroll down to read notes from our member organizations and the community.

CEC NOTES

Call for submissions: Wild About Houston Green Film Festival

The CEC is proud to host the third annual Wild About Houston Green Film Festival on Wednesday, October 21, 2020. CEC hopes to use this festival to tell local environmental stories, highlight the work of CEC’s member organizations, and to inspire our residents and visitors to make a difference in the environment and our quality of life. The festival will be held virtually to protect the health and safety of our community in these times. We invite you to submit a film for consideration. Films should be specific to the environment in the Houston/Gulf Coast Region, should be no more than seven minutes long, and must be of suitable quality to be shown publicly. Find the Submission Guidelines here, and make submissions here.

TAEE Conference registration now available

CEC is proud to partner with the Texas Association for Environmental Education to host a virtual conference on September 25 & 26, 2020. CEC encourages all of our environmental educators to register and actively participate. Highlights include a special session for pre-service teachers, a preview of a new Texas wildlife movie, and a focus on quality virtual programming. Please share the opportunity within your own networks, and contact info@taee.org if you have any questions. Learn more at taee.org and register online.

Future CEC Events

COALITION & COMMUNITY NOTES

We have endeavored to confirm the opportunities listed below. Please consider confirming directly with the hosts, particularly in light of concerns about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and Hurricane Laura.

Public comment sought on 2020 Forest Action Plan

The Texas A&M Forest Service has updated the 2020 Forest Action Plan and is requesting public comments through October 11, 2020, before a final version is published at the end of the year. The Texas Forest Action Plan is a resource strategy document that is updated every five years and is based on an assessment conducted in that time frame. This assessment is to identify the issues, threats, and opportunities of state forest resources. Five primary issues were identified based on input from interested stakeholders from across the state: 1) Urban Forest Sustainability 2) Central Texas Woodlands Conservation 3) Sustainability of Forest Resources in East Texas 4) Water Resources and 5) Wildfire and Public Safety. The plan was developed based on three national themes: conserve working forests, protect forests from harm, and enhance public benefits from trees and forests. This commenting period allows the general public to review the Forest Action Plan and provide input on what they would like to see the Texas A&M Forest Service spending more time and resources focusing on. Read the Forest Action Plan at texasforestinfo.tamu.edu and provide comment using this Google Form. If you have any questions please contact Mac Martin, Staff Forester, at mac.martin@tfs.tamu.edu.

Developing a Planning Range for Sea-Level Rise

On August 27, 2020, from 1-2 p.m., the Gulf of Mexico Climate & Resilience Community of Practice will co-present the latest in its “Fast and Easy CEU’s: Coastal Resilience Webinar Series.” This presentation will focus on how the probabilities of each sea-level rise scenario can be used to bring intentionality into planning that considers sea-level rise. It will review factors to consider when developing risk tolerance and how different levels of risk tolerance connect to scenario likelihood. For more information and to regiseter, visit eventbrite.com.

OpenRICE: This Place Called Houston

On August 28, 2020, beginning at noon, the Glassock School for Continuing Education at Rice University will present a free webinar featuring environmental attorney, professor and poet Jim Blackburn, who will discuss ways residents can experience Houston’s nature with new eyes. Attendees will learn about Gulf Coast ecology, how our bayou system works, and how this place has shaped our identity and our future possibilities as a city. For more information and to register, visit glasscock-info.rice.edu.

Virtual Plumeria Plant Sale

On August 29, 2020, from 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Mercer Botanic Gardens will host its Virtual Plumeria Plant Sale. All plumeria plants for sale are propagated from The Mercer Society’s mother plant collection. An online preview of all available plants will begin the week prior to the sale. Online shoppers will receive instructions in their order confirmation to retrieve orders the week after the virtual plant sale ends. All orders are pickup only. For more information, see the Facebook event.

Creation Care Fest/Environmental Extravaganza

On August 29, 2020, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Christ the King Lutheran Church will host a virtual Creation Care Fest/Environmental Extravaganza with the theme “The Wonders of Texas Nature”.  Four expert speakers from local environmental organizations will discuss Texas flora and fauna, and the best places for outdoor recreation in the greater Houston area. For more information and to register, visit eventbrite.com.

10th Annual Trash Makeover Challenge

On August 29, 2020, from 7-8:30 p.m., Texas Campaign for the Environment will hold its Trash Makeover Challenge virtually. The Challenge is a high-profile contest for fashion designers, stylists, and models to create original high fashion looks out of recycled and recovered materials. Enjoy a unique fashion show that challenges designers to make clothing out of repurposed materials, participate in deciding the People’s Choice awards, and learn more about TCE’s work to fight pollution in Texas. There will be an online auction which begins Friday, August 21 and ends during the event. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit trashmakeover.com.

Houston 2020 Visions Exhibition launch

The Houston 2020 Visions Exhibition, a first-ever collaboration between the City of Houston and the American Institute of Architects (AIA Houston), will launch on August 31, 2020, during the third anniversary of Hurricane Harvey’s arrival in Houston. The exhibition celebrates innovative, visionary project proposals that seek to place design and sustainability at the heart of the conversation about planning for a more resilient future. The exhibition’s content, including a virtual tour, and calendar of events will be featured on the website and updated through the duration of the exhibition. Virtual programming, including dynamic panel discussions with national resiliency experts, will be curated to pair with featured projects, taking place throughout the late Summer, Fall, and Winter of 2020. For detailed information, see the press release.

Environmental Exposures, Superfund sites, and Health Outcomes

On August 30, 2020, from 6-7 p.m., Christ the King Lutheran Church will host a webinar featuring Professor Melissa Suter of Baylor College of Medicine, whose team, which includes scientists at Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University and UTMB, is studying how environmental exposures due to residing near Superfund sites are associated with specific health outcomes. The team is working to create portable equipment designed to measure contaminants in the soil in communities proximal to Superfund sites, monitoring exposures using wristband samplers to determine personal chemical exposures, and investigating health outcomes in pregnant women and their babies associated with these environmental exposures. For more information and to register, visit eventbrite.com.

HISD educators grant funding for water conservation deadline is Aug. 31

Houston Public Works is offering a $2,500 grant to implement a water conservation project in Houston ISD classrooms or schools. The grant will provide $2,000 for the water conservation project and $500 to support your professional development. This opportunity is open to all HISD 6th-8th grade teachers. The deadline to apply is Aug. 31, 2020. For more information and application instructions, visit houstontx.gov.

Parks and Natural Areas Awards Application Opens Sept. 1

Applications for the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s annual Parks and Natural Areas (PNA) Awards will open on Tuesday, September 1. PNA awards honor projects in four categories: Projects Over $500,000; Projects Under $500,000; Planning Process; and Policy Tools. Winning entries serve as models for planning and project implementation for parks and natural areas in the region. The application period will open Tuesday, September 1, and will close at 5 p.m. Wednesday September 30.  An online application guide is available. No funding is associated with this award program. Winners will be notified in December. The awards ceremony will be in February 2021. For more information, contact Andrea Tantillo at 832-681-2507. 

NPSOT Wildscapes Workshop Registration Now Open

Fireflies, an awesome plant sale, great speakers, and more will make this year’s virtual workshop hosted by the Native Plant Society of Texas a not-to-be-missed event, starting September 1. Registration is now open at npsot.org.

Secrets of Milkweed Propagation and Significance to Prairies

On Sept. 2, 2020, beginning at 7 p.m., the Houston chapter of the Native Prairies Association of Texas will host a virtual meeting featuring Barbara Keller-Willy, founder and director of Monarch Gateway, a Fort Bend County non-profit which seeks to create contiguous pollinator habitat across the coastal and central flyways of Texas. For more information, visit houstonprairie.org. Register at zoom.us. (Rescheduled from August 26.)

Living the Change Weekly Discussion Group

Beginning Sept. 3, 2020 and continuing through November, the Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston will host a weekly online discussion group inviting Texans of faith accept the Walk on Earth Gently invitation and commit to a sustainable lifestyle. Walk on Earth Gently invites people of faith into a journey of Living the Change that the world needs.  The journey is inspired by religious teachings to turn away from consumerism and to seek balanced relationships with all people and the planet we share as our common home.  This 12-week program focuses on making personal lifestyle changes in three areas:  transportation; energy; and food. For more information and to register, visit eventbrite.com.

Community Outdoor Outreach Program grants available

Texas Parks & Wildlife’s Community Outdoor Outreach Program is now accepting applications for outdoor education programming. CO-OP grants provide funding to tax-exempt organizations for programming that engages under-represented populations in TPWD mission-oriented outdoor recreation, conservation and environmental education activities. Grant awards range between $5,000 – $30,000 for eligible activities that take place between March 1, 2021 – September 1, 2022. Recreation Grants staff will host a CO-OP Grant Writing Webinar on Tuesday, September 15 at 9 a.m. This webinar will discuss grant program requirements, provide an overview of the application process, review the newly modified scoring criteria and answer questions from applicants. Register for the webinar at gotowebinar.com. Applications are available now via the RGO 2020 system and the deadline is November 6, 2020 at 5 p.m CST. For more information and to apply, please visit tpwd.texas.gov.

The Great Texas Birding Classic Conservation Grants proposals due Oct. 1

Do you have a habitat conservation, acquisition, or enhancement project to fund that will benefit native, wild, and unrestrained birds? Do you have an enhancement project that will improve or enhance access for birders and wildlife watchers while protecting habitat for birds? Submit your project proposal now to be eligible for potential funding from the Great Texas Birding Classic. Visit Conservation Grants for project criteria, proposal form, and a list of previously funded projects. Select winning teams choose which conservation projects are funded each year, and selected projects will be announced by the end of December. The deadline for proposals is Oct. 1, 2020.

Apply to join the World Oceans Day Youth Advisory Council

The World Oceans Day Youth Advisory Council helps develop World Oceans Day into a unique opportunity to connect and unite youth and others around our blue planet, with the focus on action for a healthier ocean and more sustainable society. All young people, between the ages of 16 and 24, are invited to apply. Applications for the newest contingent are due Oct. 2, 2020. To apply, visit surveymonkey.com.

Ask an Ecologist

Every Thursday through September 24, beginning at 3 p.m., Bayou Land Conservancy will present a Facebook Live event called “Ask an Ecologist.” Attendees can submit nature-related questions or topics and receive answers live. For more information, visit the Facebook event.

“Nature as Nature” blog

The Armand Bayou Nature Center offers its “Nature as Normal” blog as a means to “remember that things are still happening as normal in the bigger picture, and that we’ll all be back to normal soon too.” Each entry features photographs by award-winning kayaking photographer Gary Seloff and ABNC Volunteer Photo Walk Leader Lyman Brown, with commentary by ABNC’s Conservation Director and Chief Naturalist, Mark Kramer. The latest entry is titled “The Spider Experience.” Find all of the blog entries at abnc.org.

COVID-19 Registry seeks public’s input

The COVID-19 Registry, spearheaded by Rice University with partnering organizations, is a research study that provides real-time information to health departments on the spread of COVID-19, who is being affected, and how. The registry will help to: track virus spread over time and across geography; measure economic and health impacts; understand behavior in response to policy changes; and identify popular and effective sources of information. Data from the registry will be stored in a highly secure system built by Rice University. Things learned from the registry will be published, but will not include any information that would identify participants. For more information and to take the survey, visit rice.edu. Read the most up-to-date findings here.

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.

  • Follow a young hiker on her first long-distance hike on the longest trail in Texas: The Lone Star Hiking Trail. Share in her triumphs, along with fatigue, blisters, and ticks
  • About two hours east of Dallas, you’ll find a quiet state park that has everything from hiking to fishing. Lake Bob Sandlin is a perfect hidden getaway for folks of all ages
  • Postcard from Texas: It’s naptime for some ducks along the banks of the Colorado River in Bastrop

Additional Upcoming Events