• 713-524-4CEC (4232)
  • info@cechouston.org
Houston Environmental News Update December 30, 2020
December 31, 2020

Houston Environmental News Update December 30, 2020

2020: A whirlwind of a year. First Day Hikes, Urban Harvest Permaculture Classes, Wildlife by Design Classroom Presentations, Wild and Scenic Film Festival, Harris County Master Gardeners Plant Sales, Green Jobs, and more

First Day Hike, Brazos Bend State Park, 202o

2020 has been as much of a whirlwind as this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, the most active on record with 30 named storms. 2020 has often felt more unsettling than the threatening storms. 

We asked you, our readers, to share with us what you thought were the the most significant environmental accomplishments, controversies, issues, news, and events in the greater Houston region in 2020. This is what we heard:

  • Black Lives Matter: Environmental justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion are all front-of-mind
  • Buffalo Bayou: notable/controversial projects and proposed projects from the Turning Basin to beyond the Barker and Cypress Reservoirs
  • Zoom
  • Publication of the City of Houston’s Resilient Houston and Climate Action Plan
  • A dead-heat–with 2016–for the hottest year on record 
  • Record-breaking Atlantic Hurricane Season – the Houston region narrowly dodged the major storms this year, but that won’t always be the case
  • I-45 Expansion Project
  • The Election
  • COVID-19: Reduced travel during stay-at-home orders = fewer miles driven and decreases in pollutants
  • Creation of Harris County’s Community Flood Resilience Task Force
  • Environmental Rollbacks (tracked by the New York Times) 
  • Bayou Greenways: city park renovations, ebike stations and green bike lanes, renovated and new mobility bridges
  • Opening of the Houston Botanic Garden
  • Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary

What have we missed? For posterity, add your suggestions.

It has been a remarkable year for the CEC as well, as, together, we have connected our environmental community and:

  • Substantially expanded our environmental education program, providing training for educators; development of environmental resources on hereinhouston.org; and partnerships with local, state, and national organizations
  • Sent more newsletters to more people, sharing opportunities to find a green job (or hire someone), to comment on public policy, to participate in events, to learn something new, and to change the world.
  • Received so many amazing local environmental film submissions that we had to host TWO nights of Wild About Houston Green Film Festival.
  • Hosted more than twice as many attendees at CEC events than in 2019 (not including Earth Day Houston, which has been postponed until  2021).
  • Welcomed a record number of amazing interns, from Texas Southern University, University of Houston Main Campus and Downtown, Texas A&M, Rice University, Duke, University of Colorado, Virginia Tech, and more. We also hired our first Student Conservation Association/Americorps intern!
  • Grown our social media following by 20%, to almost 12,000.

These accomplishments are not possible without the valuable support of friends like you. Please consider a donation to support these efforts. You can donate securely through Paypal Giving Fund, at Network for Good (which makes it easy to set up recurring donations), or on Facebook. As always, you may send a check (payable to Citizens’ Environmental Coalition) to PO Box 702, Houston, TX 77001. Help make our 50th year the best ever.

We don’t ask you for money often, but we can’t send this weekly newsletter without your help. If each of our readers gave just $3.50, we’d be able to fund our newsletter for a year. Thanks to the 2% of readers who donate each year, we are able to continue providing this newsletter to you every week. If CEC’s weekly newsletter is worth more than one cup of coffee to you, please take a moment to donate. If you are one of our rare donors, we are deeply grateful for your support. If you are unable to make a financial contribution, give us a little love by leaving a review on Guidestar, Great Nonprofits, or Facebook.

As an extra incentive, for 2020, the CARES act allows taxpayers who don’t itemize deductions to take a charitable deduction of up to $300 for cash contributions to qualifying organizations such as the CEC. If $300 doesn’t sound like a lot to you, it makes a big difference to the CEC. Furthermore, if you are taxpayer over age 70 ½, you can make a qualified charitable distribution from your IRA – up to $100,000 – directly to an eligible charity. 

* Banner Photo Notes: The photo above was taken at Brazos Bend State Park, located near Needville, Texas, southwest of Houston. Brazos Bend State Park is one of several local state parks that are hosting First Day Hikes, part of the national First Day Hikes initiative. Learn more and reserve your socially distanced spot at:

Wishing you peace,

From all of us at the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition.

Please scroll down to read about public engagement opportunities and notes from our member organizations and the community.

CEC NOTES

Wild and Scenic Film Festival on Tour

Tickets are on sale now for the Wild and Scenic Film Festival On Tour, hosted by CEC, on Jan. 29, 2021. Purchase your tickets today; they make a great holiday gift. Special thanks to our program sponsors: McMac CX and Veritex Bank. The Silent Auction is also back by popular demand. Purchase tickets at eventbrite.com.

Virtually Wild! Field Trips

Need a virtual lesson, activity or field trip for your students? Send an email to SCA Americorps Intern Emma Wilson (emma.wilson@cechouston.org) to book and create a free, custom program that aligns to any of the Science TEKS. She is available any date and time from now until March. Or, join us for Virtually WILD Communities every Tuesday at 4:00 on Facebook Live (houstonwild) or 4:30 via Zoom (email emma.wilson@cechouston.org for the links). This program is great for all audiences, and gives Houstonians a chance to interact with various environmental professionals every week. Details at hereinhouston.org.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES

Learn more about public participation opportunities at cechouston.org/public-participation-opportunities/.

Comment Period Extended to Jan. 13, 2021: Coastal Texas Study

The United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas General Land Office recently released plans for the Coastal Texas Study. Learn more and submit comments at swg.usace.army.mil. NOTE: Several area environmental groups have raised concerns about the draft reports. Watch a recent discussion on the study by those organizations here.

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).

Urban Harvest Permaculture Class

Urban Harvest offers a series of permaculture classes and hands-on training in the field, totaling approximately 100 hours, based on the curriculum of the International Permaculture Institute. Graduates of the Designers Certificate Course are invited to join the Permaculture Guild of Houston. The classes are grouped under titles, called modules, which are offered each season and do not need to be taken sequentially, except for Module 1. Module one includes two classes that are prerequisites required before going on to take Modules 2 – 5.

Wildlife by Design Classroom Presentations

During Spring 2001, Texas Wildlife Association will offer its free, TEKS-aligned Wildlife by Design classroom presentations for grades K-8 in a virtual format. Each school can have up to two program dates per school year. Each presentation is designed for a classroom length period of time, up to 60 minutes, and for a group of 20-50 students. There are options for both synchronous and asynchronous learning environments. All presentations will be interactive and provide opportunities for student action/participation. For full information and to register, visit texas-wildlife.org.

Lone Star Coastal Alliance and Stakeholders Unveil “Explore Lone Star Coastal”

The Lone Star Coastal Alliance – representing a decade old coalition of local citizens, businesses, governments and non-governmental organizations – welcomes you to visit the Lone Star Coastal region. This on-line interactive travel guide is available at ExploreLoneStarCoastal.com. The website features over 300 points of interest recommended by local residents, businesses, organizations, public and private land managers, educators, and community establishments. Representing the diverse ecosystems of the region, the website includes 60 parks and natural areas, including eight National Fish and Wildlife Service Refuges and nine dedicated bird sanctuaries. This diversity in habitat also makes for a diversity of recreation – fishing, hunting, biking, kayaking, boating and, yes, exceptional birding! The region is in the heart of the central flyway for neotropical migration, is home to a large colonial water bird population and hawk migration, and has the second most abundant estuary in the nation with Galveston Bay.

Wild Texas Film Tour available virtually in December

The Wild Texas Film Tour, which normally hosts screening events in cities throughout the state, has gone virtual this year for the entire month of December. Hosted by filmmaker and conservationist Ben Masters, the films showcase “wildlife, adventure, and conservation stories from across the state.” All of this year’s films will be available free of charge with a suggested donation to help cover the festival’s streaming costs and fund the next Wild Texas Short Film Grant. Among this year’s selections is Bayou City, a short film produced by Olivia Haun (Schmidt), the 2018 Wild Texas Film Tour Grant recipient and outreach specialist for the TPWD Wildlife Diversity Program. Bayou City was made to “shed light on the issues the bayou ecosystem have faced over the past century, and to share the successes that provide an alternative vision and relationship between Houston and its bayous.” The film features Mark Kramer of Armand Bayou Nature Center, Susan Chadwick and Tom Helm of Save Buffalo Bayou, Suzanne Simpson of Bayou Land Conservancy, Kelli Ondracek of Houston Parks & Recreation Department, and Diana Foss of TPWD Urban Wildlife Program.

Christmas Bird Counts

The 121st annual Christmas Bird Count continues through Jan. 5, 2021. Organized by the National Audubon Society, this all-volunteer effort takes a snapshot of bird populations to monitor their status and distribution across the Western Hemisphere. Counts are open to birders of all skill levels. There is NO FEE to participate in Christmas Bird Counts. We encourage you to learn more about the counts–including a few dozen within a two-hour drive of downtown Houston–at HoustonAudubon.org. Unsurprisingly, adjustments are being made to the count to try reduce the risk of transferring the coronavirus. You can also participate from your yard or neighborhood as a feeder watcher. Regardless, be sure to coordinate with the compiler to find out how to participate.

CELF Civic Science Scholarship applications open through Dec. 31

The Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation is leading a multi-state cohort of middle and high school teachers through student projects focusing on air quality. Teachers will receive an air quality monitor, a chance to connect with other teachers from other states through a virtual professional learning community, and the opportunity to have students present their air data findings – along with student-driven solutions – at the virtual CELF Student Symposium in Spring 2021. Applications are being accepted through Dec. 31, 2020. For more information and to apply, visit celfeducation.org.

Celebrate the Holidays along Buffalo Bayou

Buffalo Bayou Partnership offer several ways to celebrate the season while staying safe:

Social Change Scientists Video Competition

Enter the McMac Cx, Air Champions – Social Change Scientists Video Competition. Simply create a 30 to 90 second video about air quality using provided prompts, and enter using this Google form. A winner will be announced at the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition’s Green Film Series event on Jan. 29, 2021. The winner will receive a state-of-the-art Flow Personal Pollution Monitor (PPM) valued at $150.00 from McMac Cx. Questions? Want to be on the selection committee? Want to learn more about Air Champions? Contact David McLean at david.maclean@mcmaccx.net or read the details on the Google form.

THEA Town Hall

On Jan. 5, 2021, beginning at 6 p.m., Texas Health and Environmental Alliance will hold its January Town Hall virtually. Register by visiting zoom.us.

Outdoor Adventure for Youth in Public Housing

On Jan. 6, 2021, Texas Children in Nature will host a webinar with Christine Norton, who will share her work with youth in public housing and the use of nature for promoting health and wellbeing. In order to promote greater access to nature, Texas State University partnered with the San Marcos Housing Authority to create an Outdoor Adventure Club for youth living in public housing. For more information and to register, visit eventbrite.com.

Workshop: Debris Management Preparedness in Challenging Times

On Jan. 7, 2021, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., the Houston-Galveston Area Council will host an online workshop. It will focus on activities that can assist jurisdictions in being prepared to respond to and recover from a disaster debris generating incident including: the challenges of COVID-19 on solid waste staffing, collections, and disposal; and recent changes in disaster debris and public assistance regulations and guidance. For more information and to register, visit h-gac.com.

Mercer Botanic Gardens Volunteer Orientation

On Jan. 7, 2021, from 6-7 p.m., Mercer Botanic Gardens will hold a virtual orientation for prospective volunteers. Participants will discover everything the center has to offer, from helping maintain the gardens, to plant propagation and sales, to educational programs and the Mercer Ambassadors. The orientation will be held at Timber Lane Community Center in Spring. For more information, including how to register, see the Facebook event.

Texas Association for Environmental Education Providers’ Meeting

On Jan. 8, 2021, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., the Texas Association for Environmental Education will hold a virtual providers’ meeting. Representatives from environmental education programs such as zoos, parks, museums, institutions of higher education, and nature centers will meet online for updated information designed to help their staff members work more effectively with schools throughout the state. For more information and to register, visit constantcontact.com.

Volunteer Tree Planting at Sylvan Rodriguez Park

On Jan. 9, 2021, from 9 a.m.-noon, the Houston Parks & Recreation Department’s Natural Resources Management Program will host a volunteer tree planting event at Sylvan Rodriguez Park, 1201 Clear Lake City Blvd. Shovels will be provided. Be sure to bring a refillable water bottle, along with shoes, gloves, and clothes that can get muddy. Pre-registration is required. Register by emailing Naturalresources@houstontx.gov. For more information, visit volunteermatch.org.

Reminders About Ongoing Opportunities

  • Gulf Research Program Fellowships applications open.
    Deadline Jan. 13, 2021. For more information, visit nationalacademies.org.
  • Gulf of Mexico Bay Watershed Education and Training Program applications
    Webinar on Jan. 11, 2021. Deadline: Feb. 26, 2021. Learn more at noaa.gov.
  • Harris County Master Gardeners plant sales
    Contactless plant sales through the rest of this year and in 2021. Learn more at hcmga-online.company.site.
  • Citizen Science Program for Bird Observation
    The Audubon Society’s Texas Estuarine Resource Network (TERN) and the Harris County Department of Education are collaborating to bring a community-based citizen science program to prepare teachers and students in grades 5-12 as field researchers for bird observations. If your school is within walking distance of a waterway (pond, bayou, creek, ditch) please contact Lisa Felske (lfelske@hcde-texas.org).
  • SFA Sustainability Degree Programs
    Stephen F. Austin State University offers an online bachelor’s degree in sustainability, designed to accommodate community college transfers or other students wanting to stay in their hometown location. Visit sfasu.edu or email Dr. Bill Forbes at forbesw@sfasu.edu. To learn more about the Masters program, visit sfasu.edu.

Recurring Events with Changing Content

Virtually WILD! field trips

Virtually WILD! offers the community a chance to interact with conservationists and wildlife live every week. Stay tuned for new programming in January. Corresponding activities and archived videos, as well as registration details, are available at hereinhouston.org.

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.

  • Fires in Bastrop County threatened the already endangered Houston Toad population. Thanks to the efforts of Paul Crump and others, a captive breeding program was established to help boost population numbers
  • Since so much of land in Texas is privately owned, we have to work diligently with private land-owning citizens. Tom Heger and his team help landowners in Texas make smart choices for the rivers and streams running through their properties. This ensures clean water and healthy wildlife populations for all Texans
  • Texas is home to many threatened and endangered species. Meredith Longoria works with Texas landowners to help take care of these special creatures

Additional Upcoming Events

Check out the latest Green Jobs at cechouston.org/green-jobs/.

Skip to content