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Houston Environmental News Update February 16, 2022
February 17, 2022

Houston Environmental News Update February 16, 2022

20th Anniversary Crab Trap Removal, VOTE, In Too Deep, SPLASh Volunteer Cleanups, Great Backyard Bird Count, Invasive Species Workshop, Green Jobs and more

Photo courtesy Christmas Bay Foundation, (c) Jim Olive

When Christmas Bay Foundation first hosted a crab trap removal event in February 2002, biologists estimated that over 11,000 organisms representing 21 species were saved, with blue crab and stone crab representing 76% of the organisms observed. Galveston Bay Foundation organized an event which resulted in the removal of 3,214 traps. That year, 554 volunteers representing over 60 organizations, businesses, and government entities helped remove 8,070 traps with over 11,000 organisms from systems along the Texas coast, according to Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Since 2002, volunteers with Christmas Bay Foundation, Galveston Bay Foundation, and other coordinators have removed over 40,000 abandoned traps from Texas waters. 

Photo courtesy Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

The Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program (ACTRP) was created by Senate Bill 1410 during the 77th (2001) Legislative session. This bill granted the TPWD Commission authority to create a ten-day crab trap closure that begins the third Friday of each February. Crab traps left in the water during this time are considered litter and may be disposed of appropriately.  Before this law, only law enforcement officials could legally remove abandoned crab traps from Texas’ marine waters.

Volunteers are needed to assist in the coast-wide effort to remove the numerous traps that have been lost or abandoned since last year’s cleanup. Volunteers may focus their efforts on February 19 or work at their own pace anytime during the closure, but traps cannot be removed before or after the 10-day window. Learn more at tpwd.texas.gov.

On February 19, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., the Galveston Bay Foundation will host host two crab trap removal events in Anahuac and Bolivar. Volunteers can drop traps off at one of several established trap drop sites around Galveston Bay. GBF is recruiting volunteers with boats to assist with locating and removing traps from Trinity Bay and East Bay. People without boats can still assist. For more information and to register, visit galvbay.org.

CEC NOTES

Professional Development Opportunities for Teachers

Engage your students with lessons outdoors or virtually. Sign up today at hereinhouston.org.

Join fellow environmental educators every other Friday morning for a quick check-in to collaborate. Bring your coffee (or tea) and ideas for things that are working in your programs (or questions about things that are not). The Zoom call is hosted by regional board members from the Texas Association for Environmental Education. The next meeting will be held Feb. 25, 2022 from 8:30-9 a.m. Click on this Zoom link to join. Email Alicia at amein@hcp4.net for any questions.

Earth Day Houston: April 10, 2022 from 12:00-5:00 p.m.

Presented in partnership with the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, Discovery Green’s citywide Earth Day celebration is designed to educate, inspire and encourage action. Learn more about attending, exhibiting, and volunteering at Earthdayhouston.org.

Call for Presenters: Are you an educator with a 20-minute presentation that you would like to share with the Earth Day Houston crowd? Sign up to join us on the “infotainment” stage at Green Mountain Energy Earth Day Houston Festival 2022. For more information, email earthday@cechouston.org.

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

OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

Learn about additional public comment opportunities at cechouston.org.

Vote: Texas Primaries

Early voting for the Texas primaries runs through Feb. 25, 2022, with Election Day on March 1, 2022. Not sure whether you are registered or how to register? Want to see what will be on the ballot, or where to vote? You can visit votetexas.gov or contact the elections office for your county (listed below).

As always, we encourage you to visit the League of Women Voters of Houston website–and their national voting website vote411.com–to learn more about elections. The League is a nonpartisan organization that believes in the power of every person to create a more perfect democracy and provide helpful information about candidates and recent changes to the Texas Election Code.

National Environmental Justice Community Engagement Call

EPA invites Environmental Justice (EJ) advocates to participate in the next National Environmental Justice Community Engagement Call on Feb. 22, 2022 from 1-3 p.m. (Central Time). The purpose of these calls is to inform the public about EPA’s environmental justice work and enhance opportunities to maintain an open dialogue with environmental justice advocates. These calls are free and open to the public. Register at eventbrite.com.

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).

Texas’ 2021 Annual Meeting information available

The Texas Trustee Implementation Group held its 2021 annual public meeting on Dec. 1, 2021 via a webinar. The presentation included information on the work they have accomplished since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Ongoing restoration projects and presented plans for future efforts are highlighted. During the webinar, trustee staff also hosted a question and answer session. Links to the presentation and question and answer session trascript are available at gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov.

Take Care of Texas Video Contest winners announced

Winners for the annual Take Care of Texas Video Contest have been announced. Hundreds of Texas students in grades 6 – 12 created 30-second videos about how they take care of the environment, using data from the website. Contest partner Waste Management of Texas, Inc. helped to make the contest a huge success by providing the prizes: scholarships totaling $4,500 and photography equipment prizes totaling $1,800. The first-place winner in the 9th-12th grade category is Bryson Magee, a student at George Bush High School, Richmond. See all of the winning entries at takecareoftexas.org.

Keep Texas Beautiful Opens Governor’s Achievement Awards Application

For more than 30 years, Keep Texas Beautiful, in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation has awarded the prestigious Governor’s Community Achievement Awards to Texas communities for their outstanding overall efforts to keep their communities beautiful. This year, 10 winning communities will share $2 million in landscaping awards from the Texas Department of Transportation, with the amount based on population size. The funds are used for landscaping projects along local rights-of-way. There is a $25 application fee. The deadline to apply is Feb. 17, 2022. For more information and to apply, visit ktb.org.

USACE Galveston District Flood Risk Management and Coastal Resiliency Efforts 

On Feb. 17, 2022, from noon-1 p.m., the Texas Association of Environmental Professionals will hold a virtual luncheon featuring a presentation by Lisa Mairs, project manager of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District, on the District’s flood risk management and coastal resiliency efforts. For more information and to register, visit taep.memberclicks.net.

In Too Deep: Class and Mothering in a Flooded Community

On Feb. 17, 2022, beginning at 12:15 p.m., the Kinder Institute for Urban Research will present an Urban Reads discussion with Rachel Kimbro, dean of the School of Social Sciences and sociology professor at Rice University, who will discuss her book In Too Deep: Class and Mothering in a Flooded Community. The book examines what happens when climate change threatens the carefully curated family life of upper-middle-class mothers in the Houston neighborhood of Bayou Oaks. For more information and to register, visit kinder.rice.edu.

Transition On Tap: Reflections and Lessons From the Texas Freeze

On Feb. 17, 2022, beginning at 5 p.m., Greentown Labs Houston will host a virtual discussion with Houston energy industry experts, who will share their firsthand experience with the 2021 winter freeze, what steps have been taken in the last year to strengthen the grid, and the role climatetech innovation can play to create more resilient energy infrastructure. For more information and to register, visit greentownlabs.com.

Behind the Scenes at Mercer Botanic Gardens

On Feb. 17, 2022, beginning a 7 p.m., the Houston chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas will hold a monthly meeting featuring a presentation by Anita Tiller and Suzanne Chapman of Mercer Botanic Gardens. They will give an update on the Herbarium, the native plant programs, and ongoing and upcoming programs at the Gardens. For more information and to register, visit npsot.org.

SPLASh Volunteer Cleanups

On Feb. 18, 2022, from 9 a.m.-noon, SPLASh and Houston Audubon will co-host a volunteer cleanup at Bolivar’s Frechtown Road. Parking is available along the side of the road, and though it is a quiet road, participants will wear orange reflective vests to ensure they are visible and safe while working alongside the road. All volunteers are required to sign waivers. For more information and to register, visit this Google document.

On Feb. 19, 2022, from 9 a.m.-noon, SPLASh will host a volunteer cleanup at Surfside Jetty County Park. For more information and to register, visit this Google document.

On Feb. 23, 2022, from 9 a.m.-noon, SPLASh and the Galveston Island Park Board of Trustees will host a volunteer cleanup along the bird nesting area of East Beach off of Boddeker Road. For more information and to register, visit this Google document.

Great Backyard Bird Count

From Feb. 18-21, 2022, Audubon, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada will co-host the Great Backyard Bird Count. Bird watchers from around the world take part in this annual event. Participants join thousands of volunteers of all levels of birding experience to count birds in their own backyards, local parks, a nearby Bayou Greenway, or wildlife refuges. You can also add a checklist from your own back yard or favorite local birding spot. Checklists submitted by all “citizen scientists” help scientists and researchers learn more about how different bird species are doing, how their populations and ranges are changing, and how to protect them. On Feb. 16, the Cornell Lab will hold a webinar in which experts will go over bird identification, the mystery of bird songs, and how to practice counting birds no matter how large the flock or busy the feeder. This webinar is designed for birders of all ages and experience. Learn more about the Great Backyard Bird County and register for the webinar at birdcount.org. Check out a list of Houston-area bird surveys at houstonaudubon.org.

Bird Banding at GCBO

On Feb. 19, 2022, from 8 a.m.-noon, the Gulf Coast Birding Observatory will host a free bird-banding event at its headquarters in Lake Jackson. Come see birds in the hand and learn about the science of bird banding. The earlier you arrive the more birds you’ll see. For more information, see the Facebook event.

Invasive Species Workshop

On Feb. 19, 2022, from 8:30-11:30 a.m., The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department will offer a free virtual workshop explain the issues surrounding invasive species, identifying the worst culprits, and providing removal opportunities for an even greater number of volunteers to participate. Nonresidents of The Woodlands are welcome to participate. For more information and to register, see the Facebook event.

Interfaith Kemah Shoreline Cleanup

On Feb. 20, 2022, from 2-4 p.m., Galveston Bay Foundation and the Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston invites people of all faiths to learn about plastic pollution in Galveston Bay, tips for pollution prevention, and take part in a shoreline cleanup. This event will offer activities for all ages and skill levels. Learn more and sign up at galvbay.org.

Longleaf Pines Planting at Big Thicket National Preserve

On Feb. 21, 2022, from 9 a.m.-noon. the National Park Service, Texas Conservation Alliance, Big Thicket Association, National Parks Conservation Association and other groups will host a volunteer tree planting event in the Big Sandy Unit of the Big Thicket National Preserve. Enjoy a day in the woods and plant longleaf pine saplings to restore forest for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker and other wildlife. The work will also mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration. For more information and to register, visit tcatexas.org.

Prepared Air

On Feb. 21, 2022, beginning at 6 p.m., Rice University’s Center for Environmental Studies will host a Planet Now! conversation with Salmaan Craig, assistant professor of Architecture at McGill University, who studies turning biogenic building materials into heat-exchangers; Rafael Beneytez-Durán, associate professor and of Architecture at the University of Houston and an expert on “Atmosphere as Form in Architecture”; and Heather Davis, assistant professor of Culture and Media at The New School, where she her recent work has examined plastic saturation and materiality. Joseph Campana, the William Shakespeare Professor of English and director of Rice’s Center for Environmental Studies, and Liz Galvez, visiting critic at Rice’s Department of Architecture, will moderate.For more information and to register, visit enst.rice.edu.

Living the Change

From February 22 through May 17, 2022, the Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston will host a weekly online course developed in response to the Walk on Earth Gently multifaith statement presented at the COP23 UN Climate Change Conference. Walk on Earth Gently invites you 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.

U.S. EPA: Office of Water Career Fair

On Feb. 23, 2022, beginning at noon CST, the U.S. EPA Office of Water’s Special Emphasis Programs, which help ensure equal employment opportunity for minorities, women, veterans, and persons with disabilities in various categories and occupations throughout the Agency, will host an online career fair. For more information and to register, visit eventbrite.com.

How Humpback Whales Feed Hawai`i

On Feb. 23, 2022, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary will present fourth of its 2022 Seaside Chats virtually. Jeannine Rossa of the Hawaiian Island Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary will discuss how humpback whales’ shedding of their skin helps feed zooplankton, which in turn increases food for fishes, octopus, and coral surrounding the Hawai`ian islands. For more information on the series of talks and to register, visit flowergarden.noaa.gov.

Trash Free Texas Adopt-A-Spot Webinar

On Feb. 24, 2022, beginning at 9 a.m., the Houston-Galveston Area Council will host a webinar on the Trash Free Texas Adopt-A-Spot Map. The Adopt-A-Spot Map is a free web-based tool that helps to connect volunteers to places in need of routine litter cleanup while allowing cities, counties, and organizations to maintain control of their own litter cleanup programs. Participants will hear from Trash Free Texas staff and partners and are encouraged to ask questions about how the tool can help meet their cleanup goals. To register, visit zoom.us.

Port Houston’s Community Grants Program

Port Houston’s Community Grants Program is a community outreach initiative focused on investing resources into meaningful projects and programs that enhance local communities while advancing our mission and vision as a part of Port Houston’s 2020 Strategic Plan. The Community Grants Program offers the opportunity for qualifying organizations to apply for funding through an open, competitive application process. Port Houston is particularly interested in supporting programs or services that align with its current outreach priorities: Community Outreach, Economic and Workforce Development, Environmental Stewardship, and Maritime Commerce. An online public workshop about the program is scheduled for Feb. 24, 2022, from 1-2 p.m. Letters of Interest are due March 4, 2022. For complete information about the program and to register for the workshop, visit porthouston.com.

Maintaining a Solid Waste Program in Difficult Times

On Feb. 24, 2022, from 1:30-3:30 p.m., the Houston-Galveston Area Council will hold a Solid Waste Workshop featuring experts working in household hazardous waste and recycling about finding new solutions and strategies during challenging times. Speakers wil be Cheryl Burton- Fentress, program manager of the Harris County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility; and Adrian Hernandez, executive director of Keep Pearland Beautiful which operates the Stella Roberts Recycling Center. For more information and to register, visit h-gac.com.

Plastic and the Circular Economy

On Feb. 24, 2022, beginning at 7 p.m. The Woodlands G.R.E.E.N will host a virtual Going Green lecture by Jennifer Ronk, a senior sustainability manager for Dow. She will discuss why the old model of a take-make-waste economy needs to transition to a more sustainable circular model where resources aren’t wasted and people’s needs are met equitably. Ronk will discuss initiatives in the U.S. and across the globe, especially Texas-specific initiatives to usher in this transition. Ronk will also discuss the challenge of plastic pollution and marine debris and the work that is being done to help keep oceans safe. For more information, visit thewoodlandsgreen.org.

Whooping Crane Festival

From Feb. 24-27, 2022, the Whooping Crane Festival in Port Aransas will celebrate the annual return of the cranes to their wintering habitat at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The Texas Coastal Bend is the only place to see the world’s last naturally occurring population of Whooping Cranes. The four-day event will feature renowned speakers, birding trips, boating trips, nature tours, photography workshops, a trade show, and more. For more information, visit portaransas.org.

Enhanced Air Quality Monitoring for Communities grants

EPA has announced the availability of $20 million in competitive grants to conduct ambient air monitoring of pollutants in communities with environmental and health outcome disparities from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic. EPA will award funds to support community and local efforts to monitor their own air quality and to promote air quality monitoring partnerships between communities and tribal, state, and local governments.The application period will be open until Feb. 25, 2022, 11:59 PM EST and EPA expects to award the grants in summer 2022. To learn more, visit epa.gov.

North Jetty Cleanup

On Feb. 26, 2022, from 9 a.m.-noon, Houston Audubon will host a volunteer cleanup of trash at the North Jetty bordering the Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary, a site designated as a “Globally Important Bird Area”. Houston Audubon will provide gloves, grabbers, and trash bags. Volunteers will meet at the North Jetty parking area at the end of 17th Street in Port Bolivar. To register, visit volunteersignup.org.

TWRC Wildlife Center’s Second Annual Chili Cook Off

On Feb. 26, 2022, from 3-6 p.m., the TWRC Wildlife Center will hold its Second Annual Chili Cook Off at John Knox Presbyterian Church, 2525 Gessner Road. The event will include chili tasting, a beer tasting, a raffle, a silent auction, face-painting, yard games, and TWRC’s Animal Ambassadors. For more information, register a recipe and purchase tickets, visit twrcwildlifecenter.org.

CONTESTS

Treasures of the Texas Coast Children’s Art Contest

The Texas General Land Office’s 26th Annual Treasures of the Texas Coast Children’s Art Contest is accepting entries. All public, private, and home-schooled students in kindergarten-sixth grade are invited to submit artwork depicting why the Texas coast is important or special to the student. Prizes include inclusion in a 2023 calendar and event tickets to Texas destinations, and a grand prize of airline tickets and a cruise. The teacher of the student with the winning artwork will also receive recognition and prizes. The deadline to enter is March 2, 2022. Find full information at texasadoptabeach.org.

Take Care of Texas Art Contest

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is hosting the Take Care of Texas Art Contest for kindergarten-fifth grade students to depict positive ways to help keep the air and water clean, conserve water and energy, and reduce waste. Students submit their artwork of how they, along with their friends and family, help keep the air and water clean, conserve water and energy, and reduce waste. The students that submit the best art can win a tablet or laptop computer. The deadline to enter is March 4, 2022. Find full information at takecareoftexas.org.

‘Ridge to Reef’ Student Art Contest

The Science Without Borders® Challenge is an international contest that engages students and teachers in ocean conservation through art. This annual competition inspires students to be creative while promoting public awareness of the need to preserve, protect, and restore the world’s oceans and aquatic resources, contributing to the overarching goals of the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation. The Challenge is open to primary and secondary school students 11-19 years old, with scholarships of up to $500 awarded to the winning entries. The theme for this year’s 10th annual Science without Borders® Challenge is “Ridge to Reef.” All entries must be received by March 7, 2022, at 11:59 pm Eastern Time (ET). Find full information at livingoceansfoundation.org.

Junior Duck Stamp Contest

The Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest is the culmination of the Junior Duck Stamp educational program, opens to students Grades K-12. After studying waterfowl anatomy and habitat, students may express their newfound knowledge by drawing, painting or sketching a picture of an eligible North American waterfowl species. Original works done in the following styles will be accepted: hyper-realism, impressions, cartoon, caricatures, comics, pop whimsical, fantasy, cubism, folk, ethnic and tribal. Only 2-dimensional entries will be accepted. The Texas Contest entry deadline is March 15, 2022. Entries should be sent to Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge. 601 FM 1011 (PO Box 10015) Liberty, TX 77575. If you have any questions/concerns, contact Felice Yarbough at felice_yarbough@fws.gov. (Image: Selina Yuan)

Environmental Justice Video Challenge for Students

EPA and partners have launched the Environmental Justice (EJ) Video Challenge for Students to enhance communities’ capacity to address environmental and public health inequities. The goals of the challenge are to 1) inspire students at accredited colleges and universities in the United States and its territories to work directly with communities in the identification and characterization of EJ challenges using data and publicly available tools, and 2) help communities (including residents and other stakeholders) address EJ challenges and/or vulnerabilities to environmental and public health hazards using data and publicly available tools. Submissions are due April 1, 2022. Learn more about the challenge and how to participate at epa.gov.

Ocean Awareness Contest

The 11th annual Ocean Awareness Contest is a platform for young people to learn about environmental issues through art-making and creative communication, explore their relationship to a changing world, and become advocates for positive change. Students ages 11-18 from around the world are invited to participate. The 2022 Ocean Awareness Contest—THE FUNNY THING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE—challenges students to learn about climate change and its impact on the ocean, and to explore new ways to communicate the urgency of the climate crisis.The deadline for submissions is June 13, 2022. For more information, visit bowseat.org. (Image: Student artist Luyi Song)

Reminders About Ongoing Opportunities

  • Faithful Resilience. On Thursdays through Feb. 17, 2022, the Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston presents a six-part online study on climate resilience for faith communities. The series will explore ways in which the faith community can become a force for climate resilience for the community. For more information and to register, visit eventbrite.com.
  • Spring Branch Virtual Bike Ride. Through Feb. 22, 2022, post a social media photo of your trip using the hashtag #ParksByYou, and tag Houston Parks Board when you cycle the trail to receive a Houston Parks Board swag bag, mailed directly to you. To read more about the Spring Branch Trail projects, visit houstonparksboard.org.
  • Your Body Your Air. The Houston Public Library invites you to learn about types and sources of air pollution in Houston and the effect they have on our bodies in The Health Museum’s new exhibit Your Body Your Air. Created in partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund, Your Body Your Air can be seen at various Houston Public Library locations through February 2022. Learn more at houstonlibrary.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.

  • A duck hunter supports waterfowl through prairie wetland habitat, with the help of Ducks Unlimited and other partners. Though coastal prairie wetlands are threatened by land use changes, these seasonal habitats help more than birds, offering other benefits such as rice production and stormwater retention
  • The beauty of a natural place takes on fresh dimension and draws some different crowds when arts activities like sculpture, painting and photography, are paired with parks
  • Hurricane Harvey wiped out one of the best birding boardwalks on the coast. It’s now back in business. Come enjoy the sights and sounds of this birding hot spot
  • Join a group of mountain bikers having some fun on the Coyote Run Trail at Cooper Lake State Park

Additional Upcoming Events

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