Coalition Notes 10-26-2011

1. Wetland Field Day Planned for Sheldon Lake State Park. A wetland field day at Sheldon Lake State Park will take place from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., October 27, 2011 to highlight various wetland restoration projects at the park, a 2,800-acre outdoor education and recreation facility at 14200 Garrett Rd. in Houston, 15 minutes from downtown. Participants will hear presentations about the ongoing efforts at the park and will have the opportunity for site visits to individual phases of restored wetlands. To make reservations or for more information, please contact Marissa Sipocz at (281) 450-9674 or m-sipocz@tamu.edu. More information about the project can also be found at the project website, http://www.urban-nature.org/urbanwet/sheldon.htm.
2. 5th Annual KBR Kids Day on Buffalo Bayou. The 5th Annual KBR Kids Day on Buffalo Bayou will be on October 29th from 11am-7pm. Buffalo Bayou Partnership and KBR are hosting a day filled with FREE family fun, hands-on educational activities, music, food, park performers, and boat rides on the bayou! Activity stations will include a showcase of bayou animals and insects, wildflower seed ball making, sun prints, crab marsh, numerous hands-on activities from over 25 Houston non-profit organizations partners. There will also be wetland hikes, pontoon boat rides kayaking demonstrations, and much more! More at http://www.buffalobayou.org/kidsday.html.
3. Halloween Family Night Hikes. Bring the kids in costume to the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary, 440 Wilchester Blvd., Houston, on Saturday, October 29, 5 – 9 p.m. for family fun: candy, Halloween crafts, and nighttime nature activities (guided night hikes every half hour starting at 5:30 p.m., black lighting for insects, listening for echo-locating bats). The cost is $5 per person. Park at the Memorial Drive UM church parking lot at 12955 Memorial Drive. Enter the sanctuary through the marked gate. More at www.houstonaudubon.org.
4. Attack of the Bloodsuckers! Are mosquitoes eating you alive? Stinky feet can make you more attractive… to a hungry mosquito, that is! Bloodsuckers are lurking everywhere for a chance to take a bite of you. Explore the science of what’s eating you with Attack of the Bloodsuckers!, a new, skin-crawling exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Houston. You’re invited to discover the biological wonders of sanguinivores (creatures that eat blood) through encounters with live species and interactive exhibits, now through January 22, 2012. More details at www.cmhouston.org/bloodsuckers.
   
5. Transition Houston November Meeting and Guest Speaker Karen Marshall. On November 1, 2011, Karen Marshall, Metro’s Director of Community Outreach, will help us learn how we can take advantage of Metro’s transportation network to go car-free more often. Bring questions about upcoming projects, Metro’s long-term plans, and Metro discounts to lower your fares. Learn how to use the on-bus bike racks so we can hop, skip, ride, and roll to destinations all over Houston. A real transit bike rack will be at the meeting, bring your bike and try it out. As always, we will close out the meeting with refreshments, conversation, and community. www.transitionhouston.org.
   
6. Environmental Educators’ Exchange Quarterly Meeting. Visit HISD’s Westside High School on Wednesday, November 2, 2011, from 4:15 to 6:30 pm. Lawrence Spence, environmental educator extraordinaire, will lead a tour of the culinary/environmental garden and Wolf Prairie restoration projects. In addition, educators will have a chance to network, nosh, participate in a roundtable discussion of EEE current events, and help plan the 2012 Houston Environmental Education Summit–all in the rarified environment of a high school environmental science classroom (Room V101). RSVP to Edith Smith at smithedith@aol.com.
7. Fall Distinguished Speaker Luncheon: Frederick Steiner. Houston Tomorrow is hosting its Fall Distinguished Speaker luncheon featuring Frederick Steiner, dean of the School of Architecture and Henry M. Rockwell Chair in Architecture, The University of Texas at Austin, on November, 2011, at the JW Marriott Hotel, Houston. Frederick Steiner will discuss his ideas for a sustainable future based on new regionalism, a theory of design that suggests structure and landscape should be inspired by the surrounding ecosystems. Learn more and register at https://org2.democracyinaction.org/.
   
8. 8th Annual Water Symposium. The Bayou Preservation Association (BPA) proudly presents its 8th Annual Water Symposium, “Water Quality Stewardship: The Past, Present and Future State of our Water Quality”. Friday, November 4, 2011, 7:30 am to 3:30 pm at the United Way of Greater Houston. This much-anticipated educational forum focuses on the current state of water quality in our bayous with policy-makers, stakeholders and government officials discussing how projects in our area incorporate features to address water quality now and in the future. Other key topics to be covered include a pictorial history of the bayou system; regulations and upcoming issues in water quality, water sustainability, a long range plan to address bacteria in our bayous, an update on Rebuild Houston, and local guidelines for Low Impact Development. The keynote speaker for the event is COL Christopher W. Sallese, District Engineer and Commanding Officer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District. Register today at http://www.bayoupreservation.org/2011_Symposium.
9. Film: EcoArk. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston requests the honor of your presence at the Houston Premiere of the internationally acclaimed film:EcoArk. Monday, November 7th 2011 at 6:00 pm at the Houston Arboretum. EcoArk is a “first of its kind” mobile structure designed to get people around the world to think outside the box, or more correctly, outside the plastic bottle. EcoArk was constructed using 1,500,000 recycled bottles. The revolutionary building material is only part of the story of what is happening in Taiwan. http://houstonarboretum.org/
10. SCAs Houston Conservation Collaborative Internship Program. The Student Conservation Association is looking for environmental organizations in need of Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 interns! SCAs Houston Conservation Collaborative internship program partners with local organizations to provide full and/or part-time, paid conservation internships in the Houston area. SCA interns work on projects that range from trail construction and wildlife management to environmental education and marketing. For more information, email Christine Mansfield at houstonintern2@thesca.org or call 713-520-1835.
11. Licks for Likes. The Houston Piano Company has selected three animal charities to benefit from the LICKS FOR LIKES promotion and Wildlife Rehab & Education is one of them. Your vote for WR&E gets them a $1 and you get a LICK! For every LIKE the Houston Piano Company gets from Oct. 1st through Nov. 1st a $1 will be donated to the charities. The charity with the most 1st place votes will receive $1000, 2nd place $750, and 3rd place $500. To vote, just visit the Licks for Likes Facebook page.