Coalition Notes 11-09-2011

1. Sierra Club meeting topic: Cypress Creek Greenway Project. November 10, 2011, 7:00 pm at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Pecore Hall 1805 W. Alabama, Houston.  The program this month will cover the growing Cypress Creek Greenway Project (CCGP) in a presentation by Jim Robertson. Jim has been chair of CCGP for six years, and also serves as Cypress Creek Watershed Representative on the board of Bayou Preservation Association. The CCGP has been working with Harris County Precincts and other organizations to link together a series of present county parks along the creek with hike and bike trails. Additional information is in the Club’s Bayou Banner: http://houston.sierraclub.org.
   
2. Houston Food Policy Workgroup quarterly rural meeting. Friday, November 11, 12:00 -4:00 pm , in Wharton to allow rural partners and farmers easier access to the meeting.  $15 registration fee. Lunch from Hinze BBQ. All interested parties are welcome and encouraged to attend. RSVP and pay online. Following the meeting we will go on a tour of a pecan house processing facility.
   
3. Owl-Owl-Owl on 11-11-11. Is that a parliament of three owl prowls that are being offered the evening of November 11, 2011? Katie Prarie Conservancy, Houston Audubon, and the Nature Discovery Center are all hosting owl prowls. More info is included in the CEC calendar. You’d be wise to attend.
4. Harvest Festival. The Armand Bayou Nature Center will be holding its annual Harvest Festival on November 12th and 13th from 10am-4pm at the Martyn Farm. The Harvest Festival turns the clock back to circa 1900 and recreates this time in our history with a popular event the local community looks forward to every year. There will be crafts, products and activities that played an important role in the life of a Gulf Coast farm family at that time. For more information, visit http://www.abnc.org/#AA.
5. Rice Design Alliance 2011 Gala Auction. Rice Design Alliance is giving an exclusive sneak peak into a select group of items from their annual auction. Those interested can even start bidding now. Online bidding ends November 11th at 5pm but the bidding will continue at the annual gala on November 12th. For more details, visit http://www.papercitymag.blacktie-houston.com/.
   
6. White Oak Bayou Association 2011 Annual Meeting. The White Oak Bayou Association will be holding its annual meeting on Wednesday, November 16th at 6pm at Historic Heights Fire Station, 107 West 12th Street. Representatives of West 11th Street Park, Jaycee Park, Woodland Park, Bayou Greenway Initiative, Native Plant Society, White Oak Bayou History and Olivewood Cemetery will have exhibits and answer questions. At 7pm, Jennifer Dyke, CFM, Project Manager, Harris County Flood Control District will be presenting “Charting: Buffalo” (and lower White Oak Bayou) followed by a question and answer period. More information is available at http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/White_Oak_Bayou.
7. Buffalo Bayou Partnership Foodie Floats. Join Buffalo Bayou Partnership for a holiday-themed Foodie Float on a pontoon tour boat! Whole Foods Market will host the November 16th Foodie Float in conjunction with their Top Ten Holiday Wine and Cheese celebration. Cost: $50 per person For reservations, contact Trudi Smith at tsmith@buffalobayou.org or 713.752.0314 ext. 3.
8. Blueprint Houston Candidate Forum. Blueprint Houston has invited candidates Helena Brown, Brenda Stardig, Alvin Byrd, Jerry Davis, Andrew Burks, Kristi Thibaut, Jack Christie, and Jolanda Jones in a discussion of the role of a General Plan in Houston. We will look at such questions as: How do we accommodate the expected doubling of population over the next decade? What should be Houston’s contribution to the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning process now underway? How do you see the implementation of ReNew Houston.in planning for Houston’s future infrastructure needs?  Moderating the forum is Mustafa Tameez, Founder and Managing Director of Outreach Strategies, LLC. Thursday, November 17, 2011, 5:30 – 7:30 pm, Upper Kirby District Building, 3015 Richmond at Eastside. www.blueprinthouston.org.
9. Sundance Theatre Pre-Opening to Benfit Galveston Bay Foundation. Join GBF at an exciting pre-opening event on Tuesday, November 22 at Sundance Cinemas Houston@ Bayou Place, 510 Texas Ave., Houston, TX, 77002 for a 5:30 PM reception and an 8 PM movie you can chose that evening from a broad range of currently running releases. Purchase your tickets at www.galvbay.org.
10. H-GAC Solid Waste Grants. H-GAC will be accepting applications for Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Solid Waste Implementation Pass-Through Grants from November 14th to December 22nd. This deadline is for applications for grants for both 2012 and 2013. There will be a grant application workshop on November 18th (rescheduled from November 9) from 9am-12pm at the H-GAC offices. This workshop provides applicants with the opportunity to ask any questions about filling out the application or project ideas. More about the grants and the workshop at http://www.h-gac.com/community/waste/grant/default.aspx.
    
11. Water Is Not an Option: Texas’ Broken Promise to Future Generations. Laura Huffman, The Nature Conservancy of Texas’ State Director will be speaking at the prestigious Baker Institute November 30. The presentation is: Water is Not an Option: Texas’ Broken Promise to Future Generations. Laura Huffman takes the global challenges to a local level, beginning with a unique approach that combines science-based strategies with innovative legislation tools and practical partnerships. RSVP to Gianna Leggio at gleggio@tnc.org or 281-407-3251. Visit http://www.nature.org/ for more information.
12. Get Hip To Habitat Grows to 14 Schools. GBF’s school-based wetlands education program, Get Hip to Habitat, has grown to involve 14 schools during the 2011-12 school year. This represents double the number of schools (and triple the number of students) that participated in the program during the 2010-11 school year. Since the beginning of this school year, GBF has worked closely with students and teachers to establish salt marsh grass nurseries on school campus grounds. With all 14 school nurseries set up by this month, students are now beginning to maintain salt marsh conditions in their nurseries and tend to their grasses until the spring, when they will transplant their established marsh grasses to Galveston Bay. More at www.galvbay.org.