Community Notes 12-14-2011

1. Awareness of the Effects of the Proposed Keystone XL Pipeline. Tom Weis and Ron Seifert are riding their rocket bikes all the way down from the Canadian border to Port Arthur and Houston to raise awareness of the folly of Transcanada’s proposed Keystone XL Pipeline. They are in East Texas now, riding the route of the pipeline. The pipeline is planned to have two terminal points on the Gulf Coast, one in Port Arthur and the other in Houston, where the tar sands crude would be refined and where there are major ports. The plan is for the ride to culminate in front of Transcanada’s headquarters building in Houston on Monday, Dec. 19th, where there will be supporters of his ride to meet them. They plan to arrive in the Houston area either Friday, Dec. 16th or Saturday, Dec. 17th. Learn more about the ride at http://www.ktre.com/.
2. Texas State Parks. Record drought and heat, devastating wildfires, and a drop in visitation have led to a critical situation for state parks. The parks need $4.6 million to make up for the loss. There are three ways that the public can help: visit the state parks, make an online donation, and make a donation when registering a vehicle in 2012. To learn more about the parks’ situation, read http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/.
3. Bring Back the Natives. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will be awarding grants for projects that restore, protect, and enhance native populations of sensitive or listed fish species, especially on lands on or adjacent to federal agency lands. Grant awards generally range in size from $25,000 to $100,000. The pre-proposal due date is January 20th, and the full proposal due date is March 16th. More at http://www.nfwf.org/.
4. Texas Wildlife Rehabilitators. Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Coalition (TWRC) is recruiting volunteers to train to be a rehabilitator. No previous experience is needed—just the desire to help wildlife. The training is free! There will be an informational meeting on January 14th from 10am-1pm at the George & Cynthia Woods Mitchell Library, 8125 Ashlane Way. For more information and to RSVP, send an email to info@twrc-houston.org and visit http://www.twrc-houston.org/.
5. Wildlife Conservation Grants Available for High School Students. The Student Wildlife Conservation Grants are offered by our Planet Connect (http://planetconnect.org/) program, a youth engagement initiative of the National Environmental Education Foundation (http://www.neefusa.org/). We are offering high school students grants of $1,000 – this funding will give grantees the opportunity to implement wildlife conservation projects in their schools or communities and participate in a local internship focused on wildlife conservation or natural resources. To learn more, please visit the grant web page, located here: http://planetconnect.org/2012wcgrants.
6. TV: Texas Parks & Wildlife. Broadcast on KUHT Channel 8 at 3:00 PM each Saturday and on cable channels in Baytown, Deer Park, Seabrook, and on HCC. More info on the TPWD website. This week’s broadcast will include:
   • Lone Star Land Steward: Hailey Ranch
   • Lake Tawakoni State Park
   • A Scar on the Flats – Texas Gulf Coast
7. Air Quality Forecast. http://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/monops/forecast_today.html
• December 15: Green–Good–Moderate winds and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.
• December 16: Green–Good–Moderate winds and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.
• December 17: Green–Good–Moderate winds and/or low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.