Coalition Notes 04-16-2012

1. Cocktail Reception and Premiere of ‘This Space Available’. Scenic Houston and Scenic Texas are hosting a reception for the makers of This Space Available, a documentary on the fight against visual pollution, on April 20th at WorldFest-Houston (AMC Studio 30 Theater, 2949 Dunvale). This Space Available is a visual pollution documentary that explores how billboards and commercial messages dominate the public space like never before and highlights scenic champions that are working to reverse the tide. The reception will begin at 5:30pm. Mayor Annise Parker will be in attendance as well as ‘This Space Available’ director Gwenaëlle Gobé and producer Marc Gobé, who will both be available for interviews. The film will premiere at 7pm. Visit http://www.scenictexas.org/ for more information and to RSVP.
2. Central City Co-Op (CCC) is Partnering with RecycleBank. Get 50% off your CCC membership just for recycling and shopping with the co-op to earn more points. You can get 50% off your annual membership fee when you register your big green recycling can with RecycleBank.com. Also, earn RecycleBank points just for shopping co-op! Now when you whop with CCC you’ll learn 50 points when you spend $15.* Shop the Wednesday market or a Partner Co-op, and receive a points card to redeem with any of RecycleBank’s other partners, including lots of restaurants and services here in Houston. Learn more at http://www.centralcityco-op.com/.
3. Eat a cupcake and help plant a tree! To celebrate Earth Day, the Houston Sprinkles is donating the proceeds from its Vanilla cupcakes to local tree planting organization Trees for Houston. Just look for the green tree to know you are eating for a great cause. April 16 to 20. More at http://sprinkles.com.
4. Art Auction 2012 with Galveston Baykeeper. Galveston Baykeeper is hosting a quiet waterfront Art Auction with performances by solo artists Janet Z. and Ryan Guidry. The auction will feature oils, watercolors, framed photographs, and other medium donated by local artists. It will be held on Sunday April 22nd from 1-5pm at the Gardens and Waterfront surrounding Mayor Natalie O’Neill’s home (420 Kirby Blvd. Taylor Lake Village). For more information and to see some of the art we will be auctioning, please visit http://galvestonbaykeeper.org/home.
   
5. Jones Park Photo Contest. A contest is great incentive for roving the trails looking for a great shot! One photo may be submitted for each category: wildlife, scenic/wildflowers, and people in the park. Only photos taken between May 1, 2011 and Monday, April 30, 2012 in Jones Park will be considered. Check web site at www.hcp4.net/jones for more details. Deadline is Monday, April 30, or postmarked by Wednesday, April 25 if mailed.
6. GCBO Spring Fling Online Auction. Gulf Coast Bird Observatory is hosting a Spring Fling online auction to increase opportunities for people to contribute to conservation. All proceeds raised from this auction will go toward GCBO’s coastal conservation programs. The action will include original artwork, weekend trips, books and nature related items. The auction will be open from 8:00am Sunday, April 1 until 3:00pm Monday, April 30th. For additional information, question on any item, or specifics on any of the trips, please contact Carol Jones, telephone 979-480-0999. Check out the auction at http://www.gcbo.org/.
7. Walk for the Woods. The Woods Project is excited to announce its first public event, Walk for the Woods. About 5k, the walkstarts and ends at Americas Plaza (2311 Canal St.), walking along the south side of the Buffalo Bayou through downtown featuring the East End and the East End Community. Sunday, May 6, 2012. Registration at 8am, walk at 9am. The Woods Project has made a difference in the lives of over 2,000 low income students. Its wilderness education programming has given them the confidence, the leadership skills, the teamwork skills, and the ‘can do’ attitude that will lead them to lives as successful adults- becoming strong citizens with the capacity and desire to make our Country more successful. Walk for The Woods will make it possible for even more students to have life changing experiences. More at www.walkforthewoods.org.
8. Name A Chick. For the first time ever, the Houston Zoo is presenting an opportunity to name an endangered Attwater’s prairie chicken. There are only 100 of the native Texas birds are left in the wild, so the zoo is asking for donations of $100 to help save them. In recognition of the generosity, the Houston Zoo will let donators name one of the resident birds, currently being raised from egg to fuzzy chick at the Zoo! Learn more at http://www.houstonzoo.org/name-a-chick/.
9. KBR Announces $150,000 for Greens Bayou Paddle Trail Development. The grant, which provides $150,000 over five years, will fund canoe launch sites along a nine-mile stretch in the South Reach of Greens Bayou. Thomas Bell Foster Park at 12895 Greens Bayou Drive is already under development as the southern-most trail head of a planned paddle trail. Additional launch locations will be developed going north on the bayou, and the ultimate goal is to qualify as a designated Texas Paddle Trail. The paddle trail is part of the Coalition’s Parks and Trails Master Plan, recently completed with assistance from the National Park Service. More at http://greensbayou.blogspot.com/.
   
10. Give 5 for Conservation. On Saturday, April 21, the Katy Prairie Conservancy and four other Houston-area conservation groups — Bayou Land Conservancy, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Galveston Bay Foundation, and Houston Audubon — are collaborating for the inaugural Give 5% campaign! For more information, visit the Give 5 website.