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February 18, 2013

Community Notes 02-18-2013

  1. ReLEAF – Reserve Your FREE Texas Native Tree. Keep Montgomery County Beautiful is supporting the Texas A&M Forest Service and Anheuser-Busch in a program to restore native trees and forests while beautifying areas of south east Texas impacted by last year’s drought and destructive fires. Initially the program will focus on selected areas of Grimes, Montgomery and Waller counties affected by the recent fires. Visit http://www.kmcbtexas.org/releaf to learn more and reserve your tree.
  2. Coastal Ghost Busters. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is looking for volunteers interested in helping to remove abandoned crab traps — ghostlike killers of marine life — from their haunts along the coast from Feb. 15 through Feb. 24, 2013. For more information about the Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program and volunteering, contact Bill Balboa at TPWD: 281-534-0110. More at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/.
  3. Management of Urban Wildlife Workshop. The Managing Urban Wildlife: Best Management Practices Workshop will take place on February 21, 2013, 8 am-3 pm, at the Doubletree by Hilton at Bush Airport. This workshop was quickly developed in response to the urban wildlife issues that have been reported in the news here recently. One speaker is an urban coyote behavior expert whose information is based on years of researching urban coyotes in downtown Chicago. Other speakers will cover topics such as feral hog control, egret/heron rookeries, urban bobcats (often mistaken as mountain lions in our area), urban deer, and hawks/vultures. This workshop is being held in conjunction with the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society annual meeting. However, anyone can attend the Urban Wildlife workshop separately – you do not need to sign up for the entire annual meeting/conference. Register early at http://site.tctws.org/.
  4. MountainFILM Telluride. MountainFILM is a two-day film festival that is dedicated to educating and inspiring audiences about issues that matter, cultures worth exploring and environments worth preserving. For more information and to buy tickets, please visit www.iceworthsustaining.org and www.mountainfilm.org. The festival will be in Houston February 22 and 23 at the Asia Society Building in the Museum District.
  5. Smart Growth Assistance. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today is inviting applications from communities interested in exploring barriers to smart growth and testing innovative strategies that can create healthier, more sustainable places to live, work, and play. EPA’s Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) program provides technical assistance to help communities grow in ways that improve the local economy, the environment, and people’s health. The program aims to help applicants develop solutions to local challenges, such as managing stormwater, increasing transit-oriented development, and adapting to climate change, and to share those solutions with other communities. Applications are accepted in the following four categories: Community Resilience to Disasters and Climate Change, Redevelopment for Job Creation, Manufactured and Modular Homes in Sustainable Neighborhood Design, and Medical and Social Service Facilities Siting. Learn more at http://yosemite.epa.gov/. Applications will be accepted until March 1, 2013
  6. VegOut Houston! For the entire month of March 2013, Recipe for Success Foundation (RFS) invites every Houstonian to take part in the citywide challenge to VegOut! Armed with the support of the Mayor and her Healthy Houston Task Force, VegOut! is an official GoHealthyHouston initiative that serves as a call to action for all of us to step up to the plate – and pile it with veggies! Anyone can visit the site to register, take the pledge and prepare to get started. Participants who complete the VegOut! 30 Ways in 30 Days Challenge by eating 30 different vegetables within 30 days by April 15 are automatically entered into a drawing for fabulous prizes that range from Dinner for Two at one of Houston’s finest restaurants to a year of fresh produce delivered to your door. http://www.vegoutwithrfs.org/
  7. Regional Coastal Wetlands Reviews. NOAA, in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced the release of four regional Coastal Wetland Reviews. These reports are a compilation of information, including recent coastal wetland trends, that can help state and local wetlands managers identify key information gaps and determine what is needed to address the ongoing loss of coastal wetlands. You can learn about the East & West Galveston Bay Watersheds in the Gulf of Mexico Region Review. More at http://www.habitat.noaa.gov/.
  8. Restore the Gulf. Many resources are available to help you learn about the recovery of the gulf. One website, http://www.restorethegulf.gov/, provides individuals, small businesses, and communities with resources needed as they plan for recovery and for the future. You can also view the full Gulf Coast Report and learn about the funding mechanisms of the RESTORE Act.
  9. Nominations to the Board of Scientific Counselors. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is requesting nominations of nationally recognized scientists, engineers, and experts to serve on the Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) subcommittee that will advise the Office of Research and Development’s (ORD) Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program (SHC). Highly qualified individuals may nominate themselves or others by using the membership nomination form and checking the “SHC” box. Submit nominations on-line at http://epa.gov/osp/bosc/nomination.htm by April 1, 2013.
  10. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has posted the second year of greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions data on its website, which provides public access to emissions data by sector, by greenhouse gas, and by geographic region such as county or state. Learn more at http://www.epa.gov/ghgreporting/.
  11. Electronics Recycling Results. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality today announced that Texans turned in more than 43 million pounds of electronics to computer manufacturers for recycling. In addition to recycling covered computer equipment, many computer manufacturers also voluntarily collect televisions and other electronics for recycling. The TCEQ allowed computer manufacturers to report other electronics collected, not just the computer equipment covered under the program. Computer manufacturers reported collecting more than 43.8 million pounds of electronics from Jan. 1, 2012, through Dec. 31, 2012. Read more at http://www.tceq.texas.gov/.
  12. 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 (* indicates a segment about the Houston area). This week’s broadcast will include:
    • The Unknown Army
    • Sauer-Beckman Farm
    • Running of the Bass
    • Wyler Aerial Tramway State Park
  13. Air Quality Forecast. http://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/monops/forecast_today.html. Houston Clean Air Network and Realtime Ozone Mapping: http://houstoncleanairnetwork.com.
    • February 19: Green–Good. Moderate to strong winds and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range.
    • February 20: Green–Good. Moderate to strong winds and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range.
    • February 21: Green–Good. Moderate to strong winds and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range.

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