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Houston Environmental News Update October 9, 2019
October 9, 2019

Houston Environmental News Update October 9, 2019

Wild About Houston Film Festival, Prairies and Pollinators, Environmental Disasters in Harris County Forum, Climate in Crisis lecture, Green Jobs, and more

Please join us on Wednesday, October 16, 2019, for the Wild About Houston Green Film Festival, the October installment of the Houston GREEN Film Series at Rice Media Center. The festival will showcase local short films that tell environmental stories. At 6 p.m., before the films, enjoy a free guided tour of Rice’s Holistic Garden (next door to the Media Center). Tacodeli will be on hand to sell scrumptious tacos. Films start at 7 pm. 

Secure a ticket or register to host an exhibit table on Eventbright. This event is organized by the CEC and sponsored by Armand Bayou Nature Center, Bayou Land Conservancy, Galveston Bay Foundation, Houston Audubon, Houston Parks Board, Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, One Breath Partnership, and Houston Metro. After the festival’s premiere, CEC will be taking the show on the road; please contact alicia@cechouston.org if you would like to host a screening.

November’s Green Film Series, on the 20th, event will be an introduction to how to tell your environmental story with film and video. Come learn from the pros–from do-it-yourself hacks all the way to how to work with a professional.

CEC NOTES

Environmental Educators Exchange: Kickerillo Mischer Preserve

Environmental Educators, unite! All are welcome on Nov. 6, 2019 at Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve for the fall meeting of the Environmental Educators’ Exchange. Come and go as your schedule allows. Canoe from 3:30 – 5 pm., network from 5 – 5:45 p.m., and take a night hike from 5:45 – 6:30 p.m.. Our goal is to provide a space to rejuvenate, network, and learn about trends in environmental education. All are welcome (including children). RSVP on Eventbrite or contact alicia@cechouston.org.

Earth Day Houston

Earth Day Houston, part of the 50th worldwide observance, will be held at Discovery Green on Sunday, April 19, 2020. Volunteer opportunities are available at earthdayhouston.org/volunteer/. Opportunities to sponsor and exhibit will be available soon.

Interested in serving on the CEC Board or a Committee?

CEC is seeking individuals who might be interested in joining our board of directors in January 2020 or volunteering to serve on one of our committees starting this year. Join CEC on October 15 for an information session for prospective board and committee members to learn more about the commitment and opportunities. For more information (including directions to our top secret world headquarters), please email rachel@cechouston.org.

Scroll down to read notes from our member organizations and the community, or view the emailed version of the newsletter, which includes a green job listing.

COALITION & COMMUNITY NOTES

We have endeavored to confirm the opportunities listed below. Please consider confirming directly with the hosts.

2019 Prairies & Pollinators

A regional celebration from Mid-September through Mid-November 2019. Includes nature hikes, classes, seed collecting events, festivals, film fests, etc., that celebrate the Coastal Prairies of our region. Full event details located at http://prairiepartner.org/2019-prairies-pollinators.

Harris County Flood Control District Community Engagement Meetings

The Harris County Flood Control District is holding a series of Community Engagement Meetings related to the 2018 Harris County Flood Control District Bond Program. As part of the preliminary engineering process conducted near the beginning of each project’s development stage, and prior to a formal Preliminary Engineering Report being presented to Commissioners Court for approval, the Flood Control District will conduct a public meeting in a primary project watershed to solicit public comments about the project. Learn more about the Program and the meetings here or see the Facebook events below.

Environmental Disasters in Harris County Symposium

On Oct. 10, 2019, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., the Harris County Attorney’s Office will host a symposium entitled “Environmental Disasters in Harris County” to bring awareness and discuss environmental issues ranging from environmental justice to environmental enforcement. For more information, visit harriscountycao.org.

Sierra Club Houston Group meeting: Wile E. Coyote, genius!

On Oct. 10, 2019, from 7:30-9 p.m., the Sierra Club Houston Group will hold its monthly meeting featuring a presentation by Kelly Norrid, urban wildlife biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife, who will discuss the nature of the coyote and how with knowledge and proper management, people can continue to share the city with this species. The meeting will be held at Pecore Hall at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. For more information, visit sierraclub.org.

Texas AgriLife Extension Service’s Landowner Summit

On Oct. 11, 2019, from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., the Texas AgriLife Extension Service will hold its Landowner Summit at the Washington County Fairgrounds Event Center in Brenham. Topics include understanding the ecosystem of your land, riparian area management and erosion control, and more. For more information and to register, visit washington.agrilife.org.

Climate in Crisis lecture with Dahr Jamail

On Oct. 11, 2019, at 7 p.m., independent journalist Dahr Jamail, author of The End of Ice, will present a free lecture titled “Climate in Crisis” at Emerson Unitarian-Universalist Church. For more information, visit theendofice.com.

Surfside Beach Nature Fest

On Oct. 12, 2019, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Keep Surfside Beach Beautiful will host the first annual Surfside Beach Nature Fest. The family-friendly event will include professional speakers discussing the migration of birds and butterflies, nature experts educating kids and tours of the trail, and artists beautifying trash receptacles. For more information, visit the Facebook event.

Big Thicket Day 2019

On Oct. 12, 2019, beginning at 10 a.m., the Big Thicket Association will hold Big Thicket Day 2019, a free celebration of the 55th anniversary of the Big Thicket Association (established 1964) and the 45th anniversary of the Big Thicket National Preserve (established 1974). The event will include live music by The Trio, free boat rides in the Preserve, American Indian dancers, a hawk demonstration, and more. The event will be held at Colliers Ferry Landing in Beaumont. For more information, visit bigthicket.org.

Baytown Nature Center’s Nurture Nature Festival

On Oct. 12, 2019, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., the Baytown Nature Center will host the Nurture Nature Festival, a free, family event which introduces visitors to the reptiles, birds, fish and native plants of the Baytown area through fun activities for all interests and levels. The event will include children’s games, informational exhibits, live animals and a variety of food. For more information, visit baytown.org.

Bike Around the Bay

On Oct. 12-13, 2019, the Galveston Bay Foundation will hold the 2019 Bike Around the Bay, a unique cycling event which takes riders in a complete loop around the largest estuary in Texas and showcases the picturesque coastal landscapes of the Galveston Bay area. For more information and to register, visit gbf.convio.net.

Raptor Flight Identification workshops

On Oct. 12-13, 2019, the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory will be holding Raptor Flight Identification workshops with photographer, researcher, and author William S. Clark. Saturday’s workshop will be held at the GCBO in Lake Jackson. Sunday’s workshop will be held at Smith Point in Chambers County. For more information and to register, visit gcbo.org.

Fall Rain Barrel and Compost Bin Sale

On Oct. 12, 2019, from 10 a.m.-noon, the City of Houston’s Green Building Resource Center will host a Rain Barrel and Compost Bin Sale, where these items can be purchased at a discounted price. The event will be held at the Houston Permitting Center. For more information, visit rainwatersolutions.com.

2019 KBR Kids Day

On Oct. 12, 2019, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., the Buffalo Bayou Partnership will host the 2019 KBR Kids Day, a free day of family fun at Guadalupe Plaza Park. Activity stations will include numerous hands-on activities from over 20 Houston partners, local entertainment and performers, Dia de los Muertos face painters, balloon artists, a rock climbing wall, and more. For more information, visit buffalobayou.org.

Green Infrastructure Field Trip to Exploration Green

On Oct. 15, 2019, from 9 a.m.-noon, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and partnering agencies will host a Green Infrastructure Field Trip to Exploration Green in the Clear Lake area. Participants will hear from project partners about funding, implementation, maintenance, and lessons learned at Exploration Green. For more information and to register, visit eventbrite.com.

Houston Parks Board Annual Luncheon

On Oct. 15, 2019, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., the Houston Parks Board will hold its 2019 Annual Luncheon, which also will serve as the kickoff event for a year-long, city-wide celebration of the pending completion of the Bayou Greenways project at the end of 2020. The event will be held at the Marriot Marquis in downtown. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit houstonparksboard.org.

2019 Texas Building Energy Summit

On Oct. 17, 2019, the U.S. Green Building Council Texas chapter will host the 2019 Texas Building Energy Summit at the Norris Conference Center at City Centre. The event is a forum for building owners/managers, energy and sustainability managers, engineers, federal and state government officials, consultants and other stakeholders focused on energy reduction and smarter technology solutions for buildings. For more information and to register, visit usgbctexas.org.

Houston Audubon’s Golden Anniversary Gala

On Oct. 17, 2019, from 6:30-9:30 p.m., Houston Audubon will hold its Golden Anniversary Gala celebrating 50 years of bird and wildlife conservation. Since 1969, Houston Audubon has been the voice for birds, and we’ve served the Houston-Gulf Coast region through land conservation, habitat restoration, education and advocacy. The event will be held at The Astorian. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit houstonaudubon.org.

Plant Thyme Fall Luncheon and Plant Sale

On Oct. 18, 2019, Keep Pearland Beautiful will host its annual Plant Thyme Fall Luncheon and Plant Sale, featuring a keynote talk by RETREET Founder/Executive Director Grady McGahan as he shares his stories of how he created a public charity that provides disaster relief to communities on a local, national, and international level by leading volunteers in restoring decimated urban forests. The event will be held at Pearland’s First United Methodist Church. There will be concurrent plant sale from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Stella Roberts Recycling Center. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit keeppearlandbeautiful.org.

Climate Solution Paths Going Forward

On Oct. 18, 2019, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., the South Texas Local Section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers will hold its monthly meeting featuring a talk by Thomas E. Rehm, Ph.D., called “Climate Solution Paths Going Forward.” Rehm will describe the path taken to formation of AIChE’s Climate Solutions Community, the challenges of organizing this global community, the local initiatives that have sprung up to achieve the objectives of the community with respect to their regional challenges, and paths going forward in mitigation, adaptation, and resiliency. The event will be held at The Pipeline Grill in La Porte. To register, visit aiche.org.

GCBO Fall Native Plant Sale

On Oct. 19, 2019, from 8 a.m.-noon, the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory in Lake Jackson will hold its Fall Native Plant Sale. The sale will feature a wide variety of native plants for attracting birds and other wildlife. Volunteers will be on hand to assist visitors in their selections and help choose the perfect plants. For more information, see the Facebook event.

2019 WalkAbout for Clean Galveston

On Oct. 19, 2019, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Clean Galveston (aka Keep Galveston Beautiful) will host a fundraiser treasure hunt through the Strand District to raise funds to kick off a grant program to fund other non-profit projects on Galveston Island that align with Clean Galveston’s mission statement. For more information and to register, visit eventbrite.com.

Bike Houston’s Moonlight Ramble

On Oct. 19, 2019, Bike Houston will hold its annual Moonlight Ramble. This year, the event will celebrate Space City’s 50th moon landing anniversary by adding a special space theme to this year’s ride. More than 1,000 costumed riders will join in this midnight adventure. In addition to the regular adult-focused fun ride, BikeHouston is adding a kids-party with a kidical mass, a kids’ light contest, and kids’ costume contest. For more information and to register, visit bikehouston.org. 

AIA Houston Home Tour

On Oct. 19-20, 2019, American Institute of Architecture (AIA) Houston will hold its annual Houston Home Tour, a fundraiser and supports various AIA Houston initiatives throughout the year. The AIA Houston Home Tour showcases the finest residential architecture in the Houston area, as designed by licensed architects. Houses are chosen to showcase a variety of design styles demonstrating that excellence in design is not limited by size or dollars. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit aiahoustonhometour.org.

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting

From Oct. 21-24, 2019, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will hold its meeting at The Tremont House in Galveston. For the full agenda and briefing materials, visit gulfcouncil.org.

TV: Texas Parks & Wildlife

Broadcast on KUHT Channel 8 at 3 p.m. each Saturday and on municipal access cable channels in Baytown, Deer Park, Houston, Texas City, Galveston, Nassau Bay, Pasadena, Seabrook, Sugar Land, and on HCC TV. More info on the TPWD website (* indicates a segment about the Houston area). For a preview, visit TPWD’s YouTube Page.

  • Months after sending the The Kraken to the floor of the Gulf of Mexico, biologists return to investigate one of the Texas Gulf Coast’s largest artificial reefs
  • New paddling trails offers some of the state’s best river trips on the coast, in Houston, and on the Guadalupe River. All you need is a paddle and an excuse to get wet *
  • Close to the Red River in both location and hue, Lake Arrowhead State Park offers family fun and fine fishing

Additional Upcoming Events

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