Coalition Notes 04-01-2013

1. Bordeaux on the Bayou. Buffalo Bayou Partnership and the Houston Symphony League are hosting Bordeaux on the Bayou with musical interludes by Houston Symphony musicians. The event will take place on April 3, 2013, 6-8pm, at Downtown’s Sabine Promenade. Guests will enjoy a bucolic evening to include strolling the Sabine Promenade while being serenaded by a brass quintet from the Houston Symphony. Pontoon boat rides will also be available with a special musical treat with the Virtosi Orchestra. This high school quartet will play classical and “rolling down the river” tunes during your boat cruise through downtown. The cost is $30 per person. Purchase tickets at http://www.houstonsymphony.org/.
2. Art in the Park Guided Hike. On April 3, 2013 at 7pm at the Russ Pitman Park, The Nature Discovery Center is holding a guided hike to explore innovative and thought provoking art. Join curators Lucinda Cobley and Lisa Qualls for an interpretive hike around the park to explore this year’s Spring Art show installations. Every Spring, artists are invited to create and install unique pieces of public art, just for Russ Pitman Park. For questions feel free to email Eric Duran: eduran@naturediscoverycenter.org or call (713) 667-6550.
3. 4 the Park 4-mile Run/Walk. Memorial Park Conservancy and Luke’s Locker are proud to present 4 the Park, a 4-mile run/walk and Kids’ K. This event has one of the best post-race parties in Houston including dishes from your favorite restaurants, adult beverages courtesy of Silver Eagle as well as live music and so much more. With a new course this year, the event will be a point-to-point race throughout the Park and finishing in the beautiful Picnic Loop. You don’t want to miss your one great chance to support Memorial Park Conservancy and Houston’s running mecca! 4 the Park will take place April 6, 2013. The Kids’ Run starts at 7:30 a.m., and the 4-mile run/walk starts at 8:00 a.m. Cost for the Kids’ Run is $10, and the 4-mile run/walk is $30. Spectators can also pay $35 for a ticket to the post-race party. More at http://www.memorialparkconservancy.org/.
4. 2013 Walk for the Woods. The Woods Project’s annual Walk for the Woods will take place on Saturday, April 6, 2013, at 8 am at Americas Plaza (2311 Canal St). This is one of Houston’s most unique and fun-filled fundraising 5K walks featuring historic stops through Houston’s East End. The event will be fun for the whole family with plenty of family friendly activities and entertainment happening during and after the walk. All proceeds go towards helping low income students develop life skills through wilderness education. Learn more at http://walkforthewoods.org/.
5. Beautification Event at Willow Waterhole. April 6, 2013, from 8-11am residents of District K are invited to the Willow Waterhole to join an effort to improve the area. Activities will include planting and mulching trees and shrubs, as well as picking up litter and removing grass from the trails. Sign in will be at The Gathering Place at Willow Waterhole located at 5310 South Willow. The clean up effort is sponsored by the Willow Waterhole Greenway Conservancy (WWGC). More at http://cechouston.org/.
6. KPC Unplugged Adventure: Ranch Roundup. Do you have what it takes to be a cowboy? Find out at KPC’s second annual Ranch Roundup on the Warren Ranch – Harris County’s largest working cattle ranch! Watch real live cowboys round up cattle and test your own cowboy skills with a lassoing contest. Ranch Roundup will be on April 6, 2013, 10am-noon, at Katy Prairie Conservancy (Warren Ranch Headquarters). Learn more at http://cechouston.org/.
7. HANC Earth Day Family Event. Join the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center on April 6, 2013, for a free family event from 10am-2pm. Festivities include guided habitat hikes, face painting, geocaching, a puppet show, hybrid and electric vehicles display, native plant sale, crafts, and more! http://cechouston.org/
8. Clean Water Forum. Join Environment Texas on April 6, 2013, 3-4:30pm, at 3015 Richmond Ave as they bring together Houston’s brightest for an afternoon discussion of the current water crisis. On March 21, the national drought monitor announced that Houston is officially back in a moderate to extreme drought. Environment Texas has recently released a report regarding water conservation methods in Texas. According to the report, Texas can save 500 billion gallons of water every year by 2020 (enough to meet the municipal water needs of 9 million Texans) if water conservation programs are implemented now. www.facebook.com/environmenttexas.
9. Arboretum at Night – Hawk Walk. Join Houston Arboretum & Nature Center to be amazed by hawks, owls, falcons and even a vulture or two! Kevin Gaines, of Sky Kings Falconry, will lead us on a tour along the trails of the Houston Arboretum for what is sure to be a memorable hawk walk. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to experience these magnificent creatures in their native habitats. There will also be photo opportunities and a question and answer time available. Wine & Cheese will be served! This event will happen on April 6, 2013, 4-5pm at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. $30 members; $40 non-members. Children under 16: $15. More at http://www.houstonarboretum.org/.
10. Children’s Museum of Houston: April Showers Bring May Flowers! April showers bring May flowers! April is a time of change and transition. During this time, kids can explore the phenomena of rain. Come to the Children’s Museum of Houston and learn a bit about how rain is created and what colorful things can happen when Mother Nature lets it all out. This exhibit will be at the Children’s Museum of Houston from April 4, 2013 to April 10, 2013. More at http://www.cmhouston.org/. Don’t forget to explore the great outdoors, indoors at the Museum’s EcoStation exhibit.
11. Call of the Wild Speaker Series. The Houston Zoo’s Call of the Wild Speaker Series brings wildlife heroes from all over the world to Houston to share their stories of working with local communities to protect animals and habitats. The next lecture will be held on April 9, 2013, at 7pm at the Houston Zoo’s Brown Education Center. The speaker will be Amy Dickman, Director of the Ruaha Carnivore Project. Amy is the Kaplan Senior Research Fellow in Felid Conservation at Oxford University, and has over 15 years experience working on large carnivores in Africa, specializing in big cats. Cost is $12 per person. More at http://cechouston.org/.
12. Earth Day Houston. Earth Day Houston, developed by Air Alliance Houston, is the Houston area’s premier celebration of our planet at Discovery Green. The FREE one-day celebration will focus on the merits of mindful, sustainable living while educating and encouraging Houstonians to do their part to preserve, conserve and enhance our city and the Earth. Earth Day Houston showcases more than 30 green non-profits, each educating visitors on how they can make Houston greener. Earth Day Houston will take place on April 14, 2013, from 11am-5pm at Discovery Green. Learn more at http://earthdayhouston.org/.
13. Terry Hershey Bayou Stewardship Award. Bayou Preservation Association would like to receive your nominations for this year’s Terry Hershey Bayou Stewardship Award which “recognizes an individual or organization who demonstrates an exemplary commitment to, and stewardship of, a Houston-area bayou or bayous through conservation, preservation, restoration, advocacy or other proactive means”. The nomination form can be found here: http://www.bayoupreservation.org/. The deadline for nominations is April 5, 2013. The award recipient will be announced at the Annual Board Meeting in May, 2013.
14. Public Comment – Transportation Improvement Program Projects. The region’s Transportation Policy Council (TPC) is soliciting public comment on candidate 2013-2016 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) projects. Approximately $600 million of funding requests remain eligible for consideration. A list of candidate projects is available on the H-GAC website at http://www.h-gac.com/taq/tip. Projects range from pedestrian and bicycle projects in Houston’s uptown area and over a dozen other locations, road striping, highway improvements, land acquisition, bus service, park and ride facilities, and planning projects. Comments are due by April 6, 2013, and may be to publiccomments@h-gac.com. Following the public comment period, a program of projects will be submitted to the TPC for its consideration at its April 26 meeting.
15. Air Alliance Houston’s New Executive Director. Air Alliance Houston has named Adrian D. Shelley, III as its new Executive Director, effective April 1, 2013. Adrian is a native Houstonian and currently serves as the Community Outreach Coordinator for Air Alliance. He first worked with Air Alliance Houston in 2008, when he was serving with the University of Texas Environmental Law Clinic. With the Clinic, Adrian conducted research for a Clean Air Act citizen suit against a local chemical plant which resulted in a multimillion dollar settlement. In 2010, Adrian completed a fellowship with Air Alliance Houston in which he conducted research on flexible air permits at several Texas refineries. He joined Air Alliance permanently in 2012 as the Community Outreach Coordinator. Read more at http://airalliancehouston.org/.