Calendar
Pledge to turn off your sprinkler system for the winter.
Turfgrass, particularly St. Augustine, naturally goes dormant during winter months and uses all available energy to grow and strengthen the root system. Allowing grass to brown during the cool months results in healthier lawns with less disease in the spring.
Once you pledge, your village earns a point in the contest! Villages with the most points will receive cash awards for their scholarship funds from program sponsors.
Pledge between August 15 and December 31 and earn Two Points.
Learn how to submit your pledge at thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov.
Thank you for your interest in the “All aboard! There’s a place for you in the maritime community!â€Â Art Contest sponsored by the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA), the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and the Inter-American Committee on Ports of the Organization of the American States (CIP-OAS). We welcome submissions from students enrolled in grades K-12 living in the Americas (North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean). Students living outside the Americas are welcome to apply, provided they have one or more parents on active duty with the U. S. Coast Guard. Submissions will be accepted from January 2, 2019 – March 31, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. (En Español:  www.namepa.net/concurso-de-arte)
Students are asked to submit an original poster that creatively depicts ways to embrace diversity and inclusion in the maritime community and highlight the broad range of opportunities the industry has to offer. The theme reflects the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2019 World Maritime Day Theme. Students should submit an original artwork that based on the contest theme description below:
Seaborn transportation is one of the oldest industries—and the most exciting! More than 90% of the world’s goods and energy travel by ship! The diversity of opportunities in the maritime industry is as diverse as the ocean itself. Seafaring is an exciting career that allows you to travel the world and absorb different cultures. You can also become a successful member of the marine industry without ever getting your feet wet! An opportunity to be a maritime lawyer, accountant, engineer, medical professional, or scientist, could be in your future!
The marine industry is evolving. Now, more than ever, there are technical training and education programs available to people of all backgrounds to ensure a rewarding career in the maritime sector. Today, many people are finding more opportunities in leadership, administrative, and decision-making roles in addition to seafaring jobs.
Successful members of the marine industry can come from any educational, geographic, or cultural background. Can you think of a way to embrace diversity in the marine industry, either on a ship or in a shore-side role? Or, if you’ve ever thought about pursuing a career in the marine industry, can you artistically show us how? Students are asked to submit an original poster depicting creative and imaginative ideas about how to make shipping more inclusive, or how they can chart a future in the maritime industry.
THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE ISÂ MARCH 31, 2019, WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED BY MAY 15, 2019. Full rules are posted below.
To enter, click the button below or go to:Â Â https://maritimeartcontest.submittable.com/submit.
Birding is the birder’s equivalent to a walkathon, but better (because you get to look at birds all day). Teams of 2 or more (typically 4-5) compete to count as many bird species as possible in a consecutive 24-hour period. Birdathon is primarily a fundraiser, so teams also compete to raise the most money for the best cause: bird conservation. Birding can be done anywhere in Texas but the Houston Audubon encourages you to visit their sanctuaries for a great birding experience. Whether you can identify 2 species or 200, birders of all experience levels are welcome to participate in Birdathon! For more information, visit sweet_houstonaudubon.blueskysweet.com.
The Environmental Institute of Houston offers a two-part course following the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s (TCEQ) Surface Water Quality Monitoring (SWQM) guidelines.
The partial course (March 18) will cover fundamental techniques for TCEQ’s water quality and hydrological monitoring. The full course (March 18-21) will cover additional techniques and protocols for biological and physical habitat monitoring, emphasizing wadeable stream sampling techniques. Each course day will consist of classroom and field-based instruction designed to explain the theory and methodology of SWQM procedures with a hands-on component in local rivers and streams.
Every third Thursday of the month from 9:00 to 10:00 am the Houston Community ToolBank host an open warehouse tour. The ToolBank lends tools (hammers, shovels, saws, etc.) and items (tents, tables, chairs, safety gear, etc.) to nonprofits, community groups and corporate volunteers for charitable projects. Access to ToolBank tools eliminates the need for agencies and groups to incur the expense of purchasing, renting, repairing, insuring and storing tools, therefore reducing the costs associated with service projects and allowing these organizations to focus more of their resources on their mission. Volunteer to paint ToolBank tools blue and/or fill tool orders. The tour is free to all; bring a friend!
Habitat Restoration
Our volunteer group meets the second and fourth Thursday of the month from 9 a.m. to noon at the HPARD Greenhouse.
We propagate plants from locally collected native seed. A typical workday may include seeding pots, bumping up trays into 1-gallon containers, separating seedlings, and weeding pots. We will also have special seed collecting trips, invasive species removal workdays, and planting events in our restored prairies!
We are also beginning to conduct semi-annual vegetation transects and monthly bird surveys at our current and future restoration sites. If you’re good at identifying plants or birds or if you would like to learn more about them, come join us!
If you’re interested in volunteering for the NRMP, email kelli.ondracek@houstontx.gov.
The Memorial Park Conservancy has generously offered Katy Prairie Conservancy use of their greenhouse while the Native Seed Nursery at KPC’s field office in Waller is being renovated. Volunteers will help grow plants that will be used for various Katy Prairie Conservancy spring projects and for the Great Grow Out. The Memorial Park Conservancy Greenhouse is located in Memorial Park on the south side of Memorial Drive. All are welcome, no experience necessary.
Workdays are scheduled for the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month from 9:00 a.m. to noon.
The Texas Coastal Watershed Program holds weekly volunteer days for their stormwater wetland program, 9am-12pm on Thursdays. Volunteers help propagate plants in the wetland plant nursery at Exploration Green in Clear Lake City, or at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory in Lake Jackson.  The stormwater wetland program is developing demonstration projects to show  how wetlands can be designed into flood control basins to clean contaminants from surface runoff,  protect our bayous and bays, and provide a refuge for wildlife. A schedule and more information is available by contacting Mcedwards@tamu.edu.
Science Sprouts is an exciting series for curious kids that love nature and science. Classes will include a short lesson on the topic of the day followed by a nature walk on the trails of the Arboretum. Each class will have a fun mixture of games, live animals, biofacts, crafts, story time, or music. Parents are welcome to participate with their child, or drop them off. Visit houstonarboretum.org for class/topic schedule.
Thursday, March 21, 11:30 am
Join Hermann Park Conservancy for Hats in the Park on
Thursday, March 21, in the McGovern Centennial Gardens. The event raises funds to support the Conservancy’s mission, and begins with a champagne reception in the Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion followed by a luncheon on the beautiful Centennial Green. This year, Hats in the Park will be chaired by Laura Wareing Wheless and Kelley Young and will honor Jane Anderson Curtis. Click here to purchase a ticket.
