Calendar
The week of May 11-16th, 2020, the festival will be celebrated via Facebook.
Every day, the shared content pertains to a different aspect of how nature benefits health.
The content will consist of daily posts, reading recommendations, live yoga, videos by exhibitors, and more! Some of the exhibitors who’ve submitted video content include Cypress Creek Greenway Project Chair-Jim Robertson, Naturalist- Lauren Hollenbeck from Lake Houston, and Certified Nature Therapy Guide Cindy Scott from Jones State Forest.
Join in daily for live streaming of Holistic Yoga sessions by SVyasa Trained instructor, Latha Kuruvanka starting at 5:30 p.m..
THEMES
Monday 5/11: The impact of nature on physical health.
Tuesday 5/12: Nature Connection &Mental Wellness
Wednesday 5/13: Recreation in Nature
Thursday 5/14 Holistic Nature
Friday 5/15: Art in Nature
Saturday 5/16: Unseen Nature (wildlife and more)
The Kemah Boardwalk will be transformed into a fun, educational, environmental atmosphere complete with all things wet, furry, scaly, feathery, muddy and more that define Galveston Bay. The Bay Day Festival is free to attend!
Visitors to the Galveston Bay Foundation’s annual Bay Day Festival learn all about Galveston Bay, the largest bay in Texas and one of the most productive estuaries in the country. Festival highlights include bay-themed arts and crafts, live animal demonstrations and touch tanks, a Galveston Bay Explorer game, science and marine exhibits and more. Children and adults learn about the importance of Galveston Bay in our everyday lives as they engage with a variety of local educational exhibits.
Join Galveston Bay Foundation for a virtual event, with exhibitors providing educational videos of their exhibits.
Pollinator migration season is nearly here! Show your love of these beneficial insects by attending the Fourth Annual Pollinator Festival and Plant Sale on Saturday, Oct. 2, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mercer Botanic Gardens, 22306 Aldine Westfield Road in Humble.
What to Buy
Shop plants that attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators to your garden. The Mercer Society’s (TMS) Pollinator Plant Sale features host and nectar plants, including blue mistflower, purple coneflower, cardinal flower, Texas lantana, and scarlet tropical sage. Create a stunning home habitat for monarch butterflies by planting a wide variety of Texas native milkweed, including zizotes milkweed, green milkweed, aquatic milkweed, swamp milkweed, and antelope horns. Bring other local and migrating species to your yard by adding Texas native host plants. False nettle attracts red admirals and queens, spicebush lures spicebush swallowtails, and maypop brings gulf fritillaries.
Activities
This free, outdoor community event also features a scarecrow contest, lawn games, educational displays, and a book sale hosted by the Baldwin Boettcher Branch Library and Friends of the Library. Visit local exhibitors and vendors and participate in pollinator-themed activities, including the Pollinator Partners Promenade, a self-guided garden tour. If you need advice on pollinator plant selection or garden maintenance, visit a Harris County master gardener at the Ask a Master Gardener tent or connect with knowledgeable TMS plant growers.
Live performances will occur throughout the day, including an eclectic mix of Appalachian fiddle tunes and Celtic music by the Dulcimer Doin’s, Native American flute music by the Spring Cypress Flute Circle, and popular songs from the 1920s to today by the Houkulele Strummers. To add to the fun, visitors are invited to dress in bee, butterfly, bat, hummingbird, or flower attire.
What to Bring
Plant sale attendees are encouraged to bring something to transport their purchases, as wagons are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Proceeds from the Pollinator Plant Sale benefit Mercer Botanic Gardens. The festival is held outdoors at Mercer’s East Side Main Garden. Event parking is at the West Side Arboretum. Parking for those with disabilities is at the East Side Main Garden. Shuttles are available to transport visitors between the garden and arboretum on the east and west sides. A parent or guardian must accompany children younger than 16. Volunteer opportunities are also available. Email jhartwell@hcp4.net for details.
Bike Around the Bay 2021
Ride Dates: October 23 & 24, 2021
Ride Start: Plantgistix – 5623 AmeriPort Parkway, Baytown, TX 77523
Ride Distance: Two-Day Route – 175+ miles. Day 1: 97 miles (century loop option). Day 2: 85 miles (one day options available!)
DAY 2 ROUTE CHANGE: Due to safety issues to construction on Business 146 and 99 after the Fred Hartman Bridge, TXDOT has asked them to find an alternate route from Sylvan Beach to our finish at Plantgistix. Their new route will take them under Hwy 146/Fred Hartman Bridge and then we will head towards the San Jacinto Monument. A new breakpoint will be added at Juan Seguin Park (across from the Monument Inn) and then they’ll take the Lynchburg Ferry across the Houston Ship Channel. When you exit the ferry, you’ll have another 13.5 miles before you reach the finish at Plantgistix. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE NEW ROUTE MAP.
Fundraising Requirement: $175 for One-Day Cyclists, $250 for Two-Day Cyclists. All funds raised from your ride will support the work of the Galveston Bay Foundation, a local environmental non-profit (all rider donations are tax deductible)
COVID-19: They will continue to monitor the situation. If they do have to cancel Bike Around the Bay 2021 due to COVID-19, they will offer refunds for all registration fees. However, any donations made towards your ride will be non-refundable. Please stay safe and healthy!
Bike Around the Island (a Galveston Island Ride)
Ride Date: Saturday, October 23 (Note: This is a separate ride from the Bike Around the Bay one- and two-day routes)
Ride Start/End: Moody Gardens – One Hope Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77554
Start Time: 8:00 AM
Route Closes: 1:00 PM
Ride Distance: 20 miles (1 rest stop) OR 43 miles (3 rest stops). Both are out and back routes.
Registration Fee: $40
Fundraising Requirement: $100
Questions? Please email info@bikearoundthebay.org
Saturday, November 6, 9am-11:30amJoin Architecture Center Houston and the Buffalo Bayou Partnership for a bike ride and tour exploring Houston’s past and future at Buffalo Bayou East.
In Houston’s earliest days, Buffalo Bayou was key to Houston’s future as a major trading and transportation center. Today, the eastern section of the bayou is dotted with abandoned industrial relics, but Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s Master Plan East re-envisions the area as a network of trails, parks, and multi-modal connections that create a continuous link between destinations and surrounding communities.
Learn about the plan and get insights into the future development of the historic bayou with José SolÃs, Buffalo Bayou Partnership Project Manager; and Natalye Appel, FAIA, and Donna Kacmar, FAIA, from Natalye Appel + Associates Architects.
Tour will meet at Tony Marron Park. (808 N York St, Houston, TX 77003). Space is limited and registration is required.
Attendees must bring their own bicycles. They encourage everyone to wear a helmet and bring water. Bicycles may be rented at the Bcycle station at Guadalupe Plaza Park (2311 Runnels). Head east on Navigation, turn right on North York, and Tony Marron Park is on your left-hand side.
Ticket Prices: $10 BBP and AIAH Members, $15 non-members
7TH ANNUAL PARK TO PORT BIKE RIDE
Saturday, November 13, 2021
7:30 am
Bill Coats Bridge
Blueprint Film Co
Get a bike’s-eye view of the Bayou City with the Park to Port bike ride, happening on Saturday, November 13!
The 20-mile round-trip bike ride takes cyclists from Hermann Park’s Bayou Parkland along the Bayou Greenway trail all the way to the Port of Houston. Enjoy a turn-around party at Mason Park, but be sure to save some energy for a well-deserved post-ride party under the Bill Coats Bridge!
Park to Port is open to riders of all skill levels and is not a race. Whether you are well experienced or are riding just for fun, you can go at your own pace on this scenic city journey.
Register today at RunSignUp.com
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour is returning to Houston on January 29, 2022. Hosted by the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, this year’s film fest will be a hybrid event, taking place both online and in person at MATCH to accommodate everyone’s COVID safety preferences.
SPONSORS
Thank you to our 2022 Sponsors:
