Calendar
Join Buffalo Bayou Partnership to celebrate the launch of the Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan! We will be celebrating a vision for Buffalo Bayou East which includes parks, trails and unique destinations.
*12-4pm (presentation at 12:30pm)
*Performances by Annika Chambers Music + Roberto Rodriquez and Mas Pulpos
*Face Painting
*Kid’s Crafts
*Free bicycle helmets to the first 100 attendees!
*Food Trucks
* Saint Arnold Brewing Company Beer and Root Beer
Free and open to all!
Nature lovers of all ages are invited to discover local environmental organizations, outdoor activities, native plants, and wildlife. This family-friendly event includes pontoon boat tours, guided walks, live animals, and a catch-and-release fishing tank.
Sign up for the Bayou Land Conservancy newsletter to receive an email with a link to watch 3 different, curated film programs from the Wild and Scenic collection. This year’s festival includes programs for grades K – 4, 5 – 8 and 9 – 12.
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.
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:
Experience forest bathing, led by a certified guide, followed by practice of the Christian spiritual discipline of the Earth Examen. Forest bathing, a practice that originated in Japan, involves taking in, in all of one’s senses, the forest atmosphere. Not simply a walk in the woods, it is the conscious and contemplative practice of being immersed in the sights, sounds and smells of the forest. Forest bathing has been shown to reduce stress, improve mood and focus, enhance creativity, and lead to an increased sense of calm and altruistic behavior, in addition to other benefits such as boosting the immune system and lowering blood pressure. As Christians, we understand that God is present in God’s creation, and after our guided forest bath, we’ll spend some time considering the Earth Examen as we reflect both on our time spent forest bathing and on our relationship with all creation. This activity is for a small group and space is limited. Please register at www.eventbrite.com at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/forest-bathing-earth-examen-tickets-291848535827. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.