Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE, is not yet an everyday term, but it is gaining traction in Houston. Texas PACE enables property owners to finance 100% of their energy saving, water conservation, and distributed generation improvements with little to no capital outlay. PACE enables commercial property owners to lower their operating costs, increase net operating income and the quality of the asset as the idea is what you save in utilities will be greater than your payments.  A voluntary land-secured assessment that is paid off over time, often up to 20 years or more, the City enabled PACE as a way to incentivize sustainability and resilience upgrades to commercial, industrial and multifamily properties. Partnering with US Green Building Council, PACE: Liftoff in Houston is a free education seminar, open to the public.

It will take place on Feb. 28, 2018 6:00-8:00pm at the Green Building Resource Center. The panel will be discussing the first few successful PACE projects in Houston. CEU’s available.

Please RSVP to Steve Stelzer at (832)394-9050 or steve.stelzer@houstontx.gov. For more information, visit codegreenhouston.org.

Paddle along the scenic trees of Armand Bayou and try to spot some of the 370 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians that call it home. You might even catch a glimpse of one of the dozens of alligators making their home on the bayou. Armand Bayou lies along the Central Flyway, the largest migratory bird route in North America. For more information, visit artistboat.org.

Kayak the beautiful Artist Boat Coastal Heritage Preserve. This destination occurs at the natural and restored marshes protecting one of the most pristine examples of a dune/swale complex on Galveston Island. Artist Boat has worked hard to acquire over 600 acres of the coastal prairies and wetlands on Settegast Road through million dollar grants and community donations. Join us to discover the wonders of the dune/swale complex and wetlands and to celebrate nature while envisioning our future home.

The Coastal Heritage Preserve location includes a 0.3 mile easy walk through the Artist Boat Coastal Heritage Preserve to the launch site. This may make the destination unsuitable for bringing your own kayak as you would be responsible for carrying it to and from the launch site.

H-GAC is hosting a series of seminars and hands-on workshops to learn to use H-GAC’s interactive web applications for community and transportation planning. Participants will have access to computers to participate in an interactive session to master the use of these online applications.

A webinar option is also available; however, hands-on activities will be presented to in-person attendees only.

• Seminar 1: Demographic Explorer and Snapshot - Thursday, March 22
  
• Seminar 2: Regional Employment Snapshot & Commute Patterns - Thursday, April 26
• Seminar 3: Activity-Connectivity Explorer - Thursday, May 24

Seminar 1 focuses on the Demographic Explorer and Snapshot which provides quick and easy access to US Census American Community Survey data

Learn how to customize the data displayed to fit your needs:

• Draw and select an area of interest
• Query the data for more information
• Perform market analysis
• Summarize and download data
• Directly use the demographic snapshot tool and maps for presentations

For more information, visit h-gac.com.

Explore natural marsh and the largest area of natural seagrass beds in the Galveston Bay system as you paddle along looking for pelicans, herons, egrets, and more. For more information, visit artistboat.org.

Photo by Jim Olive.

Texas Wildlife & Woodland Expo and Spring Fling – a free, how-to event – affords families, youth and adults a chance to get outdoors – learn about the natural environment – recognize the significance healthy forests, trees, wildlife, and pollinators have on clean air, clean water and our overall health.

This event is designed to bring experts from the natural resource professions to one location for you to ask questions and learn through live demonstrations and hands-on application.

And for the little ones, the adventure area is where they can participate in archery, kayaking, fishing, digging in the dirt with earthworms, make a birdhouse and so much more.

At Expo & Spring Fling, you’ll play for a day but learn for a lifetime.

For the safety and comfort of others, PLEASE, NO PETS allowed on the grounds of Lone Star College-Montgomery campus during the Texas Wildlife & Woodland Expo/Spring Fling.

Volunteers Needed: Check in will begin at 8:30 a.m. by the Parking Garage. Lunch and t-shirts for volunteers who sign-up. You will receive your meal ticket from the zone supervisor. Sign-up here.

For more information, visit lonestar.edu.

Migration Celebration is held annually in April in southern Brazoria County, Texas, sponsored by the Friends of the Brazoria Wildlife Refuges in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The Kickoff Dinner will be held on Apr. 13, 2018, and the 24th Annual Migration Celebration will be held on Apr. 21 and 22.

Migration Celebration activities are centered on the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge but formally starts with a fundraising dinner and featured speaker at Freeport RiverPlace located in the Freeport Municipal Park.

Migration Celebration’s events and presentations are designed for the introductory level but still keeps some focus on birds with our Birds of Prey programs and the San Bernard Oak Trail tours.

With the exception of fundraising activities, all other Migration Celebration events, tours, presentations, and other activities are free to the public. This is made possible by the generous donations of time and money by our sponsors, partner organizations, and volunteers.

Volunteers needed. To volunteer contact:
Ed Barrios, Volunteer Coordinator
979-297-1815 (h) 979-415-4998 (c)
barrios@refugefriends.org.

For more information, migrationcelebration.org.

 

On April 21, 2018, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Game Wardens will host their third annual Spring Outdoor Celebration at Mont Belvieu City Park. Texas Game Wardens are excited to introduce outdoor recreational activities to the youth and other citizens. Participation in all activities is free. Activities include archery, fishing, kayaking, rock climbing, door prizes, and much more. They hope to promote involvement and utilization of the natural resources within the community. For more information, visit facebook.com.

Migration Celebration is held annually in April in southern Brazoria County, Texas, sponsored by the Friends of the Brazoria Wildlife Refuges in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The Kickoff Dinner will be held on Apr. 13, 2018, and the 24th Annual Migration Celebration will be held on Apr. 21 and 22.

Migration Celebration activities are centered on the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge but formally starts with a fundraising dinner and featured speaker at Freeport RiverPlace located in the Freeport Municipal Park.

Migration Celebration’s events and presentations are designed for the introductory level but still keeps some focus on birds with our Birds of Prey programs and the San Bernard Oak Trail tours.

With the exception of fundraising activities, all other Migration Celebration events, tours, presentations, and other activities are free to the public. This is made possible by the generous donations of time and money by our sponsors, partner organizations, and volunteers.

Volunteers needed. To volunteer contact:
Ed Barrios, Volunteer Coordinator
979-297-1815 (h) 979-415-4998 (c)
barrios@refugefriends.org.

For more information, migrationcelebration.org.

H-GAC is hosting a series of seminars and hands-on workshops to learn to use H-GAC’s interactive web applications for community and transportation planning. Participants will have access to computers to participate in an interactive session to master the use of these online applications.

A webinar option is also available; however, hands-on activities will be presented to in-person attendees only.

• Seminar 1: Demographic Explorer and Snapshot - Thursday, March 22
  
• Seminar 2: Regional Employment Snapshot & Commute Patterns - Thursday, April 26
• Seminar 3: Activity-Connectivity Explorer - Thursday, May 24

Seminar 1 focuses on the Demographic Explorer and Snapshot which provides quick and easy access to US Census American Community Survey data

Learn how to customize the data displayed to fit your needs:

• Draw and select an area of interest
• Query the data for more information
• Perform market analysis
• Summarize and download data
• Directly use the demographic snapshot tool and maps for presentations

For more information, visit h-gac.com.