H-GAC and project partners will kick off the International Management District Livable Centers Study this month. The study will analyze existing conditions in the boundaries of the International Management District and make recommendations that guide future land use and transportation investments in the area. Specifically, the study seeks to identify ways that the district can create a more walkable, mixed-use, transit-served neighborhood that is both a destination and a great place to live, work, and play.

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.

Workdays are held once a month, October through March on the second Saturday of the month. We start work around 8:30 AM and work until about noon, when we break for lunch, provided by Houston Audubon and prepared by the lunch crew. Lunch at the picnic area of Boy Scout Woods is a good chance to visit with other volunteers and recharge from a morning of exercise and work. After lunch, we take about an hour to tie up any loose ends and clean up.

Come be a part of sanctuary maintenance, habitat restoration, and Houston Audubon’s amazing volunteer workforce. Email Pete Deichmann at pdeichmann@houstonaudubon.org for more information or to be put on the email list.

• November 10
• December 8
• January 12
• February 9
• March 9

Oyster Creek (Basin 11)

H-GAC and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality invite area stakeholders to help create a plan to reduce high concentrations of bacteria found in two coastal basins. This meeting is to discuss sources of bacteria, to form committees to consider options to reduce bacteria, and to develop plans to act on those options are scheduled for two of the impacted watersheds.

This webinar will continue on America Walks’ September Walking Towards Justice episode that explored the potential partnerships between walk-ability advocates and the disability rights movement. Learn how communities are becoming more inclusive and accessible and tools and resources to do the same.  This webinar is intended for those just starting out on the walking path as well as those interested in learning more about the topic.

Volunteers meet the second and fourth Thursday of every month to 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. They will also have special seed collecting trips, invasive species removal workdays, and planting events in restored prairies.

If you’re interested in volunteering for the Natural Resource Management Program, email kelli.ondracek@houstontx.gov or visit houstontx.gov/parks/naturalresources.html.

The Brays Bayou Association meets the third Monday of each month at The Gathering Place. Brays Bayou Association does not currently have a website.

Katy Prairie Conservancy (KPC) is partnering with Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) to install the first 9 Natives Showcase Garden. The 9 Natives Showcase Garden will be located near the HMNS Cockrell Butterfly Center and in close proxmity to the METRORail line on San Jacinto Street. This “showcase garden,” featuring nine Texas native plants, will demonstrate how individuals can incorporate native plants in their own gardens or yards in the Houston area. Volunteers interested in assisting with the 9 Natives Showcase Garden installation are welcome to attend the event, as well as those who wish to observe how to create a garden with native plants. The address for HMNS is 5555 Hermann Park Dr. Look for KPC and Garden Club of Houston representatives near the Cockrell Butterfly Center in proximity to San Jacinto Street.

All are welcome to Houston Renewable Energy Group’s monthly meetings! They will have a presentation on an interesting aspect of renewable energy in Houston, review HREG business, progress, and plan events. After the meeting, they usually spend some time socializing and finding out what is happening on the renewable scene in Houston from each other. Monthly Meetings are the best place for members to learn about HREG, ask questions, and provide suggestions.

If you are interested in volunteering or becoming a voting member, attending this meeting would be a great opportunity for you to learn more about what HREG does and how you can help. For more information, contact HREG.