The health and safety of our generous donors and supporters are Turtle Island Restoration Network top priority, so the 2020 Art of Saving Sea Turtles benefit is going virtual!

Please join us on Thursday, October 29 from 5:30-6:30 pm Central to celebrate local sea turtle conservation and community art and help raise critical funds to support Turtle Island Restoration Network’s sea turtle conservation programs in the Gulf and on Galveston Island!

Turtle Island Restoration Network will be honoring Turtles About Town and the artists, sponsors, and individuals who have faithfully supported our mission. Turtle Island Restoration Network will also be introducing the artists and sponsors of 19 new sea turtle statues that will bring the total number of colorful Kemp’s ridleys on Galveston Island to 50!

Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is hosting a socially distanced picnic in place of its annual fundraising gala. Or, BBP will deliver
a picnic for you to enjoy at home while tuning into our virtual program. Although the event format has changed, the goal remains
the same—raising much-needed funds for the ongoing care,revitalization, and activation of Houston’s greatest natural resource.
Enhancement of the five-year-old Buffalo Bayou Park was made possible by a catalyst gift from the Kinder Foundation, along with the City of Houston through Houston Parks & Recreation Department, Harris County Flood Control District, and Downtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) #3. This award-winning park has become a focal point for the city, providing a place for recreation, relaxation, and respite for hundreds of thousands of visitors. During the current health crisis especially, this accessible public space has been a critically important refuge for Houstonians of all ages and walks of life. Buffalo Bayou Park comes to life when friends like you are there,
so please join with Buffalo Bayou Picnic in honoring its essential role in the community.

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Join Bayou Land Conservancy on Friday, November 13, 2020, for our Annual Land Lover Gala Home on the Range (your range!) This year’s event will be held virtually and bring just as much joy and excitement as ever. Get Wild About Texas this year with keynote speaker Ben Masters, Texas Wildlife Filmmaker. Ben will take us through a journey about his latest film Deep in the Heart.

Deep in the Heart will be the first blue-chip wildlife documentary ever produced about our beloved Texas. The film will celebrate many conservation success stories while showcasing some of the most important ecological issues through the eyes of wildlife and wild places. Imagine Planet Earth…but in Texas! Through witty narration, humor, and state-of-the-art cinematography, the film will showcase approximately twenty wildlife species ranging from the iconic bison to the mysterious ocelot. The feature-length film will begin in the high plains and peaks of West Texas, flow through diverse ecoregions along our many river systems, and conclude along the bays, estuaries, and the Gulf of Mexico. Deep in the Heart aims to inspire Texans to conserve our remaining wild places, to show the connectivity of water and wildlife, and to recognize Texas’ conservation importance on a continental scale.

Join us for the Bayou Preservation Association’s first virtual gala!  Bayou Preservation Association will highlight 20 reasons to celebrate our bayous in 2020 and look back on 20 years of festive fetes in support of Bayou Preservation Association.

The event will take place on Thursday, November 19, 2020, at 6 pm and will feature:

Emcee, Sharron Melton, the host of CW39’s Morning Dose

• Flashbacks with photos from Bayou Preservation Association archives of 20 years of events
• Opportunities to win bayou-related items
• and much more!

As a participant, you won’t have to worry about coming up with a costume (as fun as that can be) or navigating parking. You can relax and enjoy the show, knowing that you have made a difference in the health of our waterways.

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.

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Chaired by Scott and Judy Nyquist, the citizens of Houston will attend an event hosted by the Rice Design Alliance to honor Rice Architecture for bringing people together for the past 50 years. The Rice Design Alliance enhances the Houston urban community by working on local design issues, which keeps the working world in our city functional. The event’s proceeds will go to the Rice Design Alliance’s educational mission.