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

Join sponsoring teams to help remove invasive plants. Learn more about this effort at www.texasinvasives.org. Ages 10+. Reservations required beginning Mar. 07, 2018.

All Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center programs requiring reservations are limited in size and open to one family per phone call. Group reservations are not allowed unless otherwise indicated. Preferential reservations are given to Harris County residents. Persons not residing in Harris County may attend a space-limited program if spaces are available.

All programs and events are free of charge unless otherwise noted and open to the public regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, physical ability, national origin, or religion. Anyone requiring special assistance to participate in these programs should contact the nature center. Programs meet at the Nature Center unless otherwise noted. Solid shoes are recommended for all walks. Call 281-446-8588 for reservations or information.

The Bitter Herbs of Passover presented by Jean Fefer, PhD.
You can contribute to the educational value of Wednesday’s program by bringing a food item to the pot-luck dinner that contains at least one bitter ingredient. This is easier than it sounds – there are all the endives, chicories, and cruciferous vegetables to choose from; quinoa, millet or amaranth; artichokes, eggplant or white asparagus; anything with citrus (especially the peel); and anything flavored with chocolate, beer, or coffee. If that’s not enough inspiration, here is a list of herbs classified as bitter – peppermint, dandelion, arugula, cilantro, oregano, sorrel, chamomile, lovage, chervil, thyme, marjoram, sage, rosemary, tarragon, and bay leaves. And bitter spices to consider include turmeric, fenugreek, cardamom, pepper, and ginger.
If you have any of these herbs growing in your garden, please bring a few stalks to share. This will help make a Bitter program a Sweet experience for all!

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.

In a total of 10 classes (25 hours of instruction), this series covers everything you want to know about growing vegetables. Topics include the advantages of organic and ecological approaches over chemicals; vegetable garden design; irrigation and drainage; soil fertility, mulches and composts; organic pest control; seeds, transplants, where to get them and how to plant them. The last half is a detailed discussion of selecting, growing and using the many varieties of vegetables, annual herbs, and melons.

Those who complete the class will become certified Organic Vegetable Specialists.

This is a series of ten classes and may not be taken individually. Assignments for the class include the reading of Dr. Bob Randall’s book, Year Round Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers for Metro-Houston. Cost of the book is $45.

SCHEDULE

Thursdays, 2018 from 6:30pm to 9pm

Class 1 – January 18

Class 2 – January 25

Class 3 – February 8

Class 4 – February 22

Class 5 – March 8

Class 6 – March 22

Class 7 – April 5

Class 8 – April 19

Class 9 – May 3

Class 10 – May 17

For an in-depth schedule, go to Spring 2018 class schedule and description.

DIRECTIONS AND PARKING

I-45 S, exit Cullen, go south, enter University of Houston campus, proceed through Elgin, Holman, Entrance 14 and Entrance 13, Cougar Place, turn left at Wheeler, take first right into driveway – park to the left of Lot 9C(although it says permit required, we have permission) Follow Urban Harvest signs back to Wheeler at Cullen. Walk north along Cullen, pass entrance 13 Cougar Village and follow the Urban Harvest signs to the classroom

For more classes by Urban Harvest, view their Upcoming Classes.

Discover how superheroes like the Avengers use chemistry to keep villains in check and save the world, and how forensic chemistry can help real-life crime fighters. Join Dr. Burks as she shares her experiences, from working in a crime lab to being a professor and TV personality, all while developing research tools for chemical sleuthing.
We encourage attendees to dress up as their favorite superhero and join us at this family friendly event. We ask that costumes do NOT include facsimiles of weapons (including toys or props).
Dr. Raychelle Burks is a professor at St. Edwards University who enjoys the challenge of developing methods for detecting a variety of materials, including illegal drugs and explosives. She designs portable sensors, including those that work in your smart phone, that can make chemical measurements in the field. She helped create and organize SciPop Talks!, a popular talk series blending science and pop culture. Dr. Burks is a popular science communicator, appearing on the Science Channel’s Outrageous Acts of Science, American Chemical Society’s Reactions videos, Royal Society of Chemistry podcasts, and at conventions such as DragonCon and GeekGirlCon.
Directions and Parking
The talk takes place in Burdine Hall, Room 106 located at 2505 University Avenue. Hot Science – Cool Talks attendees may park at the 27th Street Garage (TSG) located at 109 W. 27th St. at the discounted rate of $4. Only if you park at this garage will you receive the discount. Please bring your parking ticket with you to the event. Parking staff will sell discounted parking passes from 5:30-7:15 p.m. Only debit and credit cards are accepted. There will not be PTS staff at the garage.
From parking garage to event venue: Exit the garage on Wichita St. Walk south on Wichita St, crossing Dean Keeton St, and entering the Burdine Courtyard through the archway next to the Biomedical Engineering Building. See a map here.
Check-in
All talk attendees are required to have a ticket to attend the talk. Check-in is available at 5:30 p.m. or no later than 6:50 p.m. in the hallways outside of Room 106 in Burdine Hall. Please bring your Eventbrite ticket (printed or email) to check-in. We ask that everyone is seated by 6:50 p.m. or you may lose your seat. We expect the talk and its Q & A session will end by 8:15 p.m. though ending times may vary depending on the speaker.

Cool Activities
Explore the evening’s topic through hands-on activities and information from 5:30 – 6:40 p.m. Closer to the event date, we will share a list of organizations participating in Cool Activities.
We encourage attendees to dress up as their favorite superhero and join us at this family friendly event. A prize will be awarded to the winner with the best superhero costume. We ask that costumes do NOT include facsimiles of weapons (including toys or props).
About Hot Science – Cool Talks
Hot Science – Cool Talks provides a front row seat to world-class research. Presented by the Environmental Science Institute (ESI) this nationally recognized series allows leading researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and other prominent universities to share their passion about science, technology, engineering and math with the general public. Events are held six times a year.

Hermann Park Conservancy’s FREE garden class series in the McGovern Centennial Gardens continues with a session on foraging. Believe it or not, indigenous foods that you can eat can be found all around you! Foraging foods is a fun and fast-growing movement all over the world. Foraging a meal could be picking winter weeds at a nearby park or going deep into the woods to find finkleberries and narroot. If this subject interests you and you’d like to learn more of the everyday tasty (or sometimes not so tasty!) treats that pop up all around Houston, this is the class for you! Come learn from avid forager and entrepreneur Nick Panzarella about some of the secrets of successful foraging. This class is free and open to the public. Space is limited and advanced registration is required. For more information, visit hermannpark.org.

The class will cover basic herb growing in the Houston area. Students will learn best practices for soil preparation, growing from seed or transplants, seasonality of various types of herbs, growing in containers vs. garden beds and dealing with our unique climate conditions. Time permitting, we will cover best harvesting practices and easy ways to use herbs in everyday food and beverages.

Instructor: Cindy Meredith is the owner of The Herb Cottage, a rural nursery in Lavaca County, Texas. In business since 1998, Cindy has a wide range of knowledge about gardening. Her favorite topics include growing herbs and heirloom vegetables, and using herbs in the kitchen and landscape. Her website www.TheHerbCottage.com is a handy source for growing information for Texans and other folks who live in hot, humid climates like ours.

Monday Morning Gardening in the Park

with Park Steward & Senior Naturalist Mary Ann Beauchemin

Adults – interested in gardening? Want to learn more about native plant gardening, non-native invasive species and help care for a local park at the same time?

Join Nature Discovery Center Park Steward Mary Ann Beauchemin on (typically) the first Monday of the month while the weather is cooler for some light gardening and help her care for Russ Pitman Park, the Center’s outdoor classroom. Volunteers will be removing some invasive species, growing out and planting natives, trimming the Pocket Prairie, watering recently transplanted plants and more.

• No experience necessary. Experienced staff will work with you and guide you through projects.
• Come dressed for the weather and be prepared to get dirty.
• Bring your own gloves and gardening gear or use ours.

Please contact Park Steward Mary Ann Beauchemin in advance if you are interested in coming or have any questions. mbeauch@naturediscoverycenter.org

Note: If you are interested in volunteer gardening, but cannot make it on the dates below, contact Mary Ann. Perhaps you can help on another day!

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.