Join American Institute of Architects, Houston chapter, for this annual fundraiser benefiting the Architecture Center Houston Foundation. Your support will enhance the foundation’s continued efforts to bring awareness, understanding, and appreciation of architecture and urban design to the community. For more information, visit aiahouston.org.

The seventh edition of the Willow Waterhole 2017 MusicFEST will be held on April 13-14. Coming on the heels of last year’s successful MusicFEST 2018, which featured 20 hours of FREE diverse music provided by 16 Pro Bands and 7 Student-School Band and the dynamic Artist Village with over 40 participating artists, our hopes are that this year’s event will exceed your expectations in quality performances and exciting amenities. Come join us for two fun-filled days of music and entertainment at the naturally beautiful 290-acre Willow Waterhole Greenway.

Volunteers are needed as greeters, parking assistants, tent and equipment set up, etc.

For more information, visit mailchi.mp or facebook.com.

The seventh edition of the Willow Waterhole 2017 MusicFEST will be held on April 13-14. Coming on the heels of last year’s successful MusicFEST 2018, which featured 20 hours of FREE diverse music provided by 16 Pro Bands and 7 Student-School Band and the dynamic Artist Village with over 40 participating artists, our hopes are that this year’s event will exceed your expectations in quality performances and exciting amenities. Come join us for two fun-filled days of music and entertainment at the naturally beautiful 290-acre Willow Waterhole Greenway.

Volunteers are needed as greeters, parking assistants, tent and equipment set up, etc.

For more information, visit mailchi.mp or facebook.com.

Chairs: June Deadrick and Barbara Friedman
Honoring: Terrylin Neale

2018 Gala Recap: On Friday, April 27, 2018, more than 505 guests coolly collected in their California casual attire in the heart of Hermann Park for Hermann Park Conservancy’s annual Evening in the Park gala. Accompanied by spectacular weather, co-chairs Bonner and George Ball, Janet Gurwitch and Ron Franklin, and Dancie and Jim Ware, evoked serious beachy-vibes for their “California Dreaming” themed evening, which far surpassed the evening’s fundraising goal, ultimately bringing in $525,450 to support the Conservancy’s stewardship and improvement efforts for Houston’s 445-acre Hermann Park.

This year, Katy Prairie Conservancy will honor Mr. Forrest Wylie, an avid conservationist whose passion for preserving the outdoors led to his donation of a conservation easement on the 5,332-acre Spread Oaks Ranch. The opportunity to preserve coastal prairie on this scale is significant, and the Katy Prairie Conservancy is thrilled to recognize this important contribution which preserves the Spread Oaks Ranch for present and future generations.

The Texas Environmental Excellence Awards honor achievements in environmental preservation and protection. As the state’s highest environmental honor, the Office of the Governor and commissioners from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality recognize outstanding projects from ten diverse categories. To learn more about how winners are recognized and for a list of categories, visit the Texas Commision on environment  About TEEA page.

This year’s gala is the most important fundraising event of Houston Audubon’s landmark 50th Anniversary. Gala proceeds will benefit the organization in its work to ensure special natural places, critical habitat, and resilient bird populations will be a legacy for future generations to enjoy.

For the past 50 years, Houston Audubon has been the voice for birds, and they’ve served the Houston-Gulf Coast region through land conservation, habitat restoration, education and advocacy. At this year’s gala, they will celebrate Houston Audubon’s journey, its achievements, and the dedicated donors, volunteers, staff, and partners whose collective efforts have led us to being the regional avian conservation leader they are today.

Date: Thursday, November 7
Time: 6:30pm Cocktails / 8pm Seated Dinner
Location: The Water Works in Buffalo Bayou Park

Attire: Cocktail

Co-Chairs: Carolyn and Chris Dorros and Mary and David Wolff

Please consider supporting the 2019 Buffalo Bayou Partnership Gala, Moonscape. It will be a magical evening, dining under a luminous tent on the beautiful lawn at The Water Works in Buffalo Bayou Park. To commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing, this year’s gala will highlight the signature Lunar Cycle Lighting along Buffalo Bayou.

This illuminating celebration will support the ongoing care of Houston’s most significant natural resource and Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s vital programs and projects that enhance the quality of life for all in our city. Tables for ten guests are: $25,000; $15,000; $10,000 and $6,000. Individual tickets are:  $1,500; $1,000 and $600.

Cocktail-only tickets are available for $100 and can be purchased here.

Click here for a response form.  For more information, contact Leigh McBurnett, BBP Director of Development, at lmcburnett@buffalobayou.org or 713.752.0314 ext. 105.

The Nature Conservancy in Texas invites you to attend the 2019 Houston Conservation Gala! Join us on Thursday, November 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Houston Zoo for a gala of global proportions. Spend an “evening on the ark” as National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore presents National Geographic’s Photo Ark—a groundbreaking effort to document species before they disappear.

Sartore is a photographer, speaker, author, teacher, National Geographic fellow and regular contributor to National Geographic magazine. Most importantly, he is an avid conservationist who began the ambitious Photo Ark project 11 years ago in his hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska. Since then, he’s visited 40 countries in his quest to create a lasting photo archive of global biodiversity. To date, Sartore has captured portraits of more than 9,000 animal species in human care, inching him nearer to his original goal of documenting 12,000 unique species.

During the evening, Sartore will take us behind the scenes, describing how his vision for the Photo Ark not only began, but where it’s taking him next. He’ll share with us the stories of his travels and what goes into the creation of a photo archive of true biodiversity. And above all, he’ll impart on us the saliency of this work, helping us understand how intimate animal photography like this can play a critical role in inspiring people to take action around conservation.

Sartore’s commitment to saving species makes him a perfect keynote speaker for our Houston Gala. The Nature Conservancy is working throughout Texas to protect at-risk species—we’re restoring grasslands to preserve and improve monarch butterfly habitat, acquiring land to conserve one of the last remaining wintering grounds for endangered whooping cranes and protecting vital corridors for ocelots in South Texas. Like Sartore, the Conservancy is dedicated to connecting people and nature throughout the Lone Star State.

To purchase tickets or sponsor the event, contact Megan Brann at megan.brann@tnc.org or 832-260-4915. To ensure sponsor recognition in the invitation, please respond with your sponsorship commitment by September 4, 2019.

Interested in Urban Forestry? Come join Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, HAUFC and ISA-TX for a great day of education. Topics include: Emerald Ash Borer – Coming to a City Near You, Using Tree Growth Regulators to Reduce Pruning Costs, and Greening the Houston Region – Partnerships and Projects that Support the Urban Forest.