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.

This free, monthly workshop addresses the basics on how to install and operate a solar system.  It covers topics such as solar array types, costs of equipment and labor, permitting, energy savings, and reliability. The instructor, Bill Swann, is an expert in solar energy and has built many of his own solar systems. This workshop is ideal for all people; Bill can answer the simplest and most technical of questions. If you want to learn more about solar, this is the workshop for you. For more information, contact Bill Swann at william.swann2@gmail.com.

Street parking available. This workshop occurs on the last friday of every month, except December.

Join Urban Harvest for a series of fun and informative garden classes. Upcoming classes in the “Be Waterwise With Low Volume Irrigation Series” include:

Sat. June 9: Low Volume Irrigation (HMNS*)

Sat. June 16: Starting a Community or School Garden Workshop

Sat. July 21: Fall Vegetable Gardening (HMNS*)

Sat. Aug 11: Waste Not, Want Not – Bokashi and Vermicomposting

Times vary form workshop to workshop. Find more information and register here

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 Texas Water Development Board continues to have funding for public works infrastructure.  Funding is available for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater projects.  All phases of the projects are eligible; acquisition, planning and design, and construction.  Construction projects include new facilities and repair and rehabilitation of existing facilities.  In addition, the TWDB has $90 million designated for disaster recovery for the region impacted by Hurricane Harvey. For more information, visit twdb.texas.gov. To register, please email your name, title, entity, email, telephone contact information and the workshop location you are planning to attend to srfworkshops@twdb.texas.gov. General questions may be directed to your Regional Project Team Manager. Please register as soon as possible as venues are subject to capacity limitations.

This presentation will give you insight on how to create a garden for caterpillars and adult butterflies. We will discuss all the necessary elements you need to have a flurry of butterflies in your yard.

Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. No pre-registration required. Class fee of $5 (for one class) payable at door – cash only please (exact change will be greatly appreciated). $8.00 for both classes on same Day.

Refreshments provided: coffee, water and snack

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 Urban Harvest for a series of fun and informative garden classes. Upcoming classes in the “Be Waterwise With Low Volume Irrigation Series” include:

Sat. June 9: Low Volume Irrigation (HMNS*)

Sat. June 16: Starting a Community or School Garden Workshop

Sat. July 21: Fall Vegetable Gardening (HMNS*)

Sat. Aug 11: Waste Not, Want Not – Bokashi and Vermicomposting

Times vary form workshop to workshop. Find more information and register here

Registration begins at 10:00 a.m. No pre-registration required. Class fee of $5 (for one class) payable at door – cash only please (exact change will be greatly appreciated). $8.00 for both classes on same Day.

Refreshments provided: coffee, water and snack.