Anyone interested in native plants is invited to join Gulf Coast Master Naturalists on the propagation workdays on second and fourth Thursdays of the month from 9:00 am to noon.  Please note this is the new site in Memorial Park. RSVP to Lan Shen at Lan.Shen@TXgcmn.org 713-771-1415 or Celeste Mead at Celeste.Mead@txgcmn.org 832-680-7263 or just come on out!

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

Held on the “2nd Saturdays” of each month, they will enjoy a delicious vegan potluck and meeting, along with a discussion, film screening, food demo or speaker presentation on intersectional issues of veganism, animal rights, environmentalism, nonviolence, health and more. Each month will be something new! Their new venue is at the HCC Conference Center.

They are asking for a donation of $5 per person to help cover our facility rental expenses. All attendees must bring a vegan entree to share at the potluck (serving size to feed 10 people)!

Please remember to bring a vegan dish to share with the group! Their events are always vegan, so please only vegan or raw vegan foods (no animal-derived ingredients). Also bring reusable dinnerware and plates to keep the event earth-friendly. If you have questions on ingredients, feel free to contact them.

They will also feature a new discussion topic on inter sectional issues each month, such as: animal rights, ethical vegan living, vegan health & nutrition, cooking, world hunger solutions, eco-friendly living, nonviolence and more! Some months will also include film screenings and/or guest speakers and food demos.

Houston Community College Conference Center is located at 3100 Main St, 3rd Floor, Houston, TX 77002. See below for map. Free Parking is available on level 7 & 8 of the HCC Administration parking garage at Main & Elgin. Use elevator from parking garage to 3rd floor breezeway, which leads to the Conference suites. You must enter the building through the parking garage and not street-level.

All attendees must sign in at the Security Desk.

RSVP is appreciated for seating!

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.

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.

On Mar. 24, Apr. 14 and 21 and May 5 and 19, 2018, from 9:00 am to noon, come plant the shores of Exploration Green Nature Park’s new lake. The wetland will cleanse stormwater and provide habitat for aquatic animals in the lake (which is, in fact, a nationally known flood control basin). Have fun while helping to improve water quality and create habitat! All are welcome to take part in expanding the wetland we’ve been growing and planting with the community, going on the third year. Children are welcome to participate with family members.

Wear clothes and shoes that can get wet and muddy. Tools will be provided.

Parking is at 16203 Diana Ln, Houston, TX 77062.

For more information and to RSVP, visit tcwp.tamu.edu or contact Mary Carol Edwards at mcedwards@tamu.edu.

Join CEC at St. Arnold’s Brewery on Sunday, May 20, 2018, from 4 PM to 6PM for the Environmental Trivia Contest. Sponsored by the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, this exciting environmental competition will stimulate and challenge all area tree-huggers (as well as budding ones). Think & Drink for the Planet!

What to expect:
– Skillfully selected questions to make your head spin
– Delicious, locally-grown food provided by Churrasco To Go
– Free beer
– A few surprises 🙂

Tickets are available on Eventbrite.

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

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.