We invite you to participate in the second of four webinars hosted by U.S. EPA Region 10, the Association of State Wetland Managers and an Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from the Tribal Wetlands Working Group (TWIG). This webinar, entitled Balancing Tribal Economic Development, Sustainable Cultural Uses and Wetland/Aquatic Resource Protection and Restoration will be held on Tuesday, June 25th from 12:00pm- 2:00pm PT (1:00pm MT, 2:00pm CT, 3:00pm ET). Presenters include: Tom Elliott, Biologist for the Yakama Nation Wildlife Program; Allison Warner, Wetland Ecologist/Wetland Program Coordinator for The Tulalip Tribes at Quil Ceda Village; and Kara Kuhlman, Water Resources Manager for the Lummi Nation. To register visit register.gotowebinar.com/register/

The rising costs and dangers associated with coastal flooding are motivating communities to assess the people, places, and resources at risk. During this live interview with a guest speaker, participants will hear first-hand experiences from field experts who have used maps to engage stakeholders in discussions about local hazards and risk. Participants will learn how to best use local flood exposure maps when working with citizens and local officials.

This live webinar supports the work of community land use, hazards, and resilience planners. It replaces the Roadmap for Adapting to Coastal Risk webinar.

Click here to register.

Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church invites you to a monthly environmental education web meeting series whose theme in 2019 is environmental issues, and what you can do. In July, Jaime Gonzalez, Houston Urban Conservation Programs Manager for The Nature Conservancy, will highlight a variety of local environmental issues, and how local people/organizations are coming together to address them. He will explain tools used for environmental action mapping that make collective action more effective. And, he’ll speak about how all of us can work together to create positive environmental change in Houston. Join us online for this insightful talk! Visit www.eventbrite.com/e/ to register.

While much of the focus in disaster debris management planning in southeast Texas is on hurricanes and flooding, other hazards need to be considered in planning. In this 1.5-hour, multimedia-guided webinar, participants will explore considerations in disaster debris management for wildfire and other debris generating incidents. The webinar will examine lessons learned from past incidents, including the Bastrop and Tri-County fires in 2011, tornadoes, and challenges in debris operations as a result of terrorism-related incidents. For registration visit register.gotowebinar.com/.

Topic: Disaster Debris Management

This half-day workshop at H-GAC (also available via webinar) will be guided by a multimedia presentation focusing on on the following topics:

• Findings about the impacts of hurricane debris on Landfills 
• Findings and recommendations regarding debris management from the Report of the Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas
• Lessons learned and trends in disaster debris management
• Recent changes in regulations, guidance, and legislation

The workshop will provide participants an opportunity to discuss concerns and share best practices and lessons learned from past debris management response and recovery efforts.

For more information or assistance, e-mail Becki Begley or call 713-993-2410.

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.

Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church invites you to a monthly environmental education web meeting series whose theme in 2019 is environmental issues, and what you can do. In November, Lisa Brenskelle, head of the Lutherans Restoring Creation Team for the Texas Louisiana Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), will discuss the U.N.’s Global Environmental Outlook, a report issued earlier this year, and how faith enables our response to this ecological crisis. Lisa will address: What is our present ecological crisis? & What specific issues are central? She will examine the science that explains the present state of our world and the major environmental issues we face. Lisa will then consider how our faith both informs and enables our response to this crisis. The first half of this talk reviews the Global Environmental Outlook. The second half of the talk discusses how faith enables a response. Lisa holds a PhD in engineering, and has worked on a volunteer basis in earthkeeping ministry for decades. Join her for this thought-provoking talk! Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions about this talk.