Volunteers meet the second and fourth Thursday of every month to 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. They will also have special seed collecting trips, invasive species removal workdays, and planting events in restored prairies.

If you’re interested in volunteering for the Natural Resource Management Program, email kelli.ondracek@houstontx.gov or visit houstontx.gov/parks/naturalresources.html.

Please join the Houston Chapter of Native Prairies Association of Texas for their Fall Wildflower Day to enjoy the fall blooms and wildlife at the Lawther-Deer Park Prairie Preserve.

See prairie plants that you can use in your garden to attract pollinators, learn seed collecting techniques and take some Deer Park Prairie seeds home. Experience the beauty of insects through Chuck Duplant’s photos at tinyurl.com/CDuplant; then come and learn about them from him in person.  Bring your camera or smartphone to take photos of plants and animals that you see and post on the Deer Park Prairie Project on Naturalist.org.  Activities include:

● Bird Survey (tentative)
● Insect Net Sweeping – by Chuck DuPlant at the Insect Popup Tent
● Wildflower Walk – learn plant identification techniques, including taking photos
● Seed Collecting / Prairie History walk
● Complimentary lunch

Since lunch will be provided, RSVP IS REQUIRED, at https://tinyurl.com/DPP190928, so they can have a food count.

Call for Abstracts

The 2020 conference solicits abstracts designed to share latest research findings and facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue about research implications, applications, and synthesis. Priority will be given to abstracts that promote fundamental Gulf ecosystem science and link scientific results to ecosystem resilience, oil spill response, or restoration and management.

For the Gulf of Mexico, 2020 signifies the culmination of 10 years of dedicated research about oil spills and the Gulf ecosystem that has taken place since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The 2020 GoMOSES Conference seeks to assess and synthesize this vast amount of knowledge and begin charting a course for future research needs in the Gulf. What has been learned about marine oil spill science, Gulf ecosystems, and the impacts of the spill to those ecosystems and the communities which depend on them? How might this wealth of research inform regional management and policy?

Abstracts submitted to this conference should highlight key findings, identify research gaps, and strongly promote the application of research findings.  Submitted abstracts may be moved to a session other than the one selected if it is thought to be a better fit. Papers not selected for oral presentations will be afforded an opportunity to participate in poster sessions.

Check out this link to obtain for information about the abstracts deadline

The Memorial Park Conservancy has generously offered Katy Prairie Conservancy use of their greenhouse while the Native Seed Nursery at KPC’s field office in Waller is being renovated. Volunteers will help grow plants that will be used for various Katy Prairie Conservancy spring projects and for the Great Grow Out. The Memorial Park Conservancy Greenhouse is located in Memorial Park on the south side of Memorial Drive. All are welcome, no experience necessary.

Workdays are scheduled for the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

Shell Educators’ Preview: Start your evening at 4 p.m. and earn one hour of CPE credit while viewing our newly renovated George W. Strake Hall of Malacology.

HMNS’ Educator Members will have an opportunity to speak to Tina Petway, the
Museum’s Associate Curator of Malacology, during the Shell Educators’ Preview.
As a special treat, all guests will also be able to visit our newest special exhibition,
Art of the Brick until 6:00 p.m.!

The Educator Event @HMNS: Continue your evening with us starting at 5 p.m.
and earn up to three additional hours of CPE credit depending on which
programming you attend. HMNS is featuring several ways to earn CPE credit from
attending workshops to taking a guided tour to seeing a show in our Planetarium.
Educators are able to earn a total of up to 4 hours of CPE credit while attending
HMNS’, An Evening for Educators!

Registration Information
Educators: Free
Non-Educators: $10.00

(Pricing includes entry to the George W. Strake Hall of Malacology and Art of the Brick)
Registration begins Tuesday, July 30th and ends Wednesday, October 2nd.
Please complete the online form at hmns.org/eveningforeducators to reserve your spot. For questions, contact educatorevent@hmns.org.