Turkey Vulture=Cleansing Breeze. BIG Fall Meeting, Digital Now for Resource Professionals, Bays and Bayous Symposium, Sampling the City Bike Rides, Region 4 Science Conference, Green Jobs, and more
Happy Thanksgiving!
Last year for Thanksgiving, we brought you the vegeturkey. This year: the Turkey Vulture, because don’t we all need help with cleaning up?
Turkey vultures eat carrion almost exclusively, using their sense of smell to find sustenance. Despite their association with stink, Turkey Vulture’s scientific name, Cathartes aura, means “cleansing breeze” or “purifying wind,” from the Greek words cathartes (catharsis or cleansing purification) and aura (breeze).
If you want to learn more about Turkey Vultures, including why they defecate on their legs, the potency of their stomach acids, midnight regulations and protections for migratory birds, and how to distinguish Turkey Vultures from Black Vultures, read on:
- Gruesome Gliders, by Dale Weisman, in Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine
- Two species of vultures are flying high in Texas, Gary & Kathy Adams Clark, Houston Chronicle
- Turkey Vulture, Houston Audubon Bird Gallery
- Border Officials Seek to Evict Defecating Vultures From Texas Radio Tower, New York Times
- Turkey Vulture, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- The Virus Vigil, bird-inspired poetry by Jim Blackburn and artwork by Isabell Chapman (check out Day 111)
Next week, we will share more bird content, with information about Christmas Bird Counts.
In addition to thoughts of birds, this holiday makes us thankful for you, our readers, who care enough about the environment to read a weekly newsletter with an almost excessive amount of information about environmental opportunities in the region.
We are also grateful to our supporters who have given time, talent, and treasure to help CEC connect our environmental community. 2020 has been a year full of disruptions—from the pandemic to the global call for social justice. With your support, we have been able to continue our work publishing this newsletter, curating content for our website and social media, producing two film festivals showcasing local films, providing professional development to hundreds of teachers, and hosting dozens of interns and volunteers. Thank you!
The photo above, Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura, Photo 87148935, by Thaddeus Charles Jones, is licensed under CC BY-NC. You might also see Spreading His Wings. Cathartes Aura (turkey vulture) by RS2Photography on flickr, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Please scroll down to read about public engagement opportunities and notes from our member organizations and the community.
CEC NOTES
Houston Climate Action Plan Educational Outreach Partners Workshop
On Dec. 11, 2020, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., join CEC and the City of Houston to leverage community resources and create strategic opportunities for Houston-area youth to engage in civic conversations and actions around climate resilience. This virtual, collaborative planning workshop is for all Houston informal educators and community engagement coordinators. Details and free registration via eventbrite.com.
Virtually Wild! Field Trips
CEC is excited to partner with Houston Community Partnerships & Engagement and the National Park Foundation to deliver Virtually WILD! Join Student Conservation Association intern Emma Wilson every Tuesday and Urban Ranger Felice Yarbough every Wednesday from a different regional location. Meet the wildlife that live there, and the people working to protect them. Corresponding activities and videos for students, as well as a full schedule, are available at hereinhouston.org.
EarthShare of Texas and AnthepLife fundraising partnership
EarthShare of Texas is excited to announce a new fundraising partnership with AnthepLife, a handmade apparel company based in Texas. AnthepLife will contribute 10% of its holiday profits to EarthShare of Texas and its participating organizations, including CEC. EarthShare of Texas is a
501(c)(3) nonprofit federation, raising and distributing funds to qualifying member charities. Check out AntepLife and start shopping. The fundraising partnership only lasts until January 31, 2021.
Old CEC Newsletters?
Because of COVID-19 restrictions, CEC does not currently have access to our archive of old newsletters, which are maintained at the University of Houston and the Houston Public Library. Until we are able to access our archives, we are looking for copies of newsletters from 1970-1985, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006. Our records are incomplete in 1994, 1996, 2002-2004, 2007, 2008. If you have any newsletters from these years, please email [email protected]
Wild About Houston Green Film Festival
The CEC was proud to host the third annual Wild About Houston Green Film Festival. You can watch all the films again, and then vote for the Fan Favorite! Watch the 2020 October and November programs on the CEC YouTube page. Then, vote for your favorite film to be included in the CEC virtual presentation of the Wild and Scenic Film Festival on Tour on January 29, 2021. Vote via Google Forms by #GivingTuesday (December 1), and remember to renew your support for CEC.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES
Learn more about public participation opportunities at cechouston.org/public-participation-opportunities/.
Dec. 3, 2020: H-GAC Public Meeting on Regional Transportation Issues
H-GAC will hold a virtual public meeting to discuss important new updates affecting transportation such as the 2045 Regional Transportation Plan, updates to the agency’s process to mitigate congestion and the Public Participation Plan. The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2020. H-GAC experts will present on the meeting topics, after which attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and make public comments. The public comment period for these topics opens on Nov. 23 and will close on Jan. 7, 2021. Find more information, including how to access the meeting, at h-gac.com.
Public Meetings on Coastal Texas Study
The United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas General Land Office recently released plans for the Draft Feasibility Report and Draft Environmental Impact Statement of the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Study, also known as the Coastal Texas Study. Public meetings are scheduled on Dec. 3, and Dec. 8, 2020 (beginning at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day). The 45-day public review period continues through Dec. 14, 2020. Find the documents and information on how to access the public meetings at swg.usace.army.mil. NOTE: Several area environmental groups have created a petition to extend the public comment period. Find the petition at seaturtles.org.
Through Dec. 9, 2020: North Houston (I-45) Highway Improvement Project MOU
The Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Policy Council is seeking feedback on the Memorandum of Understanding between the key cooperating entities on the proposed North Houston (I-45) Highway Improvement Project. For more information, visit ih45northandmore.com or h-gac.com. Comments will be accepted until Dec. 9, 2020.
COALITION & COMMUNITY NOTES
We have endeavored to confirm the opportunities listed below. Please consider confirming directly with the hosts, particularly in light of concerns about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
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