Bayous — Environmental Resource Guide
The Environmental Resource Guide is a searchable, web-based resource that includes information about all organizations in the Greater Houston Area conducting environmental work. This guide is a one-stop-shop for any resources or connections you may need, and is updated often to ensure you have access to the newest information.
Scroll through the guide, view a list of all organizations, or view all categories of organizations below. At the very bottom of the page is an archive containing older versions of the printed guide available for download.
If you have any questions, would like to make edits to a current listing, or would like to add or remove an organizations, please reach out to us.
Purpose:Â The Trust for Public Land conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens and other natural places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come.
Programs: Conservation Vision (“Greenprintsâ€); Conservation Finance (public funding); Conservation Transactions (easement and fee acquisitions); Texas Water Protection and Parks Intiative; ParkScore; Parks for People. TPL is active in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston/Galveston and Austin/San Antonio regions.…
Purpose: Â To educate the public and public officials about proper land management on our many streams, drawing on the latest science, and to advocate for enlightened flood and erosion control and drainage policies and practices that respect the natural process of our local bayous and creeks, their floodplains and watersheds, the trees and vegetation growing on their banks, all of which are so vital for the health of our waters, our environment, and us.…
Purpose:Â Founded in 2007 to address quality of life issues along the 45-mile watershed through flood mitigation, parks & trails development, preservation of green space, and economic development.
Major Events: Annual Meeting, Bayou Clean Up Days, Tree Plantings.
Volunteer Opportunities: Committee service, Clean-up days, tree plantings, site preparation on park development, Adopt-A-Site, Volunteer Water Quality Testers.…
Purpose:Â To provide education and outreach to local governments and citizens on the impacts of land use on watershed health and water quality.
Major Events: Workshops, Seminars, Conferences, Courses, and Classes.
Volunteer Opportunities: Restoration Projects, Conservation Projects, Landscape Installation Projects, and Wetland Workdays.
Publications:Â Â
- Can Houston Feed Itself?
…
Purpose:Â To celebrate, protect and restore the natural richness of all our bayous and streams. Founded in 1966 to protect and restore the richness and diversity of our waterways through activism, advocacy, collaboration and education. BPA monitors water quality, plans clean-ups for bayous, restores habitat, reviews permit applications and sponsors seminars on flood reduction.…
Purpose: To raise awareness of the connections between pollution, place and the public’s health. CEER envisions a region that is equitable, environmentally sustainable and economically strong; where residents have the opportunity to live, work, learn, play, and pray free from environmental hazards. CEER advocates for public and private investment in protecting communities by cleaning up hazards that contaminate air, water, and land.…
Purpose:Â To preserve 2,500 acres of vanishing coastal prairie, hardwood forest and bayou wilderness habitat and wildlife refuge; to give opportunities to experience and understand the remaining natural ecosystem; to reconnect people with nature.
Programs: Year–round adult, child, and family programs including Third Sundays in Nature Series, FREE to the public; Eco-Exploration pontoon boat and canoe trips; guided day and night hikes; Eco-Camp summer and holiday camps; Great Texas Birding Trail Site 81; Teachers can receive SBEC credit for classes.…
Purpose: Non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness and preservation of coastal margins and the marine environment through the disciplines of the sciences and the arts. Programs: Eco-Art Adventures via kayak, vessel, or walking, and summer camps Professional development & environmental stewardship programs, with special opportunities for oil and gas companies Eco-Art Residencies in Schools integrating the arts and sciences to create public sculptures and habitats on campuses Habitat Restoration Adventure Program, focused on stewardship-based learning through dune and coastal prairie preservation Boy and Girl Scout badge classes Classroom presentations and speakers that coincide with curriculum Gulf ‘Coast Education Center: K-Grey can learn about the ecological, social, and economic value of coastal ecosystems.…
Purpose: Houston Wilderness is a broad-based alliance of business, environmental and government interests that acts in concert to protect, preserve and promote the unique biodiversity of the region’s precious remaining ecological capital from bottomland hardwoods and prairie grasslands to pine forests and wetlands.
Programs: Collaborative Access Program, Sam Houston Greenbelt Network, Collaborative Grant Organizing, Wilderness Passport, ecosystems services, and Get Out Here Houston.…
Purpose: To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
Meetings: Second Thurs., 7:30 p.m., St.…
Purpose: The Houston-Galveston Area Council is a region-wide voluntary association of local governments in the 13-county Gulf Coast Planning region of Texas. H-GAC’s mission is to serve as the instrument of local government cooperation, promoting the region’s orderly development and the safety and welfare of its citizens. Key governmental services include transportation planning, disaster resiliency, cooperative purchasing, homeland security, workforce development, air and water quality planning, forecasting, and mapping.…
Purpose: Bayou Land Conservancy is a community-sponsored land preservation organization to permanently protect land, with a focus on the 13 watersheds that feed Lake Houston. We preserve river and bayou corridors, other properties with significant wildlife habitat value, and places where family recreation can occur in harmony with nature.
Jill Boullion, Executive Director
jboullion@bayouland.org
Becky Martinez, Conservation Director
bmartinez@bayouland.org
Cherie Wilson, Office Administrator
cwilson@bayouland.org
Purpose:Â Founded in 2001, the Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy (WWGC) partners with the Harris County Flood Control District and the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department to enhance the 280 acre Willow Waterhole Park as a native plant and wildlife area and a passive recreational green space.
Programs: Music in park performances, movies in park screenings, conservation volunteer work days on the second saturday of each month, monthly bird surveys on the third saturday of each month by Houston Audubon Society, and free environmental education series for kids and families.…
SPLASh (Stopping Plastics and Litter Along Shorelines) educates grades 5-12 on marine debris & trash pollution in the Houston-Galveston coastal ecosystems. We facilitate TEKS-supported, interactive lessons virtually or in-person and offer off campus trash clean ups and data collection activities! Contact splashtx@abcbirds.org for more information!
Purpose:Â To reduce the risk of flooding in the Brays Bayou watershed. Meetings: Open meetings are held the third Monday of every month, 7:30 p.m., Conference Room, The Gathering Place, 5410 South Willow Drive, 77035 Major Events: Annual meeting in March.…
Purpose:Â A coalition of municipal utility districts, homeowner associations and other community organizations functioning as a steward between the residents, local/state government, land developers and non-profits to work on planning and implementation of improved flood protection and environment preservation throughout the Cypress Creek watershed.
Meetings: Third Wednesday of each month, 7:00 p.m., at Lake Forest Utility District, 14223 Lakewood Forest Dr.…
Wildlife Habitat Federation(WHF) works to create resilient prairie ecosystems in the mid upper coast of Texas. Our focal area includes the Greater Houston Area to Austin to San Antonio, but we have a footprint in 47 Texas counties. WHF is a 501 (c) 3 organization, and our mission is to provide on-the-ground restoration, management and generational sustainability of prairie habitat for the conservation of soil, water, air and wildlife.…
Since 1991, the mission of the Environmental Institute of Houston at University of Houston-Clear Lake has been to advance understanding of the environment through interdisciplinary research, education, and outreach. Purpose: It serves as a contact point for the community to access the expertise and resources of the university. Additionally, EIH partners with agencies, community and environmental groups, and businesses to conduct research and outreach projects in the Houston region.…
Purpose:Â Texans for Clean Water is a coalition of business leaders and citizens who are committed to protecting the waterways. Through education, prevention and collaboration, we can eliminate floatable litter: including drink containers, polystyrene to-go containers and plastic bags, from Texas waterways. In doing so, we will generate economic prosperity and improve water quality for all Texans and Texas wildlife.…
Purpose: To protect and restore the integrity of our bayous, rivers, streams, and the bays through advocacy, education, and action. Bayou City Waterkeeper (formerly Galveston Baykeeper) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to ensure that every waterway is swimmable, fishable, and drinkable from Lake Livingston through the Bayous of Houston down to Galveston Bay.…