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April/May 2016 Edition
General Meeting April 14, 2016
Spring is blooming all over the city and the birds are busy preparing for migration and nesting. Houston Audubon High Island Sanctuaries are open and full of both birders and birds. These sanctuaries along the upper Texas coast are critical stopovers for migrants as they make the journey across the Gulf of Mexico. Purple Martins and Chimney Swifts are also returning to the area. These birds are in steep decline to the north. Houston Audubon monitors both species at a variety of locations around the city. Learn more about the spring birding season, and Houston Audubon, on Thursday, April 14, when the Sierra Club welcomes Mary Anne Weber, Education Director for Houston Audubon.
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Outings
For upcoming Outings information, visit one of the following:
Meetup
Outings Calendar
Houston Give 5 Program
This year Houston Sierra Club is joining several other local environmental organizations for the 2016 Houston Give 5 fundraising event. In this program area businesses sign up and pledge to donate 5% of their revenue on a specified date, or a minimum of $150, to support the participating beneficiary organizations. The date this year will be Saturday, April 23, the day after Earth Day.
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For more information, visit the Houston Give 5 website:
Houston Give 5
Houston Group Political Committee
The Houston Sierra Club's Political Committee is now organizing for the 2016 elections.
If you have an interest in assisting the Houston Group Political Committee and/or supporting endorsed campaigns, please contact the Committee Co-chairs Doug Peterson at dougpeterson@earthlink.net or 281-782-2721, or Jim Williams at ezz@pdq.net or 713-252-8640.
Trans-Pacific Partnership - Update
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is one of the so called "Free Trade Agreements", but the TPP is a "trade deal" that mostly does not deal with trade. Some of the deals that it includes:
- Prevents Local Governance of Fracking.
- Curtains and Circumvents Environmental Laws.
"It's the End of an Era"
On February 9, 2016, Lorraine G. Bonney died in Chase, British Columbia, Canada, at the age of 93. Lorraine, along with her husband Orrin, was an original founder of the Sierra Club's Lone Star Chapter and the Houston Regional Group. The Lone Star Chapter's highest award is named the "Orrin Bonney Award." It could just as well have been named the "Lorraine Bonney Award."
Outings Reports
East Side SHNF Outing
The weather was beautiful as we motored away from Houston. Cloudy but with the sun peeking through periodically with a slight wind to keep the 60 degree chill in the air.
Brandt Mannchen showed everyone the Big Creek Scenic area Map of trails.
We then took off and headed for Big Creek Scenic Area.
"Centennial Forest" Longleaf Pine Planting a Big Success!
On March 12, 2016, the Houston Regional Group of the Sierra Club, Houston Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT), Houston Chapter of the Native Prairies Association of Texas, and many other participants helped the National Park Service (NPS) celebrate its' 100th birthday by planting 9,000 Longleaf Pine seedlings in the Big Sandy Unit of Big Thicket National Preserve (BTNP).
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