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February 2018 Edition
February 8, 2018 — Young Adult Sustainability Program
Please join the Houston Regional Group of the Sierra Club to be inspired by local students at our February 8, 2018 general meeting. We are reaching out to young people, from high school to college, from all parts of the city, and from all races and economic groups, to celebrate their common interests in sustaining the planet for future generations. These talented young adults will share a range of interests from post Harvey environmental conservation, Veganism, and biodiesel for school buses to air quality.
The event is free and open to the public at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 1805 West Alabama, Houston. Main program starts 7:30 PM. Doors open 7:00 PM.
The City of Houston (COH) resumed curbside yard waste collections in early January. This is the yard waste, such as leaves and grass trimmings, that is to be bagged in biodegradable bags and set out at the curb on one's regular trash pick up day.
Go here for more information.
The City of Houston (COH) has approved a new 20 year contract for its curbside recycling program with FCC Environmental Services, which is the U.S. subsidiary of FCC (Fomento de Construcciones & Contratas), a global environmental services and infrastructure company.
Go here for more information.
HGAC (Houston Galveston Area Council) is now accepting public comment on its 2045 RTP (Regional Transportation Plan). This is a plan for the 8 county HGAC region that is updated every 4 years and sets investment priorities for area transportation projects, such as roadways, mass transit, bike infrastructure.
Go here for more information.
Here are links to some recommended video picks featuring various prairie projects in the Houston area. In recent years there has been increasing interest in preserving and reclaiming the coastal prairie habitat in our region. These videos document and explain some of those efforts.
Go here for more information.
Sierra Club Spotlight: Jim Williams
Welcome, tell us about yourself.
My name is Jim Williams, and I have been a member of the Sierra Club for twenty-two years. Although I joined in 1995, I did not become an active member until 2000. I was an active leader in a scouting program, but it was time to do my hiking and camping with adults in the Sierra Club, or so I thought.
Go here for more information.
Get Outdoors!
For information on upcoming outings in the Houston area, check out our MeetUp site or our Outings Calendar on our website.
By Brandt Mannchen
I got to Marysee Prairie earlier than the others. It had been about five months since I had done any prairie restoration work on Marysee Prairie. I had worked my way past a kidney stone and a bad cold. I was glad 2017 was over and was excited about 2018.
I got my gear ready and began to walk toward to the east side of Marysee Prairie where I was going to cut woody plants on a pimple mound. Several times on my walk, I stopped and cut some woody plants in the prairie and along the north boundary, where the three-acre forest began.
Go here for more information.
By Brandt Mannchen
I stopped my car. Something was not right, I told Elizabeth and David. I thought to myself, “When all else fails, look at the directions!” Elizabeth pulled the National Park Service (NPS) notification for Longleaf Pine planting in Big Sandy Creek Unit of Big Thicket National Preserve (BTNP), and flipped through the pages.
Go here for more information.
By Tom Douglas
Some years back, Barry Bennick wrote a description of a paddle that he had made at Lake Charlotte following a hard freeze. I have been intrigued by it ever since, and I thought that it would be a really cool thing to do. But, being as we are in a subtropical climate, such an opportunity comes only very infrequently.
Go here for more information.
By Brandt Mannchen
At the Starbucks in Meyerland, I met Mary, David, Mary, and Constance. It was “Brrr cold”, although the sun shone bright this early Saturday morning. We piled into two cars and were off. In a bit over an hour we arrived at Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge. We first visited the pavilion, pond, and bird feeders, near the environmental learning center, to see what feathered friends we could see.
Go here for more information.