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Houston Sierra Club Statement on the August 25, 2018 Harris County Flood Bond Election 

Since its founding in the late 1960’s, the Houston Sierra Club and its more than 5,000 members have been interested in and advocated for flood management that not only “Keeps people out of harm’s way” but also “Works with and not against Nature”.
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Houston METRO, our local transit agency, is currently working on a new draft plan to determine future projects. Compared to other major urban areas, Houston has inadequate public transit infrastructure, and a huge limiting factor on future transit improvements will be funding. Nearly all state governments in the U.S. contribute directly to help fund their own state’s urban transit needs. But two states do not: Texas and Ohio.
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The Sierra Club and Environment Texas announced on July 26 that they have filed a proposed consent decree in federal court to settle their citizen enforcement lawsuit against Pasadena Refining System, Inc. PRSI is owned by Petrobras (Petróleo Brasileiro S.A.), the state-controlled oil company of Brazil.
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In 2007, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission took the important and necessary step to prohibit the commercial collection of all freshwater turtles in Texas EXCEPT for four species. With your help, we can now protect these four species of native Texas turtles.
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You are invited to the Climate Change Town Hall (August 18th, 2 PM - 4 PM) to learn from the Houston Climate Movement and experts from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) about how climate change is and will continue to impact Houstonians. UCS will discuss a recent report on flooding, climate change, and property values. Learn the facts. And be part of the solution.
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By Anna Paradise
On July 21st, a blazing hot, sticky day to be outside, high school students from throughout the Woodlands area came together at Rob Fleming Park to raise awareness for climate change.
Several young and motivated speakers stressed the increasing problem of climate change and how it will affect all inhabitants of the globe in the future.
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The U.S. Forest Service (FS) has halted all work on the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas (NFGT) Forest Plan revision. The revision process, which takes 3 to 4 years, will “pause” for an unknown time period. It is thought that the “halt” could be as long as two to four years.
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Recently, the U.S. Forest Service (FS) had a 30-day public comment period for the proposed Montgomery County Wildlife Habitat Improvement Project (MCWHIP) for Sam Houston National Forest (SHNF). This project would occur on 2,786 acres in Compartments 31-33 (an area of forest about 1,000 acres or more managed as a unit) in western SHNF near the shoreline of upper Lake Conroe.
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By Cheryl Conley, TWRC Wildlife Center
Living just a few miles north of Houston, it’s not uncommon for me to hear coyotes howling at night. I get a little nervous when I hear them because they have been known to attack domestic animals. I saw on the news a few weeks ago where a coyote jumped a fence in broad daylight and attacked a small dog.
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Southern Pine Beetles (SPBs) are predators of pine trees (Longleaf, Loblolly, and Shortleaf) in East Texas. In the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas (NFGT) and on private lands, landowners often control SPBs after they have attacked pine trees. Areas where these attacks occur are called “spots”. The last significant SPB predation in the NFGT occurred in 1991-1994.
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Sometimes there are days during a Houston summer when it is just too hot to get outside and explore. This can be a good time to catch up on reading, or nature study online. Fortunately we are getting more nature blogs in the area that document and describe some of the flora and fauna encountered in our own parks and neighborhoods. Here is a sampling.
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