Bayou Banner September 2018

The Bayou Banner

September 2018 Edition

September 13, 2018 — Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary

G.P. Schmahl, Superintendent of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, will give a presentation about the proposed expansion of the Sanctuary. Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary is one of 14 federally designated underwater areas protected by NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.
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.
Go here for more information.

Bay Area -Photo

September 19 Bay Area Sierra Club Meeting: Mark Kramer of Armand Bayou Nature Center 

At the Bay Area Sierra Club meeting on September 19, Mark Kramer, Chief Naturalist and Conservation Director with the Armand Bayou Nature Center, will speak on Local Environmental Problems, such as habitat loss, pollution and invasive species.
Go here for more information.

Drive Electric Week-Photo

National Drive Electric Week! - Houston Event sponsored by Plug In America, Electric Auto Association, & Sierra Club. Saturday, September 15, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm in the IKEA Houston parking lot.
Go here for more information.

METROnext-Photo

Houston METRO has posted draft plans for METROnext, the plan it is developing for future area transit projects (links in the article). These draft plans will be the basis for further discussion and future public meetings, where citizens can ask questions and get explanations.
Go here for more information.

Mattresses-Photo

Each year in the Houston metro area, hundreds of thousands of mattresses are dumped to create millions of cubic feet of landfill, enough to fill two (2) Reliant Stadiums, every year! But 90% of these mattresses can be recycled. In response to this waste, the Houston Furniture Bank (HFB), a 501c3 non-profit, initiated a mattress recycling program.
Go here for more information.

Help Wanted-Photo

Forest Volunteers Wanted: The Houston Sierra Club is looking for volunteers who have a love of and interest in the protection of federal forests. Several jobs need to be filled.
Social Media Volunteers: The Houston Sierra Club is looking for 3-5 part-time volunteers who would like to help keep our Facebook and Twitter pages updated with current news and events related to our activities in the Greater Houston area.
Go here for more information.

Feral Hogs-Photo

East Texas forests are under attack from many sources. Some of these sources of attack include: climate change, increased monoculture pine plantations, and land development.
However, a source of attack that people do not think about is: Feral Hogs.
Go here for more information.

Cowbird-Photo

For me, every day at TWRC is a learning experience. I recently saw a post on our Facebook page about a Cowbird and a Cardinal hatchling sharing a nest. I was intrigued so did some research on this and I think you’ll find it as fascinating as I do.
Go here for more information.

Election-Photo

Each December the Houston Group holds an election to fill positions on the Group’s nine member Executive Committee (Excom). The Houston Sierra Club is now soliciting nominations for the election that will be held this December 2018.
Go here for more information.

Fingertip Facts-Photo

On the U.S. Forest Service (FS) website (www.fs.usda.gov/main/texas/home), National Forests and Grasslands in Texas (NFGT), there is a January 2017 pamphlet entitled, “NFGT Fingertip Facts”. This is a great document to read and learn about federal public lands that we own and the FS manages in Texas.
Go here for more information.

Timber Management-Photo

This is a basic primer on U.S. Forest Service (FS) timber management on the federal National Forests and Grasslands in Texas (NFGT), the Sabine, Angelina, Davy Crockett and Sam Houston National Forests.
Go here for more information.

Two Good Ones-Photo

Recently, two people who were very important to the Sierra Club in Texas died. The first is A.R. “Babe” Schwartz, who was a state representative and senator in the Texas Legislature for many years. The second person was Jerry Akers, who held many important positions as a volunteer in the Sierra Club at the Houston Regional Group.
Go here for more information.

Turtle Bayou

Get Outdoors! 

For current information on upcoming outings in the Houston area, check out our MeetUp site.

 

Seabourne Creek-Photo

Twenty-four Sierrans and friends visited Seabourne Creek Nature Park in Rosenberg on August 11, 2018. Seabourne Creek Nature Park covers 164 acres and is dedicated to wildlife and nature. The park has walking and hiking trails, a restored prairie, prairie demonstration garden, butterfly garden, a lake stocked with fish, a wetlands lake, Seabourne Creek, Columbia Bottomlands Forest, a gazebo, picnic tables, restrooms, plenty of parking, and covered pavilions.
Go here for more information.