ARMAND BAYOU NATURE CENTER – MOONLIGHT CRUISE PONTOON BOAT ECO-TOUR
Date: Sat, Jun 30
Time: 8 – 9:30 pm
Location: 8500 Bay Area Blvd; meet at Bay Area Park boat launch
Fee: $15 for members, $20 for non-members; Reservations required
Contact: Register at (281) 474-2551; information at www.abnc.org

Complete Description:
For ages 5 – adult. An adult must accompany children under age 18. Nightlife on the bayou is a lively chorus of frog songs and owl calls. Some of the workers of the night shift include: raccoons, opossums, nutria, deer, owls, snakes, turtles, and alligators. Leave from Bay Area Park aboard the “Bayou Ranger.” Reservations required. Any reservation must be cancelled at least 7 days prior to the activity for a refund.

TEXAS MASTER NATURALISTS, HEARTWOOD CHAPTER – HERPS AND MAMMALS LECTURE
Date: Sat, Jun 30
Time: 10 am – 2 pm
Location: Jesse H. Jones Park and Nature Center, 20634 Kenswick Dr, Humble (281-446-8588)
Fee: none; but Reservations required
Contact: Sign up at www.heartwoodtmn.org

Complete Description:
Optional: field study afterwards on trail walk. Speaker Mike Howlett will teach about identifying snakes local to our area and where they are found. Speaker Diana Fosse, TPWD Urban Wildlife Expert, will teach about the mammals such as opossums, raccoons, and bats found in our area, and what should you do if you encounter one. Related study books include: The Mammals of Texas: Revised Edition by David J. Schmidly and A Field Guide to Texas Snakes by Alan Tennant, Joseph E. Forks, and Gerard T. Salmon.

JESSE H. JONES PARK AND NATURE CENTER – SNAKES OF HARRIS COUNTY
Date: Sat, Jun 30
Time: 10 am
Location: Jesse H. Jones Park, 20634 Kenswick Drive
Fee: none
Contact: (281) 446-8588 or www.hcp4.net/jones

Complete Description:
Only a few local snake species pose any threat to humans. Learn more about the snakes inhabiting this area and how to properly identify them. For all ages.

ARMAND BAYOU NATURE CENTER – BREAKFAST ON THE BAYOU PONTOON BOAT ECO-TOUR
Date: Sat, Jun 30
Time: 8 – 9:30 am
Location: 8500 Bay Area Blvd; meet at Bay Area Park boat launch
Fee: $20 for members, $25 for non-members; Reservations required
Contact: Register at (281) 474-2551; information at www.abnc.org

Complete Description:
For ages 5 – adult. An adult must accompany children under age 18. Start your weekend by enjoying a leisurely morning breakfast while drifting down the bayou on our “Bayou Ranger” pontoon boat. Observe wildlife searching for their breakfast on the bayou. This trip through the heart of the nature center presents an uncommon opportunity to watch and learn about bayou life. Enjoy pastries, juice, and coffee while underway. The “Bayou Ranger” will pick you up at the Bay Area Park boat launch. Reservations required. Any reservation must be cancelled at least 7 days prior the activity for a refund.

BIRD WALK AT HUNTSVILLE STATE PARK WITH JERRY WALLS
Date: Sat, Jun 30
Time: 8 am Walk Begins
Location: Huntsville State Park
Fee: Yes; small day use fee to enter the state park
Contact: Huntsville State Park at (936) 295-5644

ARMAND BAYOU NATURE CENTER – PRAIRIE SCHOONER RIDE
Date: Fri, Jun 29
Time: 8 – 9:30 pm
Location: Armand Bayou Nature Center, 8500 Bay Area Blvd
Fee: $5 for members, $7 for non-members; Reservations required
Contact: Register at (281) 474-2551; information at www.abnc.org

Complete Description:
For ages 6 – adult. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Join us for an evening of prairie adventure. As the heat of the day cools, prairie wildlife begins to emerge under the deep Texas sky. From the elevated view of a hayride, we will explore the sights and sounds of the transforming prairie landscape. With the aid of a powerful spotlight, your expert guides will interpret the prairie’s beauty, wildlife and ecology. Sightings may include: deer, owls, armadillos, rabbits, and raccoons. You may bring your own drinks and/or snacks. Reservations required. Any reservation must be cancelled at least 7 days prior to the activity for a refund.

ARTIST BOAT – CHRISTMAS BAY SUNSET ECO-ART CANOE TOUR
Date: Fri, Jun 29
Time: 3 – 7 pm
Location: Christmas Bay in west Galveston; please call for details
Fee: $25 per person; equipment is available to rent for an additional $25; Pre-register please
Contact: To register, call (409) 770-0722; information at www.artistboat.org

Complete Description:
For the adventurous as well as romantic, experience the most enchanting place to watch a sunset on Galveston Bay and view pristine salt marsh and seagrass habitats.

By Ella Tyler

The Houston-Galveston Area Council has extended the deadline for pubic comments about its draft 2035 Regional Transportation Plan until July 16. (more…)

Environment Texas is holding a press conference about the benefits of renewable energy for Houston on Tuesday, July 3, at 11 am. (more…)

Citizens’ Environmental Coalition will host Dr. Robert Sanborn, speaking on “10 Mistakes Non Profits Make” on July 24 from 11:30 am to 1 pm. (more…)

The Unforeseen, Austin filmmaker Laura Dunn’s lyrical examination of development versus nature, will be shown at the Aurora Theater on Saturday, July 7. (more…)

Live Earth is a 7-continent concert series taking place on July 7 that hopes to bring together more than 100 musicians and 2 billion people to trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis. (more…)

Since 1984, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department has sponsored the Summer Food Service Program for youth, which provides people ages 1 to 18 with free lunches during the time that school is out of session for the summer. (more…)

Environmental Defense, a nonprofit known for its practical approach to environmental protection, seeks a clean energy outreach coordinator for its Houston office. (more…)

U.S. DECLARES BALD EAGLES NO LONGER THREATENED
Washington Post 6/29/07
The bald eagle was removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species yesterday during a ceremony at the Jefferson Memorial, as officials and environmentalists celebrated the national symbol’s historic recovery.

EAGLE’S RETURN SHOWS SPECIES LAW WORKS

BALD EAGLES, THRIVING, SETTLE INTO SUBURBAN LIFE

CITGO FOUND GUILTY OF VIOLATING THE CLEAN AIR ACT
Corpus Christi Caller Times 6/28/07
Citgo was found guilty Wednesday of violating the U.S. Clean Air Act of 1970 in the first case of a refiner to go to trial on criminal charges. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 18.

EXCITING POSSIBILITIES
Victoria Advocate 6/29/07
Matagorda and Victoria counties are the front-runners for a possible $4 billion nuclear power plant, Exelon Nuclear announced Thursday.

POTENTIAL NUCLEAR SITES CHOSEN IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

UH TO LEAD CONSORTIUM TESTING WIND TURBINES NEAR CORPUS CHRISTI
Houston Chronicle 6/26/07
A consortium led by the University of Houston hopes a planned wind turbine test facility near Corpus Christi will help secure Texas’ place as a hub for green power development.

WASTE MANAGEMENT ROLLS OUT NEW GREEN INITIATIVE
Houston Business Journal 6/27/07
Waste Management Inc. is rolling out an initiative over the next five years that will create an additional 60 renewable energy facilities in North America.

LANDFILLS INCREASINGLY BECOME SOURCES OF POWER

LASERS LIGHT UP POLLUTION CONCERNS
Galveston County Daily News 6/26/07
TEXAS CITY — State officials will be firing lasers in Texas City this summer, but area residents need not fear — the high-tech gadgets are aimed at improving air quality.

CITY PLANS $10M PARK PROJECT
Galveston County Daily News 6/28/07
LEAGUE CITY — The city will get a new sports complex with a pool, running trails, soccer field and a gym, paid for by sales-tax revenues.

URBAN EXPLORERS GO KAYAKING ON BUFFALO BAYOU
Houston Chronicle 6/25/07
Bikers stopped and stared from bridges. Dog-walkers did double-takes. On Sunday, a rare species was spotted skimming over the chocolate-brown waters of the Buffalo Bayou: eco-tourists.

BIGGEST URBAN GROWTH IS IN SOUTH AND WEST
New York Times 6/28/07
Newark, for four decades a symbol of America’s urban decay, is growing faster than any major city in the Northeast, according to census figures released yesterday.

HOUSTON SIERRA CLUB FILM SCREENING – THE UNFORESEEN
Date: Sat, Jul 7
Time: 7 – 8 pm Reception for the filmmaker, 8 – 9:30 pm Film, 9:30 – 10 pm question and answer
Location: The Aurora Picture Show, 800 Aurora Street, Houston 77009 (713-868-2101 – free parking around the corner at 6608 N. Main)
Fee: $10 online or $10 cash/check at the door
Contact: www.houston.sierraclub.org or www.realfilms.org

Complete Description:
The Houston Sierra Club and Documentary Alliance will co-sponsor the Houston premiere of The Unforeseen. This is a film by independent Austin filmmaker Laura Dunn. Executive producers are Terrence Malick and Robert Redford. Dunn’s film traces the tale of Austin developer Gary Bradley and the fallout of his building over the recharge zone for Barton Springs. Bradley capitalizes on Austin’s boom growth of the 1970s. At the peak of his powers, he transforms 4000 acres of pristine Hill Country into one of the state’s fastest selling subdivisions. When the development threatens a local treasure, a fragile limestone aquifer and a natural spring-fed swimming hole (Barton Springs), the community fights back. In the conflict that ensues, we see in miniature a struggle that today plays out in communities across America. Reception before the film and questions and answers after.

LAKE HOUSTON PARK – NOCTURNAL OFF THE BEATEN PATH ADVENTURE TOUR
Date: Sat, Jul 7
Time: 7:30 – 9:30 pm
Location: Lake Houston Park, 22031 Baptist Encampment Road, New Caney, TX
Fee: none; but Reservations required
Contact: (281) 354-6881

Complete Description:
See and hear creatures of the night in remote park areas. Reservations required. Ages 13 and up.