Title: Texas Coastal Expo 2010
Location: grounds outside the Texas State Aquarium
Event Link: Click here
Description: The Texas General Land Office is hosting the Texas Coastal Expo 2010 on Saturday, July 24, from 10am-5pm on the grounds outside the Texas State Aquarium. Come learn about our Texas Coast and experience wildlife first hand, test your skills on a surfing simulator, or enjoy a boat ride around the bay! Admission is free, so bring the whole family!
www.TexasCoastalExpo.org

Date: 2010-07-24

Title: Livable Houston Initiative: John Jacob on low-impact development in the Katy Prarie
Location: H-GAC, 3555 Timmons Ln 2nd Floor, Room C
Event Link: Click here
Description: Livable Houston Initiative: John Jacob
In Dec 2009, a team of new urbanist architects, planners, and scientists put together a proposal for a local “Low Impact Development” contest, the Salon des Refusés, that calls for compact development on a 640-tract in the Katy Prairie, west of Houston.

The Salon de Refusés plan won a prestigious Congress for the New Urbanism Charter Award, but was rejected by the local contest authorities.

Free and open to the public.
Bring your own lunch.
Start Time: 12:00
Date: 2010-06-23
End Time: 13:30

Title: Salon Des Refusés: New Urbanist counter to low-impact development
Location: Upper Kirby Building 3015 Richmond Avenue
Event Link: Click here
Description: This event, hosted by the Congress for the New Urbanism – Houston, will feature Dan Barnum and John Jacob, from Wednesday’s Livable Houston Initiative meeting.

The organization’s website (above) includes additional details.

Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2010-06-24

Title: Artist Boat Mural Unveiling for Garfield Spark Park
Location: Garfield Elementary School, North End of Gymnasium, 10301 Harstook, Pasadena TX 77034
Description: Life on the Bayou: Bridging High School Students with Elementary school students, presented by Artist Boat’s Eco-Art Residency Program.

Join us to celebrate the hard work of Pasadena ISD high school students as they unveil the mural.
Start Time: 09:00
Date: 2010-07-01

Title: Mayor´s Green Building Tour- USGBC
Location: 1254 Enclave Parkway Houston, TX 77077
Event Link: Click here
Description: A Green Double-Header, Two Certified Green Buildings

As one in a series of free tours of green buildings in Houston, you are invited to see The Houston Dow Center, a Gold level LEED for commercial Interiors, located within The Plaza at Enclave, a Gold level LEED for Core & Shell building in an “open house style” guided tour approximately every 30 minutes from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Start Time: 11:00
Date: 2010-06-24

Title: 4th Annual Pollinator Fest
Location: W G Jones State Forest, (1328 FM 1488, Conroe, TX77384)
Event Link: Click here
Description: Who is keeping our trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables alive and productive?

Why you should care? How can you help? These are just a few of the questions that will be addressed on Saturday, June 26, 2010 at the 4th Annual Pollinator Fest.

The Heartwood Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists presents Pollinator Fest as part of the 4th Annual National Pollinator Week, June 21 – 27. This year, the Texas Forest Service will host the event.

Talks at this year’s event include: Why Should We Care About Pollinators, Creating Pollinator-Friendly Gardens & Bats; Go Native – Native Plants in Your Yard; Local Bee Populations and How We Can Help; and The Fascinating World of Pollinators.

In addition to the talks, attendees will tour the large on-site butterfly gardens and view the water harvesting system that keeps them watered. There will also be Master Naturalists stationed at the demonstration beehive and the bat and bluebird habitats. Because W G Jones State Forest is the largest urban concentration of the endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, tours will be able visit the Woodpecker’s nesting areas while viewing some of the Forest’s unique environmental offerings.

Along with the speakers and tours, there will be booths from many local businesses, environmental organizations and food vendors. Pollinator-friendly plants will be available to purchase for your home, church, school or community garden.

Admission to the Event is free. For more information about the event or about the Heartwood Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists, please call 936-273-2261 Ext 401, go to the Web Site: http://heartwoodtmn.org or email us president@heartwoodtmn.org.
Start Time: 10:00
Date: 2010-06-26
End Time: 15:00

Title: “Build Your Own Rain Barrel” Workshop at Houston Arboretum
Location: Houston Arboretum, 4501 Woodway Drive Houston, TX
Event Link: Click here
Description: We all know that when it rains, it pours; and with the right rain barrel, some of that rainwater can be saved. By collecting rainwater and storing it in a rain barrel, you’ll not only have water for future use in the garden, but you’ll also reduce your water bill!

In this hands-on, make and take workshop, learn how a one-time investment of less than $100 will allow you to harvest over 50 gallons of water from your roof every time it rains.

Instructor: Joe Blanton, the Arboretum’s Conservation Director, is certified by National Wildlife Federation as a Backyard Habitat Designer. Before joining the Arboretum staff, Joe designed, implemented and/or managed 16 outdoor environmental education classrooms for Urban Harvest and HISD. His latest undertaking has been to become one of the first 100 accredited Green Roof professionals in North America.

Class Date: Sunday, August 22, 2010: 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Cost (including 1 rain barrel kit):
$75 for members; $95 for non-members
Start Time: 13:00
Date: 2010-08-22
End Time: 17:00

Title: Introduction to Dragonflies & Damselflies of the Upper Texas Coast
Location: Houston Arboretum, 4501 Woodway Drive Houston, TX
Event Link: Click here
Description: Dragonflies and Damselflies have a unique beauty and ecology all their own. Some are as colorful as butterflies, some migrant like birds do, and their ancestry is over 250 million years old.

Join us to learn about these amazing insects that inhabit our ponds, marshes, prairies and backyards. We will learn the characteristics that set them apart from all other insects, study their interesting and unusual life cycles, and learn which ones are commonly found in our area and how to find them for observation and photography.

And yes, it is possible to attract some of these beneficial and amazing insects to your yard.

Instructor: Glenn Olsen has had a passionate interest in nature, since early childhood. Since 1993, he has been actively involved with the Native Plant Society of Texas and has served as state president.

Class Dates:
Thursday, July 8, 2010: 7-8:45 p.m.
Field trip: Saturday, July 10: 7:30-11:30 a.m. at the Arboretum.

Cost:
$40 for members. $50 for non-members
Start Time: 07:30
Date: 2010-07-10
End Time: 11:30

Title: Introduction to Dragonflies & Damselflies of the Upper Texas Coast
Location: Houston Arboretum, 4501 Woodway Drive Houston, TX
Event Link: Click here
Description: Dragonflies and Damselflies have a unique beauty and ecology all their own. Some are as colorful as butterflies, some migrant like birds do, and their ancestry is over 250 million years old.

Join us to learn about these amazing insects that inhabit our ponds, marshes, prairies and backyards. We will learn the characteristics that set them apart from all other insects, study their interesting and unusual life cycles, and learn which ones are commonly found in our area and how to find them for observation and photography.

And yes, it is possible to attract some of these beneficial and amazing insects to your yard.

Instructor: Glenn Olsen has had a passionate interest in nature, since early childhood. Since 1993, he has been actively involved with the Native Plant Society of Texas and has served as state president.

Class Dates:
Thursday, July 8, 2010: 7-8:45 p.m.
Field trip: Saturday, July 10: 7:30-11:30 a.m. at the Arboretum.

Cost:
$40 for members. $50 for non-members
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2010-07-08
End Time: 20:45

Title: Save the Date: Spin on Summer with Houston Center for Photography
Location: Houston Center for Photography (HCP) 1441 West Alabama Street
Event Link: Click here
Description: Join HCP and Buffalo Bayou Partnership for a celebration of summer featuring live music, great drinks and awesome food! HCP will create an exhibition documenting your summer, but we need your help! Submit pictures and stories by August 13. Show us your travels to far off lands or how you spent your summer in Houston, especially your adventures along Buffalo Bayou! Visit the link above to submit photos.

Date: 2010-08-27

Title: Foodie Floats at Buffalo Bayou
Location: Departing from downtown’s Sabine Promenade
Event Link: Click here
Description: $50 per person (reservations required)

Because our inaugural Foodie Floats with the Houston Dairymaids and Saint Arnold Brewing Company were such a success, we have added an additional tour and tasting.As you cruise down our city’s historic waterway, you’ll enjoy local Texas cheeses coupled with Saint Arnold’s award-winning beers.

To make your reservation or to find out more, please contact Trudi Smith at tsmith@buffalobayou.org or call 713.752.0314
Start Time: 18:00
Date: 2010-07-22
End Time: 19:30

Title: Bat Boat Tour with Wine and Cheese
Location: Depart from Allen’s Landing
Event Link: Click here
Description: Led by Houston Birder, Glenn Olsen
Depart from Allen’s Landing
$55 per person
(reservations required)

Join Glenn Olsen for a bat tour in style! In addition to watching the Waugh Bridge bat colony emerge at dusk, Glenn will share his environmental knowledge and identify the various wildlife and plants that call Houston’s waterway home.

For reservations, contact Trudi Smith at tsmith@buffalobayou.org or 713.752.0314 ext. 3.
Start Time: 19:30
Date: 2010-07-16
End Time: 21:30

Title: Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Celebration Film
Location: Outdoors on the Bayou, across from Tony Marron Park, 800 block of North York
Event Link: Click here
Description: $10 Non-members, $5 Aurora and Bayou Buddies members

Aurora Picture Show partners with Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Alamo Drafthouse Houston, and the Rolling Roadshow for this rare film screening and picnic extravaganza.

Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Celebration flashes back to an open-air affair in College Station, in 1974. This documentary, never commercially released, was shot within three summer days and nights at Willie Nelson’s 2nd annual 4th of July bash. Artists like Waylon Jennings, Wolfman Jack, and many more appear in the film.

Bring picnics and lawn chairs. Food and drinks will also be for sale.

For more information, visit www.aurorapictureshow.org.
Start Time: 20:00
Date: 2010-07-10

Title: Texas Bound 1-Day Camp for Kids at Jones Park
Location: Jones Park, 20634 Kenswick Drive in Humble
Event Link: Click here
Description: The Redbud Hill Homestead comes to life during this fun-filled, one-day camp for kids ages 7 to 12. Day campers will join together in “families” on their journey through Texas using props, games, and other hands-on activities. Learn what it takes to survive the hardships of settler life and create a lasting homestead. Reservations are required and may be made beginning Monday, June 21.

For more information on the park or any of its programs, call (281) 446-8588
Start Time: 09:00
Date: 2010-07-06
End Time: 14:00

Title: Soldiers of the American Revolution at Jones Park
Location: Jones Park, 20634 Kenswick Drive in Humble
Event Link: Click here
Description: Visitors of all ages are invited to learn about three soldiers of the American Revolution as historian John Keahey demonstrates the clothing and gear of a British Soldier, an American Continental soldier, and a rifleman all in one program. Reservations are required and can be made beginning Wednesday, June 23.

For more information on the park or any of its programs, call (281) 446-8588
Start Time: 10:00
Date: 2010-07-03

Title: Houston Buy Local Business Alliance Meeting
Location: The Havens Center St. Stephens Episcopal Church 1805 West Alabama, Houston, TX 77098
Event Link: Click here
Description: Please join us for the upcoming planning meeting.

Your willingness to share your perspective and contribute your ideas is critical to the success of the Alliance, and your involvement in the planning is important as Houston charts its own unique path forward in building our own Local Business Alliance.

Please take a moment to RSVP to attend our follow-up meeting on Monday June 21, 2010.

Extra parking available behind the church (turn south on Woodhead).

Please visit our website or send us email at info@hlb.hpjc.net if you have any questions or need additional information.

We look forward to seeing you there and thank you for your interest in the Houston Buy Local Business Alliance!
Start Time: 18:30
Date: 2010-06-21
End Time: 21:00

Title: Buffalo Bayou Partnership Community Input Meeting
Location: United Way of Greater Houston Community Resource Center 50 Waugh Drive
Event Link: Click here
Description: Buffalo Bayou Partnership invites Houstonians to attend community meetings to share their ideas and recommendations for enhancing the Shepherd Drive to Sabine Street stretch of Buffalo Bayou.

This meeting is co-sponsored with Super Neighborhood #22

Using the organization’s 2002 “Buffalo Bayou and Beyond” master plan as a guide, Buffalo Bayou Partnership is seeking public input on restoring the bayou, reintroducing native park landscapes, and adding amenities to enhance the safety and comfort of users. Another important issue that will be discussed at the June 28 and 29 community meetings will be how to deal with the major sediment deposits that occur along this stretch of the bayou which impede flood waters along the channel and cover the trails and parkland
Start Time: 18:00
Date: 2010-06-29
End Time: 20:00