Title: “Build Your Own Compost Barrel” Workshop
Location: Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
Link out: Click here
Description: According to the Houston-Galveston Area Council, up to 30% of our garbage headed to our rapidly filling landfills is bagged up leaves, grass clippings and tree limbs. Earlier this year, the City of Houston mandated the use of compostable bags to divert your leaves and yard trimming away from costly dumps, saving both city landfill space and tax dollars. Now a private company composts your nutrient-rich wastes and sells it to the public as a natural fertilizer.

Learn how to cut out the middle man and compost your own yard and kitchen wastes in this intensive, hands-on workshop where each participant will build their own 55-gallon composting barrel. You can create rich, dark brown compost in as little as 3 weeks! And save money too!

Course 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.
Start Time: 14:00
Date: 2011-05-22
End Time: 17:00

Title: “Build Your Own Compost Barrel” Workshop
Location: Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
Link out: Click here
Description: According to the Houston-Galveston Area Council, up to 30% of our garbage headed to our rapidly filling landfills is bagged up leaves, grass clippings and tree limbs. Earlier this year, the City of Houston mandated the use of compostable bags to divert your leaves and yard trimming away from costly dumps, saving both city landfill space and tax dollars. Now a private company composts your nutrient-rich wastes and sells it to the public as a natural fertilizer.

Learn how to cut out the middle man and compost your own yard and kitchen wastes in this intensive, hands-on workshop where each participant will build their own 55-gallon composting barrel. You can create rich, dark brown compost in as little as 3 weeks! And save money too!

Course 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.
Start Time: 14:00
Date: 2011-05-15
End Time: 17:00

Title: Edible Wild Plants – The Real Organic Food Class
Location: Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
Link out: Click here
Description: From acorns to wild violets, the Texas landscape is filled with an abundance of wild edibles. Ancient foodstuff can be found everywhere from outside your front door to the depths of the Piney Woods. Learn where to find, how to identify and proper preparation of the fruits, shoots, roots, and salad greens growing all around you. Whether you are learning to survive in the woods or just want to cut your food bills, this class is for you.

Topics will include:
* Hands-on plant identification
* Responsible harvesting techniques
* Preparation of foods
* Dangerous mimics and poisonous plants
* Edible landscaping

Please bring comfortable walking shoes, water, snack, and bug repellent. A pen/pencil and a camera are also recommended. A plant guidesheet will be supplied.

Instructor: Dr. Mark Vorderbruggen is a research chemist and also one of the Houston area’s most intrepid explorers. Mark spends every free moment on adventures, including canoeing, hiking, exploring, camping, eating wild things, and sleeping under the stars. His popular blog is “Merriwether the Adventurer”.
Start Time: 13:00
Date: 2011-05-29
End Time: 17:00

Title: Wildflowers and Texas History Tour
Location: Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
Link out: Click here
Description: Throughout Texas from March to November, wildflowers are blooming. There are ten major vegetative zones and each zone will have wildflowers and other plant species unique to that zone. On this tour participants will observe and photograph many species of wildflowers of the southern end of Post Oak Savannah Ecoregion (vegetative zone 3)

Areas that will be visited include:
Washington on the Brazos State Park, Chappell Hill, lunch at local BBQ joint and the Blue Bell Country Store at the Blue Bell Creamery.

Trip Leaders: Glenn Olsen is a member and past president of the Native Plant Society of Texas and a member and past vice president of education for the Houston Audubon Society.

Bill Eley is Program Development Director at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center and has over 30 years of experience birding the Gulf Coast, Mexico, and South America.
Start Time: 08:00
Date: 2011-05-14
End Time: 17:00

Title: Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) Symposium 2011
Location: Omni Houston Hotel at Westside located at 13210 Katy Freeway and Eldridge Parkway
Link out: Click here
Description: The educational theme for Symposium 2011 will be

“Habitat CPR: Creating, Preserving, and Restoring Native Habitats in a Changing World” featuring the Coastal Prairies and Marshes of Texas

Symposium 2011 is open to anyone interested in the role that native habitats play in our daily lives and offers a tremendous opportunity to learn how to restore and preserve our state’s rich and diverse native plant communities.
Start Date: 2011-10-13
End Date: 2011-10-16

Title: TBA – Monarch Monitoring Workshop
Location: Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center
Link out: Click here
Description: More information to come
Start Date: 2011-06-10
End Date: 2011-06-11

Title: Jones Park Photography Club
Location: Jones Park
Link out: Click here
Description: Learn more about the flora and fauna of Jones Park by honing observation and photography skills. No expensive equipment required; any camera and experience level welcome.
Start Time: 14:00
Date: 2011-05-17

Title: Monday Morning Birding at Jones Park
Location: Jones Park
Link out: Click here
Description: Who says Monday mornings have to be dull and boring? Come out to Jones Park with binoculars and field guide in hand to join park naturalist Sheena Abernathy for an early morning glimpse of the birds around the park. Meet no later than 8 a.m. at the Nature Center.
Start Time: 08:00
Date: 2011-05-16

Title: Animal Tracks & Signs at Jones Park
Location: Jones Park
Link out: Click here
Description: Whether you’re a photographer trying to find a particular animal, a hunter tracking your quarry or just someone interested in knowing what kind of animal left those footprints in the sand, Sunday’s featured program is one to attend. Visitors age seven and older can learn tracking techniques, scatology (the study of animal droppings) and other skills that enable the keen observer to recognize the animal life around us, even when they don’t want to be seen.
Start Time: 14:00
Date: 2011-05-15

Title: Second Saturday Settlers: Spinning and Weaving
Location: Jones Park
Link out: Click here
Description: Learn how plant and animal fibers are spun into thread and woven into fabrics while witnessing some 19th-century daily activities demonstrated by park volunteers and staff. Enjoy a day of settler life and become part of the fun!
Start Time: 13:00
Date: 2011-05-14
End Time: 15:00

Title: Eat This! Summer Camp™
Location: 4400 Yupon (in the Montrose area)
Link out: Click here
Description: The Recipe for Success Foundation’s Eat This! Summer Camp™ prepares children to become savvy food consumers. The camp is directed towards children ages 8 to 11 who will cook, garden and learn how food is developed and marketed to the American consumer. The camp is run from 10am-3pm, Monday through Friday, from July 5-29. To learn more, send an email to molly@recipe4success.org, call 713-520-0443, o
Start Date: 2011-07-05
Start Time: 10:00
End Date: 2011-07-29
End Time: 15:00

Title: Reduce & Restore Workshop
Location: New Living, 6111 Kirby
Link out: Click here
Description: These two hours really could change your life! In a fun, personal setting, Kelly Blackstone and Allison Evans will talk about the latest information regarding toxins and what we can do to “lessen our load.” Research shows babies are born with over 200 toxins in their veins, passed on by the mother. Sickness, disease, learning disabilities, cancer…all been linked to our body’s toxin overload. Now, research is showing that toxins found in certain air fresheners, shampoos, pesticides, etc. are linked to weight gain!

You’ll guaranteed to leave with a new level of awareness and easy-to-implement recommendations that will boost the health of you and your family. The workshop will answer the following questions, among many others:
* Where are these household toxins coming from? I clean all the time!
* Research says we’re toxic, but I feel fine. Are they really affecting me?
* These harmful chemicals are everywhere! Where do I start?
* Will changing just a few things at a time even help?
Start Time: 13:00
Date: 2011-05-07
End Time: 15:00

Title: “Saving Family Lands: Land conservation, tax planning and financial strategies for landowners and their advisors”
Location: The Houstonian Hotel, 111 North Post Oak Lane, Houston, Texas 77024
Link out: Click here
Description: Texas’ farms, ranches and native wildlife habitats are disappearing at an alarming rate. All too often the culprit for the loss is estate taxes or rising land values. Join us for a series of events with Stephen J. Small, the nation’s leading authority on private land protection options and the resulting federal benefits and estate planning advantages. Mr. Small helped to write and implement the federal tax code sections that address conservation easements and how they may reduce federal tax burdens. Today he assists landowners and their advisors with ways to protect valued family lands, including preparing for the next generation of ownership.
Start Time: 13:30
Date: 2011-06-22
End Time: 17:30

Title: Log Cabin Open House
Location: Log Cabin at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary, 440 Wilchester Boulevard, Houston
Link out: Click here
Description: Visit an historic log cabin in Houston and learn about
the fascinating life of the original owner Edith L. Moore through a
special character appearance presented by the Houston Audubon Docent
Guild.

This event is free and open to the public. There are also touch-and-
see ecology stations to learn about local plants and animals, nature
crafts for kids, and trails for walking.

Please park in the Memorial Drive United Methodist Church west parking
lot at 12955 Memorial Drive and enter the sanctuary through the marked
gate.
Start Time: 10:00
Date: 2011-05-14
End Time: 13:00

Title: Houston Audubon Membership Meeting
Location: United Way Center, 50 Waugh
Link out: Click here
Description: Antarctica, South Georgia, & the Falklands: A Photo Journal

King PenguinsSpeakers: John Old and Skip Almoney

You have heard the fabulous reports, seen The March of the Penguins, and now is your opportunity to see and hear a first hand report from our own John Old and Skip Almoney. From the fabulous icebergs and scenery of Antarctica, to the intimacy of the King Penguins on South Georgia, to the breathtaking beauty of the Wandering Albatross in the Falklands, John and Skip will share the variety of habitat, creatures, and beauty of this part of the world.
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2011-05-11

Title: HAS Birdathon Celebration
Location: Cedar Creek Café, Bar and Grill, 1034 West 20th Street, Houston, 77008
Link out: Click here
Description: All Houston Audubon members and Birdathon participants are invited to join the Birdathon Celebration and Award Ceremony on Monday, May 16 starting at 7 PM. The Celebration will be held at Cedar Creek Café, Bar and Grill, 1034 West 20th Street, Houston, 77008. Cedar Creek is one of Houston’s premier spots for casual patio dining. Their outside dining area was voted the Best Patio in Houston by the Houston Press, with a creek side deck, large patio, outside bar, and a fire pit.
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2011-05-16

Responsible for fulfilling the accounting and bookkeeping needs of the organization. Reports to president. Duties include accounts payable, depositing, grant billing, financial reporting, payroll and HR duties, liaison with CPA firm for audit and tax return preparation, and various other administrative functions. More at http://galvbay.org/aboutus_jobs.html.