Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region: April 8, 2014
Featured
- NRG increases its partnership with the Galveston Bay Foundation through $50,000 donation to support oil spill recovery (The Bay Area Citizen, 4/4/2014)
With the oil spill response continuing in Galveston Bay and down the Texas coast and the pace increasing, the Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF) received a $50,000 donation by NRG Energy—a $25,000 corporate donation matched with another $25,000 grant from the NRG Gulf Coast region—to aid GBF in oil spill recovery efforts in Galveston Bay. Currently, as the Volunteer Management Organization under a Memorandum of Agreement with the Coast Guard and the Texas General Land Office, GBF has mobilized hundreds of volunteers in the oil spill response effort.
www.yourhoustonnews.com - 29 dead dolphins found since oil spill (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle, 4/4/2014)
Scientists are trying to determine whether an oil spill two weeks ago in Galveston Bay contributed to a higher-than-normal number of dolphin deaths. At least 29 dead dolphins have been found in the Galveston area since a ship and barge collided, spilling nearly 168,000 gallons of thick oil into Galveston Bay. The number brought the total for March to 47, above the average of 34 dolphin strandings for the month and triple last years’ total of 15, said Heidi Whitehead, state operations coordinator for the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network.
www.chron.com - HISD students part of first Whole Kids Farmers Market (The Examiner, 3/31/2014)
Shoppers at Whole Foods’ Montrose-area store, 701 Waugh Dr., were able to stock their carts with fresh vegetables grown by students from nine Houston ISD schools during the Whole Kids Farmers Market on Saturday, March 29. Dozens of students were at the store to sell seasonal produce grown in their Urban Harvest-affiliated school gardens, such as beets, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, kale, lettuces, Swiss chard, snap peas, edible flowers, and herbs. The students also sold garden and craft products, such as pots, transplants, seed packets and potted plants, and students from Jefferson Davis High School Culinary Team whipped up samples. All proceeds will be reinvested in the schools’ garden or culinary programs.
www.yourhoustonnews.com
EcoNotes
- 6 April
- Drought threatens Texas rice farmers’ futures (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com
- Drought threatens Texas rice farmers’ futures (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
- 4 April
- NRG increases its partnership with the Galveston Bay Foundation through $50,000 donation to support oil spill recovery (The Bay Area Citizen)
www.yourhoustonnews.com - Galveston Bay Oil Spill Leaves Hundreds of Birds Oiled (Cathaleen Qiao Chen – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - 29 dead dolphins found since oil spill (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com - Meeting on Montgomery County water supply slated for Saturday (The Potpourri)
www.yourhoustonnews.com - UH company aims to purify water, help end global water crisis (Molly Ryan – Houston Business Journal)
www.bizjournals.com - Feds work through millions of comments on fracking rules (Jennifer A. Dlouhy – Fuel Fix)
http://fuelfix.com - Hundreds of activists rally at heated hearing on oil pipeline (Fuel Fix)
http://fuelfix.com - US Clean Energy Investment Down 9% In 2013 (Andrew Schneider – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - More Than 1,000 Volunteers Will Beautify Houston’s Parks And Greenspaces (Laurie Johnson – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org
- NRG increases its partnership with the Galveston Bay Foundation through $50,000 donation to support oil spill recovery (The Bay Area Citizen)
- 3 April
- Master Naturalists: Protecting colonial waterbird nesting places (Paul Meredith and Mary Meredith – Victoria Advocate)
www.victoriaadvocate.com - Hermann Park’s Centennial is topic for Historical Society’s April meeting (Examiner)
www.yourhoustonnews.com - A great way to get the family outdoors (Anja Borski – The Galveston County Daily News)
www.galvestondailynews.com - Giddy Up! Now You Can Buy Your Very Own Oil Well (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org - Originally Meant for New Mexico, Diverted Nuclear Waste Arrives in West Texas (Travis Bubenik, KRTS – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org - Apple, Facebook, Google Web data centers getting greener: report (Alexei Oreskovic – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org - Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens presents ‘Cool Plants for a Hot Climate’ (Cypress Creek Mirror)
www.yourhoustonnews.com
- Master Naturalists: Protecting colonial waterbird nesting places (Paul Meredith and Mary Meredith – Victoria Advocate)
- 2 April
- Houston Birding Picks Up As Spring Migration Gets Underway (Maggie Martin – Houston Matters)
www.houstonmatters.org - How Does Where You Live in Houston Affect Your Health? (Michael Hagerty – Houston Matters)
www.houstonmatters.org - Texas Brewer Raises a Glass for Clarity on Clean Water Act (Public News Service)
www.publicnewsservice.org - Texas Hoping for Edge Over New Mexico in Water Battle (Cathaleen Qiao Chen – The Texas Tribune)
http://www.texastribune.org - When It Comes To Water Restrictions, How Far Should Fort Worth Go? (Doualy Xaykaothao, KERA News – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org - U.S House of Representatives OKs bill calling for weather, not climate, forecasts (Ros Krasnyl – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org
- Houston Birding Picks Up As Spring Migration Gets Underway (Maggie Martin – Houston Matters)
- 1 April
- Walk for the Woods Project Takes Houstonians Through Historic East End (Maggie Martin – Houston Matters)
www.houstonmatters.org - How a Botanical Garden Would Fit on the Gus Wortham Golf Course and Other Tidbits from Last Night’s Hullabaloo (Swamplot)
http://swamplot.com - Strange flying objects over Hermann Park cause quite a stir — and create a colorful scene (Barbara Kuntz – Culture Map Houston)
http://houston.culturemap.com - What Keeps Solar Energy from Taking Off in Texas? (Michael Hagerty – Houston Matters)
www.houstonmatters.org - Texas Governor Wants to Make the State a Home for High-Level Radioactive Waste (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org - Deforestation of sandy soils a greater threat to climate change (Kevin Dennehy – Yale News)
http://news.yale.edu - Are Drilling Waste Pits a Threat to Texas Groundwater? (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org - EPA Seeks to Clarify Federal Water Law (Shelby Sementelli – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Congress to EPA: Investigate and Address Water Contamination From Fracking (EcoWatch)
http://ecowatch.com - Larger areas of Texas fall into severe drought (My Fox Austin News)
www.myfoxaustin.com - U.S. allows partial restart of Exxon pipeline a year after spill (Timothy Gardner, Selam Gebrekidan, and Sabina Zawadzki – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org - Bayou Preservation Association calls for Terry Hershey Stewardship Award nominations (Memorial Examiner)
www.yourhoustonnews.com
- Walk for the Woods Project Takes Houstonians Through Historic East End (Maggie Martin – Houston Matters)
- 31 March
- Volunteers to hit the beaches today to search for more tar balls (Wes Smith – The Galveston County Daily News)
www.galvestondailynews.com - Houston Ship Channel Oil Slick Shows Up In Corpus Christi (Pat Hernandez – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - Idea for hurricane evacuation route raises concerns for Katy prairie (Carol Christian – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com - HISD students part of first Whole Kids Farmers Market (The Examiner)
www.yourhoustonnews.com - Effects of Galveston Oil Spill Persist on Texas Coast (Environmental Protection)
http://eponline.com - Tail Risk vs. Alarmism, (Kerry Emanuel – Climate Change National Forum)
http://climatechangenationalforum.org - How Researchers Are Recording the Sound of a Massive Bat Die-Off (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
- http://stateimpact.npr.org
- The White Oak Bayou Hike and Bike Trail Is Open Again in Oak Forest (Swamplot)
http://swamplot.com - Solar power shines in eyes of Americans (Emily Pickrell – Fuel Fix)
http://fuelfix.com - Exxon: Future climate rules won’t curb fossil fuel investments (Collin Eaton – Fuel Fix)
http://fuelfix.com - This Texas man is fighting the drought one tank of rainwater at a time (Amelia Urry – Grist)
http://grist.org
- Volunteers to hit the beaches today to search for more tar balls (Wes Smith – The Galveston County Daily News)
- 30 March
- Galveston Bay oil spill could have lasting effect (Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com - Creepy crazy ants swarm into Houston: Billions of them are invading — with the warm weather (Barbara Kuntz – Culture Map Houston)
http://houston.culturemap.com - Lack of water threatens rice farmers (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
www.houstonchronicle.com
- Galveston Bay oil spill could have lasting effect (Houston Chronicle)
- 28 March
- Dry, windy conditions have some Texas farmers talking Dust Bowl (Carol Christian – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com
- Dry, windy conditions have some Texas farmers talking Dust Bowl (Carol Christian – Houston Chronicle)
- 27 March
- States’ feathers ruffled as feds declare lesser prairie chicken threatened (Lindsay Wise – Kansas City News)
www.kansascity.com - CenterPoint, Direct Energy, Join UH In Electric Power Research Venture (Andrew Schneider – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org
- States’ feathers ruffled as feds declare lesser prairie chicken threatened (Lindsay Wise – Kansas City News)
- 26 March
- Texas A&M AgriLife center makes ‘WaterSense’ for Dallas metro area (AgriLife Today)
http://today.agrilife.org - Galveston Bay oil spill imperils thousands of birds (Bird Life International)
www.birdlife.org
- Texas A&M AgriLife center makes ‘WaterSense’ for Dallas metro area (AgriLife Today)
- 22 March
- Wild turkey expert reveals habits of these birds in breeding season (Ray Sasser – The Dallas Morning News)
www.dallasnews.com
- Wild turkey expert reveals habits of these birds in breeding season (Ray Sasser – The Dallas Morning News)