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CEC ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS UPDATE – 10/18/02 COALITION NOTES Sunday in the Woods Houston Audubon Society will host its first annual open house "Sunday in the Woods" on Sunday, October 27. Activities will include live bird presentations, Hug-A-Habitat Ecology Show, activities and crafts, T-shirt and book sale, face painting and raffle located along the 3 miles of trails within the 18-acre nature sanctuary. An historic log cabin serves as the orientation point for visitors. The event will take place from 1 – 5 p.m. at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary. For more information, call 713-932-1639. A Walk on the Wild Side Legacy Land Trust, a non-profit conservation organization, invites you to take a walk on the wild side on November 2 at the Montgomery County Preserve. The 71-acre preserved tract, in an ecosystem often referred to as "The Little Thicket", is host to numerous plant and animal species. Attendees will be taken on tours guided by naturalist experts who will identify birds, reptiles and plants that flourish in the hardwood forest along the creek. Food will be provided but be sure to bring your hiking boots and raincoats. The bluegrass band Bayouphiliacs will supply the entertainment. To make a reservation, call Jennifer Lorenz at 713.524.2100 or visit Legacy Land Trust on the web at http://www.llt.org. LOCAL More on Bayport In response to the Port of Houston Authority’s revised permit application, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services maintained its opposition to the proposed Bayport container project. USFWS officials maintain that the recent revisions do not address their concerns, presented to the Army Corps of Engineers in April, including the significant loss of wetland habitat. The agency also criticized the Port’s mitigation plan finding that it would not compensate for the large prairie land that would be lost by building the container. Frederick T. Werner of the USFWS said that man made wetlands do not function as well as natural wetlands, previous mitigation plans having failed to adequately reproduce the hydrology, vegetation and soil conditions that occur naturally. Finally, USFWS warned that rain water run off from hundreds of acres of new paving could alter salinity and cause severe erosion in Pine Gully. The Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association and elected officials, including Congressman Nick Lampson and several state legislators, reiterated their demand for a supplemental draft Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed container project to address these and other concerns. Local officials host public meeting The Katy Corridor Coalition is encouraging folks to join US Representative John Culberson and Harris County Judge Robert Eckels for a public meeting on Saturday, October 19 to discuss issues of concern to their constituents. This is an important opportunity for HarrisCounty residents to voice their concerns about mobility strategies in the Katy corridor, and the region. There are many questions to be asked concerning how the Katy Freeway expansion will affect health, quality of life, flooding, noise, air pollution and mobility. The meeting will begin at 10 am at Memorial High School. For more information on the Katy Corridor Coalition, contact Polly Ledvina at 713-524-4578 or visit www.katycorridor.org. Clean Water Action Clean Water Action, a local non-profit that campaigns and lobbies for environmental protection laws, needs a space to hold phone banks Sunday, October 10, 27 and November 3. They are looking for space in Montrose, the Heights, West University or the Galleria area that features 8-10 phone lines. CWA volunteers will be calling voters previously contacted by their canvassing staff to get out the vote for a local congressional candidate. If your organization has space available, or if you would like to volunteer, contact Anne Phillips at 832.620.4063. ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION CEC Environmental News Update is a weekly publication by the Citizens' Environmental Coalition, a 501(c)3 dedicated to fostering dialogue, education and collaboration about environmental issues in the Houston-Gulf Coast Region. Visit the CEC online at www.cechouston.org. To subscribe or unsubscribe, or to suggest items for inclusion, send your request via e-mail to Sarah Doss at sarah@cechouston.org. |
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