TEXAS CITY BREAKS GROUND, HOUSTON BUYS ADS
Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association, 4/15/04

Texas City broke ground today for a new Galveston Bay container terminal at Shoal Point, while the Port of Houston Authority was scrambling to buy more local advertising space touting its own achievements.

Dignitaries enjoying a perfect spring day at the Texas City groundbreaking ceremony included US Rep. Nick Lampson, Galveston County judge James Yarborough, state senator Mike Jackson, state representatives Larry Taylor and Craig Eiland, and the Texas City Commission. Mayor Carlos Garza presided, and among the speakers were past mayor Chuck Doyle and SSA Marine's vice president Andy McLauchlan, representing the new port's major investor.

The Shoal Point container terminal is privately funded and does not require tax dollars. Several speakers emphasized that it is to be operational in 30 months and will benefit the whole region. Mayors and council members of at least six nearby cities were in attendance, among them Mike Laible and John Buhman of Seabrook, Barbara Meeks of League City, Vaness Hamilton of Clear Lake Shores, and Larry Tobin of Taylor Lake Village.

Texas City applied in 2000 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a permit to construct the terminal on the dredge spoil disposal site at Shoal Point. The project received broad support, including from conservationists. In 2003 the permit was issued, designating Shoal Point as the least environmentally damaging site on Galveston Bay for a new terminal to serve
regional cargo needs.

In dramatic contrast, a coalition of bay area cities and the Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association (GBCPA) has filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging a Corps of Engineers permit that would allow the Port of Houston Authority to build a competing container port at Bayport. The Houston case is scheduled to be heard on April 20.

Harris County residents are meanwhile being exposed to a steady stream of
ocal advertising placed by the Port of Houston Authority in a transparent effort to counter the widespread public opposition to its Bayport proposal.

The Port Commission approved $1.6 million in media expenditures for 2004 to continue their branding and public awareness campaign begun in 2003 on the theme "The Port Delivers the Goods," as was reported in the Houston Business Journal (December 16, 2003).

"The ads are extravagant expenditures for a public agency," said GBCPA vice chair Katie Chimenti. "And they make extravagant claims about that agency."

Chimenti observed that the Port of Houston Authority receives substantial funds from the Harris County property tax levy, which also funds the Flood Control District, the Hospital District, and the building of roads and bridges.

"We don't see advertising blitzes from the other agencies receiving these tax funds," Chimenti added. "Why is it that the Port Authority feels compelled to spend all these dollars on local advertising?"

Taylor Lake Village mayor pro tem Larry Tobin last year analyzed the Port of Houston Authority's high dependence on taxpayer funding (see http://www.gbcpa.net/financial_reports_and_trade_data.htm).

The Port’s portion of the county tax levy amounted to $15 million as recently as 1995. This had climbed above $25 million by 1998 and to $35 million by 2002. As Tobin pointed out, the Port's net operating income for 2002 was $1.5 million--strikingly similar to the $1.3 million price tag of its 2003 media campaign.

"Every dollar they can use to shore up their image locally is devoted to that campaign," said Tobin. "While Texas City is building a port with investor dollars, the Port of Houston Authority is spinning its wheels and blowing millions on its image."

Mayor Nancy Edmonson of Shoreacres recalled the F grade recently assigned to the Port of Houston Authority by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in a comparison of the nation's top ten ports.

"Their F from the NRDC in community relations reflects the fact that spending money to support local media outlets with advertising dollars constitutes community manipulation, not community relations," said Edmonson.

BNP BEGINS DRILLING ON PADRE ISLAND, SIERRA CLUB URGES INTERVENTION
bSierra Club, 4/15/04

BNP Petroleum, a company based in Corpus Christi, TX, proceeded with plans to drill for natural gas on Padre Island National Seashore last Tuesday despite the fact the nesting season of the endangered Kemp�s ridley sea turtle begins in April.

According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Kemp's ridley sea turtle, the most endangered sea turtle in the world, nests on the beach from April into July. In the Environmental Assessment for the BNP project, the National Park Service established a protected season for the sea turtle from April 16 to June 30 to minimize impacts on the turtle. However, the National Park Service cannot legally prevent BNP from drilling. BNP began its operations by hauling equipment on heavy trucks on April 6 and expects to complete the drilling on June 15.

Padre Island boasts the longest undeveloped beach in the US and is the longest undeveloped barrier island in the world. It is also the one of the few places in the US where Kemp's ridley sea turtles nest.

Sea turtles aren't the only ones to lose out if the drilling continues. Nearly 800,000 people visit the national seashore each year to fish and enjoy the beach. These visitors bring in $39 million annually to the local economy and generate 815 new jobs.

"People come to Padre Island National Seashore to enjoy the beach," said Pat Suter, chair of Sierra Club's Coastal Bend Group. "They don't come here to dodge huge trucks."

According to the US Geological Survey, the estimated amount of natural gas under Padre Island National Seashore is roughly equal to the amount consumed in the US in a single day. Unfortunately, the mineral rights under the national seashore are either owned privately or, in some cases, by the State of Texas.

Last year, an investigative report showed that 60 to 70 percent of BNP's investors were from Australia, Japan, and Canada.

"The drilling on Padre underscores the urgent need for a federal buyout of mineral rights on Padre Island National Seashore," said Wilhite. "Thousands of Americans are urging the Bush administration do the right thing. Protecting Padre from natural gas drilling is good for the local economy, it's good for the endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle and other wildlife, and it's good for America."

KATY FREEWAY POLLUTION STUDY
Mothers for Clean Air

The Spring Branch/Memorial Chapter of Mothers for Clean Air has commissioned a new study to understand the environmental impact on local communities of emissions from cars and trucks on the Katy Freeway. Matt Fraser, assistant professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University, conducted a computer analysis of fine particulate levels caused by traffic along six miles of the Katy Freeway, between IH-610 and Beltway 8. Doctor Fraser compared current freeway traffic of 280,000 vehicles per day and expected future use of 397,600 vehicles per day when the proposed expansion project is complete. The results indicate that particulate pollution from the freeway would increase 42%. Particulate levels were highest near the intersection of the Freeway and the 610 West Loop where those in schools, day care centers, and retirement homes would be most at risk. Lowering the freeway below grade, an alternative proposal, would reduce particulate levels by 10%.

Inhaling fine particles from freeway emissions brings harmful chemicals deep into the lungs, causing a wide range of illness and mortality including cancer, brain damage, and damage to unborn children. Living or going to school close to freeways is associated with health problems in children including respiratory illness, asthma hospitalizations, and decreased lung function. In the elderly, fine particulate pollution is strongly associated with most types of respiratory illness, and with circulatory and cardiovascular disease leading to heart disease, strokes, and death. The Mothers for Clean Air chapter is presenting the results of the study to elected officials, school board members, business associations, and the Texas Department of Transportation to make them aware of the health impacts from expanding the Katy Freeway as well as from other highway expansion projects in the Houston-Galveston area.

FREE BIRD WALKS
Houston Audubon, 4/14/04

Beginning this spring, free bird walks are being offered in various nature parks throughout the city. Some of these walks are a result of a partnershi of Houston Audubon with the Ornithology Group of the Outdoor Nature Club, Houston Parks and Recreation, and Friends of Hermann Park. Please check the list frequently, as we will be adding walks throughout the season. If you are interested in starting a bird walk in your local park, please contact Mary Ann Weber, Education Coordinator at (713) 932-1639.
http://www.houstonaudubon.org/

UPDATE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF TONY MARRON PARK
The Park People, 4/14/04

In 2001, The Park People began planning the development of Tony Marron Park, 19 acres of empty land along Buffalo Bayou in Houston’s East End. Working in partnership with the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and the Houston Parks Board, The Park People has continued to raise money up to $2 million to complete this project in partnership with the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and the Houston Parks Board. The Park People has broken ground for the development phase for plans to add much-needed soccer fields, trails, children’s play areas, a pavilion, and many trees.
http://www.parkpeople.org/index.html

KODAK AMERICAN GREENWAYS GRANTS
Application deadline: June 1, 2004

The Greenways Awards Program, a partnership of the Eastman Kodak Company, the Conservation Fund, and the National Geographic Society, provides small grants to stimulate the planning and design of greenways in communities throughout America. Grants can be used for all appropriate expenses needed to complete a greenway project, including planning, technical or legal assistance, and other costs. The maximum grant award is $2,500, although most grants will range from $500 to $1,500.
http://www.conservationfund.org/?article=2372

THE WILD GIFT
Application deadline: June 1, 2004

The Wild Gift provides exceptional youth, ages 18-30, an experience in deep wilderness and encourages commitment to a self-designed leadership project that will benefit the human and natural community. The 17-month program is provided to Wild Gift recipients at no cost.
http://www.wildgift.org

CANON ENVIROTHON

Annual competition for high school students throughout North America, designed as a way to teach kids about environmental education. The best teams from 47 states and Canadian provinces compete at a summer play-off during July or August on a selected topic. To expose students to diverse environmental issues, ecosystems, and topography, a different state or province hosts the Canon Envirothon each year. In addition to the actual competition, the event also includes social, cultural, and educational activities organized by the Canon Envirothon Host Committee.
http://www.envirothon.org/competition/Canon2004/index.htm

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY TEACHER GRANTS
Application Deadline: June 10, 2004

The foundation provides grants to educators to facilitate their work in the classroom, school, district, and community. This year, projects will be funded in either of two broad categories: Promoting Stewardship of Cultural and Natural Resources, and Promoting Geographic Knowledge Through Education. The foundation plans to make approximately $100,000 available, in grants of up to $5,000 each. Applications may be submitted by a single teacher or by a project team leader on behalf of a group.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/education/teacher_community/get_grant.html

CONSUMER GUIDE DETAILS ILLS AND ALTERNATIVES FOR COMMON PRODUCTS

A free online consumer guide published in March by the Worldwatch Institute describes the environmental, social, and health harms associated with a wide range of products, including appliances, baby products, DVDs, clothing, cell phones, and food. The guide takes a behind the scenes look at how products are made, and offers simple advice and alternatives that enable people to reduce some of the ills associated with the things they buy.
For each product, the guide also describes successful efforts by governments, businesses, and nonprofit groups around the world to reduce negative impacts associated with common products.
http://www.worldwatch.org/pubs/goodstuff

NEW REPORT IN PARKS FOR PEOPLE SERIES

The Trust For Public Land’s Parks for People initiative works in cities across America to ensure that everyone--in particular every child--enjoys access to a park, playground, or open space. A new Parks for People report by Peter Harnik, director of TPL's Center for City Park Excellence, highlights the need for parks in Newark, New Jersey. The report's release follows by several months the publication of TPL's Parks for People white paper, which makes the case for new city parks nationwide. Upcoming Parks for People publications will focus on other US cities.
http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=13843&folder_id=175

A HANDBOOK FOR ACTIVISTS

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, Wilderness Forever has created a handy-dandy guide to taking action. Learn how to draft your own action letters, organize enjoyable activism events, and get in touch with local media.
To obtain your own tree-free version of the guide:
http://www.wildernessforever.org/action/index.html
Learn more about the Wilderness Act:
http://www.wilderness.org/OurIssues/Wilderness/act.cfm

CONSERVATION ACROSS BOUNDARIES EDUCATION COURSE

Conservation Across Boundaries’s Enhancing Wildlife Conservation through Education is a fully-funded, two-week course for junior and senior high school science teachers. The course is being held June 12-25, 2004. To download a brochure and application, visit www.boone-crockett.org, http://www.eih.uh.edu/education/bboard/cabflyer_2004_small.pdf or contact Selma Glasscock, Welder Wildlife Foundation, selmaglass@aol.com for more information. Application deadline: March 30, 2004. $125 application fee.

SEASIDE CLUB BECKONS TO TEXAS TEACHERS

Texas A&M University's Marine Advisory Service (MAS) will be hosting two development workshops for Texas educators on the environment, and natural resources in Texas and the Gulf Coast. Participates who are teachers, science curriculum specialists, or department heads working in public and private schools are encouraged to register. Training sessions for elementary school educators are June 28-30; training for secondary school educators will take place July 7-9. For more information or to enroll, contact (979) 863-2940 or email lbeach@neo.tamu.edu.

EPA SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS

The EPA Summer Opportunities for Students website is now up and running. The site provides a web portal through which students may enter to learn about EPA programs, offices, and summer employment opportunities. They also will be able to submit a job application directly to the EPA location where there is a vacancy.
http://www.epa.gov/ohros/student