CEC Newsletter March 1996

ECO-NOTES

Conservation Easement Workshop

"Maintaining Private Lands Through Conservation Easements" will be the focus of a workshop sponsored by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department April 11 and 12 at the Doubletree Hotel in Austin. Topics will include information on the definition of conservation easements, their use as a land conservation tool, their financial benefits, conserving of farm, ranch and family lands, conceptual and legal basis, provisions and allowable land uses. Speakers will include Andrew Zepp, Land Trust Alliance and Bill Hutton, Trust for Public Land. The workshop is scheduled from Thursday noon to Friday noon and includes a "get acquainted" social Thursday evening. For registration information, contact TP&W's Carolyn Scheffer, (512)389-4779 or (512) 327-4119. Houston's Bayou Preservation Association (BPA) is helping to facilitate the seminar. BPA's director of conservation David Behm can be reached at (713) 992-8134.

Build a Better Birdhouse Release your creativity and create a unique birdhouse for the benefit of the Armand Bayou Nature Center. Birdhouses will be judged for uniqueness and sold to the public to raise operational funds. Entires are limited only by maximum dimensions of 24" x 24" x 24" and your imagination. All entries must be delivered to the Nature Center, 8500 Bay Area Boulevard, by Wednesday, Feb. 14, and become the property of ABNC. After judging on Feb. 22, entries will be displayed in March and April before the sale. For more information, contact Lynn Shigekawa, (713) 474-3748.

EFT Wins Leadership Award The Environmental Fund for Texas (EFT), of which CEC is a founding member, has been named a recipient of the Texas Open Space Leadership Award from the Trust for Public Land, in the category of non-profit organizations. EFT's mission is to support the work of its 27 member organizations to conserve and protect our natural resources through participation in payroll deduction charitable campaigns at public and private worksites in Texas. The award, which was received by EFT Executive Director Mike Rush, recognized the organization for helping to develop a reliable source of support for enviromental programs and helping to communicate to the public how the work of The Trust for Public Land benefits the community. For information on EFT, contact 1-800-GREEN TX.

Environmental Geophysics The Geophysical Society of Houston is sponsoring a two-day program and field demonstration "Looking Into the Earth: Environmental and Other Applications of Non-Invasive Geophysics" Friday and Saturday, April 12 and 13. The program is designed for professionals and technicians associated with environmental applications and will focus on ways to help people prevent losses, lower project costs and risk exposure by identifying methods to map the near-surface geology, explore for buried dumping grounds, hydrocarbons and other natural resources, and avoid health and construction hazards such as landfills, radioactive waste and pipelines. Preregistration of $10 includes coffee, snack, box lunch and a program and field book. Tentative location is Rice University. For information, contact Stephanie Hrabar, 683-0638.

Science Quest The Houston Museum of Natural Science's "Science Quest" monthly series will continue at 10 a.m., Thursday, February 15, broadcast live on Houston's public television station KUHT-TV (Channel 8). Area educators and the public are invited to explore science topics in this 5-part series which began in January. Each 30-minute "Science Quest" program consists of live segments with Museum curators, question and answer segments, "Star Log", a series featuring different astronomers, and fun science characters. Students nationwide have the opportunity to speak live via toll-free telephone lines with educators, scientists and curators. This series is being produced in conjunction with H-E-B Satellite in the Classroom (SITC), a program sponsored by H-E-B Grocery Co., in partnership with the Museum and KUHT-TV. Educators can receive curriculum guides by calling 210-698-1327.

New Estuary Program Manager Marilyn Browning, Director of Environmental Affairs for the Greater Houston Partnership, has been named manager of the Galveston Bay Estuary Program. According to Randall Wilburn, Director of the Water Planning & Assessment Division of the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC), Brown's responsibilities will include implementation of the Galveston Bay Plan, a comprehensive environmental and economic protection and management program for the Galveston Bay system developed by bay stakeholders over the past five years. Prior to joining the Partnership in 1992, Browning was Assistant General Counsel to the Chemical Manufacturers' Association in Washington, D.C. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Chicago Kent College of Law. M.A. Bengston was also designated as Assistant Manager of GBEP and continues her current duties in the areas of public information, public participation and education.