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November 2019 Edition
November 14, 2019: "Dinos" in Downtown: Two Studies of Alligator Snapping Turtles in Houston
Millions of Houstonians cross Buffalo and Greens Bayous every day. Little do they know that living in the murky water is the largest freshwater turtle in North America. The bayou systems of Houston are home to the alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) a species of turtle known as the dinosaurs of the turtle world. Come hear about two studies currently being done in Buffalo and Greens Bayou to learn more about the habitat needs of these special turtles.
The event is free and open to the public at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 1805 West Alabama, Houston. Main program starts 7:30 PM. Doors open 7:00 PM.
Go here for more information.
November Bay Area Meeting Program: Galapagos: Geology, Wildlife, Sustainability and a very cool place to visit. The speaker will be Jon Powell.
Go here for more information.
Cullen Blvd. at the University of Houston will be reconstructed to reduce the number of auto lanes, and increase space for bikes and pedestrians. Cullen Blvd. will be transformed from a 55 foot wide, five-lane thoroughfare into a 33 foot wide, pedestrian- and bike-friendly campus street.
Go here for more information.
Election time is nearing for Houston Sierra Club (HSC) members! In December, yearly elections for our Executive Committee (ExCom) will occur. The ExCom is the governing body for the HSC, sets conservation and other policy for our Group, operates and maintains the HSC, and consists of 9 members, who serve staggered, two-year terms.
Go here for more information.
By Tom Douglas
Cypress Creek arises near the border between Harris County and Waller County, flows across northern Harris County, and merges with Spring Creek near Interstate 69/US Highway 59.
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In October, the Houston Sierra Club (Sierra Club) provided comments to the City of Houston (COH) twice on its Resilient Houston Draft Outline. Mayor Sylvester Turner is pushing to prepare this Plan so the COH is more resilient in its operations as climate changes.
Go here for more information.
For our October General Meeting, we had guest speaker Kelly Norrid, Urban a Wildlife Biologist at Texas Parks and Wildlife. He spoke to us on the topic of Urban Coyotes with the goal of “clearing up myths and talk about facts” about coyotes. Coyotes are incredibly intelligent mammals, that have 11 different vocalizations of which the most famous is the “yip”.
Go here for more information.
In October 2019, the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club (Sierra Club) submitted comments about three U.S. Forest Service (FS) proposals in the Angelina and Sabine National Forests.
Go here for more information.
By Cheryl Conley, TWRC Wildlife Center
Recently, the journal Science published a study showing that we have lost more than 1 in 4 birds from the United States and Canada since 1970. That’s 3 billion! The study was conducted by scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology along with six other institutions.
Go here for more information.
The Houston Group of the Sierra Club is looking for help in the following areas:
Webmaster, Proofreading, Lone Star Hiking Trail Volunteers, Outings Leaders, Volunteer Coordinator, Climate Justice Chair, Political Committee, Membership Chair, Audio / Video Coordinator, Forestry.
Help to make a difference for the Sierra Club!
Click the link to see new opportunities to help.
Go here for more information.
Get Outdoors!
For current information on upcoming outings in the Houston area, check out our MeetUp site.
By Brandt Mannchen
We made it to the Richards Loop trailhead parking lot for the Lone Star Hiking Trail. Regina was waiting for us. After a brief talk about safety, fun, volunteers, and oil/gas exploitation, we were off down the trail.
Go here for more information.