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Sierra Club - Houston Regional Group
 on the calendar
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Tree Identification Class
April 11 (Sun) -  After a hiatus they're back!!! Tom and Brandt, those wonderful, wacky, sharp "Tree Guys" are back in circulation. Are you anemic when it comes to telling one green thing from another? Can't tell a pine from a hardwood? When someone asks you, "What is that tree?", do you look in the opposite direction? Well, your salvation is here!   MORE==>

Trail Between the Lakes Workday
February 13 (Sat) - Here is an opportunity to help the Sierra Club maintain one of East Texas’ long distance hiking trails. The Trail Between the Lakes is a 28 mile hiking trail in the southern portion of the Sabine National Forest and extends from Lakeview Recreation Area on Toledo Bend Reservoir to US 96 within sight of the easternmost point of Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The Trail was planned and constructed as a joint effort of the Golden Triangle Group of the Sierra Club (Beaumont area) and the US Forest Service. The Golden Triangle Group continues to schedule workdays to maintain and monitor the trail, which was heavily impacted by hurricanes Rita and Ike.  MORE==>

MORE EVENTS==>


 take action
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EPA Public Hearing on Smog Standard Needs Your Presence and Input So We All Can Breathe Easier
March 11, 2010 Comment Deadline - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed tightening the health-based national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) for ozone (smog). The EPA has proposed a stricter ozone standard (between 60 parts per billion (ppb) and 70 ppb, using three significant digits, averaged over eight hours) because research shows ozone is harmful to public health and welfare below the present standard of 75 ppb.   (January 2010)

MORE WAYS TO TAKE ACTION==>


 get involved
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Join the Sierra Club
If you're not already a member, we invite you to join us.  Follow the link to learn more about our mission and how to join.

donate.jpg (4919 bytes)Donate!
The Houston Group welcomes your support of our mission.   Follow the link to learn more about how you can help.

Join our e-mail alert list
Subscribe to the Houston Sierra Club's email alert list to get timely alerts on Houston area conservation issues, and occasional announcements of interest to Houston Sierra Club members and friends.

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Do you like what you see on this site?  Do you want to know when new content is posted?  Some of the Houston Sierra Club's web content is syndicated and you can subscribe to it to stay on top of the latest updates.

MORE WAYS TO GET INVOLVED==>


 in focus
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Update About the Katy Prairie Protection Fight: Grand Parkway Segment E
The proposed Grand Parkway, Segment E (GP), continues to get a lot of press. First, the lawsuit that the Sierra Club filed against the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for an inadequate environmental analysis is moving forward. October 2009 deadlines were set for putting information into the record that will be used to decide the case and for all briefings on the issues.  (February 2010) 

Pyramid Magnolias Need Protection – How You Can Help
The Big Thicket of East Texas has been called the “Biological Crossroads of North America.” Now you can help save some of that “diversity of life” by helping buy one of the last known sites of the rare Pyramid Magnolia (Magnolia pyramidata) in Texas. The “Flora of North America” says that this tree is “very local and nowhere abundant.” Other scattered populations exist in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. The “Center for Plant Conservation” states that the Pyramid Magnolia is threatened but there is no formal conservation plan to protect the species. There are no Pyramid Magnolias protected in Big Thicket National Preserve.  (January 2010)

MORE NEWS==>

 general meeting
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Join us at our next monthly program: Thursday, February 11th at 7 p.m.

February Program:  Go Solar Texas

Alejandro Savransky, the State Field Organizer for Environment Texas, will talk about the potential for solar energy to become our leading energy source, past failures of our legislature, and current opportunities to unleash the sun's potential in Texas.

Texas has the "right stuff" to become a world leader in solar energy development – reaping the benefits of cleaner air, a robust economy and reduced dependence on fossil fuels.

Decisions made by policy makers in the next year will determine whether Texas can ride the solar wave, capturing the vast potential of solar power for our state. Texas has the best solar potential in the nation and we could power the entire state many times over with our abundant sunshine. In fact, according to the State Energy Conservation Office, the energy from sunshine falling on just one acre of land in West Texas is equal to 4000 barrels of oil each year. Solar panels lining an area thirty miles by thirty miles in West Texas could power the entire state.

Mr. Savransky has worked various environmental issues. He directed a citizen outreach and fundraising campaign for the Fund for the Public Interest in Flordia. There his activities included successful campaigns to protect the Florida Everglades from development, increase the CAFE standard, and prevent oil spills from tankers. He also worked on a voter mobilization effort with MoveOn Political Action.

Join us for a brief social period at 7:00 p.m.  Our program begins at 7:30.  Pecore Hall of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 1805 West Alabama.  Houston, TX.


 get outdoors
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Brazos Bend State Park
February 26-28 (Fri-Sun) - This will be a weekend car camping outing. Brazos Bend State Park features an extensive hike/bike trail system, a variety of lakes and streams, and good wildlife viewing opportunities. We plan guided hike options on Saturday, and weather permitting a night hike one evening. The full moon arrives on February 28. The George Observatory is open to the public on Saturdays from 3-10pm for participants who would like to star gaze. This outing is family friendly and well behaved dogs are ok with permission of the leader.

Big Bend State Ranch
March 31 to April 4 (Wed-Sun) - This ranch has perhaps the most unique geology in Texas. A feature known as the Solitario is a combination of Paleozoic, Cretaceous, and more recent igneous events. Most of Texas' mountains can be seen from this one place on a clear day. We will leave Houston via our own transportation Wednesday evening, drive to Sonora and catch some sleep before finishing the drive. We will have most of three days of hiking and three nights of camping on primitive tent sites before driving back to Houston on Sunday.

MORE TRIPS==>


 bayou banner
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Bayou Banner Distribution Changes
Frequently we have been asked "Why can't I have my Bayou Banner delivered electronically, thereby reducing the cost of delivery and the amount of paper used?"  (February 2010)   More -->

 February Bayou Banner
Our newsletter - available on-line.  

This issue:
- Bayou Banner Distribution Changes
- Update About Katy Prairie Protection Fight: Grand Parkway Segment E
- Katy Prairie Legal Fund Appeal and Challenge Grant
- and more...

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Sierra Club - Houston Group;  P.O Box 3021;  Houston, TX 77253-3021

Our Mission: To explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the earth; to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.

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Last updated:  02/04/2010.   Content © 1999-2010 by the Sierra Club.