More News
Take action now to protect to freshwater inflows to Galveston Bay!
Freshwater flowing down the Trinity and San Jacinto rivers is the lifeblood of an estuary like Galveston Bay, providing for the proper salinity in the bay and bringing in vital nutrients and sediments. Right now, TCEQ is considering adopting standards for freshwater flows to Galveston Bay that are inadequate to protect its health, commercial and recreational fisheries (particularly oysters), or quality of life values for future generations. Please help us fight for Galveston Bay by making a phone call to the TCEQ Commissioners and Governor Perry and writing letters NOW! To get phone numbers, talking points, and sample letters, visit GBF’s environmental flows webpage. You can also read a great article about Galveston Bay, freshwater, and oysters in the Bay Area Citizen, see our Galveston County Daily News op-ed, GCDN’s editorial, and an editorial from the Houston Chronicle on this critical issue.
GBF staff and volunteers pull 407 crab traps from Trinity Bay
On February 19, 2011GBF staff and over 50 volunteers pulled 407 abandoned crab traps from Trinity Bay and the Trinity River delta during TPWDs Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program. We more than doubled the amount of traps pulled last year at this site! The crab traps are left in the water for a variety of reasons. Some are misplaced, others are abandoned by crabbers no longer in business, and some are simply left out with the hope they will not be pulled during this annual 10-day period when crabbing is closed along the Texas coast. Abandoned crab traps are not only hazardous to wildlife, they are unsightly, problematic for fishers and boaters, and can even smother seagrasses. See the full GBF press release , listen to the coverage on 88.7 KUHF, or visit GBF's Crab Trap Removal event page.
Marsh Mania 2011 dates selected
Galveston Bay Foundation is pleased to announce the dates for 2011's Marsh Mania event weekends! Marsh Mania is the nationally-recognized, signature community-based wetlands restoration and education event of the Galveston Bay area. The goal of Marsh Mania is to involve local citizens in hands-on wetlands restoration activities while increasing their awareness and appreciation of wetland habitats and functions. In eleven years, Marsh Mania has involved more than 5,450 community volunteers in the restoration of roughly 132 acres of vital salt marsh habitat at 54 sites around Galveston Bay. This year's events will take place on April 30th and June 11th, so mark your calendars and make plans to join us as we get wet and muddy while restoring vital habitat around Galveston Bay! Check back later for volunteer registration.
GBF President named Environmental Professional of the Year by TAEP
Galveston Bay Foundation is pleased to announce that Bob Stokes, President of GBF, received the Environmental Professional of the Year award from the Texas Association of Environmental Professionals (TAEP) at TAEP’s Fifth Annual Environmental Challenges and Innovations Conference: Gulf Coast 2011 today. "It's a real honor to be recognized by the TAEP," stated Bob Stokes. "It is a distinguished organization whose membership comes from a broad spectrum of environmental professionals who work together to advance and improve the profession. It is a pleasure to work with many of its members on an almost daily basis." Read the full press release.
2011 Children’s Art Calendar winners celebrated
Proud students, families, art teachers, and principals gathered at an award ceremony to celebrate the seventeen winners of the 2011 Children’s Art Calendar on January 27th at Stephen F. Austin Elementary in Baytown. Students who live around the Bay were asked, “What people, plants, or animals can you find in and around Galveston Bay?” or “Who uses Galveston Bay?” Through their knowledge and creativity, they drew pictures to illustrate their answer to one of those questions. In its past 19 years, GBF estimates that this project has reached over 10,000 fifth grade students. The Galveston Bay Children’s Art Calendar is made possible by sponsors, NRG Texas and NRG’s retail electricity business, Reliant Energy.
Congress extends conservation easement tax benefits
Congress just renewed a tax incentive for private landowners who protect their land with a voluntary conservation agreement. Conservation-minded landowners now have until December 31, 2011 to take advantage of a significant tax deduction for donating a voluntary conservation agreement to permanently protect important natural or historic resources on their land. When landowners donate a conservation easement to GBF, they maintain ownership and management of their land and can sell or pass the land on to their heirs, while foregoing future development rights. For more information email Matt Singer, GBF's Conservation Lands Manager, at msinger@galvbay.org, or visit the Land Trust Alliance website.
GBF hosts restoration event at Galveston Island State Park for RAE Conference
Galveston Bay Foundation hosted a restoration event on November 13th for the Restore America's Estuaries (RAE) 5th National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration. At the Galveston Island State Park habitat restoration event, 30,000 stems of cordgrass were planted with the help of GBF staff and local partners, plus 130 volunteers including RAE staff/members, conference attendees, Marathon, Mitsui, and the Gulf of Mexico Foundation. The event was part of a series of projects on West Galveston Island that will help restore more than 328 acres of intertidal wetlands. See GBF's Facebook for more photos. Read more at Chron.com.
Oil spill response capabilities discussed at GBF's Quarterly Meeting
Galveston Bay Foundation hosted a panel on November 4, 2010, to discuss oil spill response capabilities in and around Galveston Bay. GBF thanks our informative guest panelists and our members who came out to learn more about the process and roles during oil spill recovery. Panelists who presented at the meeting are actively involved in oil spill recovery along the Texas and Gulf states. Panelists included Phil Glenn of Clean Channel Association, Commander Jim Elliott of the United States Coast Guard, and Maren Harding of the Texas General Land Office. The panelists presented about the capabilities for local oil spill response in addition to answering questions related to many individuals' concerns about the BP Deepwater Horizon Spill.
Volunteers from GE help clean up Burnet Bay
The Galveston Bay Foundation and GE Houston employees cleaned up trash at the wetland restoration site in Burnet Bay in Baytown, Texas on Saturday, October 30th. GE is undertaking this clean up as part of it’s 4th Annual Hands on Houston program in which volunteers participate in various activities around the city. On Saturday, over 40 GE volunteers filled 192 bags of trash, retrieved 18 tires, 6 TVs, 1 computer, and 2 twin mattresses for an approximate total of 6000 pounds of trash. Because of its location, the Burnet Bay upland peninsula collects trash from both the road and the water. Cleaning up the trash will keep it out of the water way improving the quality of the water body and out of the way of the recreational fishermen who enjoy the area. See all of the photos on GBF's Facebook page.
Over 800 riders took part in Bike Around the Bay 2010
Bike Around the Bay sponsored by Shell is the annual two-day, 150-mile ride benefiting the Galveston Bay Foundation. This year's ride took place on October 16th and 17th. Over 800 cyclists made the trek from Anahuac to Galveston on Day 1 and then from Galveston to Baytown on Day 2. Galveston Bay Foundation thanks all of the support team, volunteers, and riders who made for a great 2010 event! Check out all of the action shots on Bike Around the Bay's facebook page. Our friends at wiredin.cc also have some photos worth checking out!
Gulf Coast poll shows widespread political support for restoration funding
A new poll issued on September 29th shows that almost 8 in 10 voters in Texas believe that restoring the health of the Gulf Region should be an extremely high priority. This is particularly timely because it comes a day after the Federal Mabus Report recommended that a significant amount of the penalties collected from BP for this summer’s oil spill be dedicated to a Gulf restoration fund. For more details, see GBF’s press release and the related story in the Houston Chronicle.
2010 Guardian of the Bay Award Luncheon
Galveston Bay Foundation’s 2010 Guardian of the Bay Award Luncheon was held on September 15 at the Hotel ZaZa. The Honorary Luncheon Co-chairs were Janiece Longoria Lasher and George Pontikes, Jr. The Keynote “State of the Bay” speaker was the Honorable William E. King. 2010 Guardian of the Bay Awards were given to the following recipients:
Industry--Intercontinental Terminals Company
Community--Katherine Fay and Frank Smith
Government--Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia
Controlling invasive species--Brazilian peppertree eradication
The Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF) is currently engaged in a project to eradicate Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolius, from Galveston Island. Brazilian peppertree is a non-native, invasive plant species that was brought to Texas as an ornamental plant and is considered one of the greatest threats to native biodiversity. This opportunistic species quickly forms dense thickets, shading out native vegetation and drastically affecting plant and animal communities. Read more at our Invasive Species Control page to learn about this eradication project and who to contact if you have Brazilian Peppertree growing on your property.
The fall campaign season is here for workplace giving!
You can help support the Galveston Bay Foundation with a workplace payroll contribution through Earth Share of Texas, a federation representing GBF and more than 70 of America’s most respected environmental and conservation organizations. Many private employers offer Earth Share as an option, but here are the Galveston Bay Foundation's Earth Share codes for some of the biggest public campaigns:
Environmental Flows: Let your voice be heard.
Galveston Bay needs freshwater! The health of an estuary like Galveston Bay is dependent upon adequate amounts of freshwater flowing from our area rivers, bayous, creeks. Freshwater and the salty water of the Gulf of Mexico meet and mix in Galveston Bay, offering a rich habitat in which so many plants and animals flourish. Without adequate flows, the bay would become too salty and cease to provide such a bountiful harvest of fish and shellfish for our recreational and commercial fisheries. Over the next 20-30 years, local population growth and population growth in the Dallas-Fort Worth region of the Trinity River watershed will put a tremendous strain on the freshwater resources flowing into Galveston Bay. We need YOUR help to make sure the freshwater keeps flowing to Galveston Bay! New legislation means you can have a say! Read more here.
Photo credit: NASA - JSC
GBF's successful "Get Hip to Habitat" program gains momentum
GBF's Get Hip to Habitat program greatly expanded in the 2009-2010 Academic Year. Participants included 11 schools, 25 classes, 188 nursery pools, 573 students, and 90 parent volunteers throughout the Houston-Galveston area. From Aldine to Texas City, students were exposed to several facets of marsh grass restoration. Students harvested smooth cordgrass from an existing wetlands nursery in Baytown, transplanted the plugs to pots, and cultivated the stems in shallow, plastic pools at their schools. They also carefully monitored and maintained the salinity and pH of the water in their mini-marsh nurseries throughout the school year--to ensure overall health of the plants. This spring (after 7 to 8 months of growth), GBF assisted the students in planting the matured cordgrass at marsh restoration sites in Nassau Bay and Oak Island. See related news coverage from Channel 39, The Citizen, and the Daily News.
Marsh Mania wrap up: 300 volunteers help plant 6 sites this spring!
GBF's annual Marsh Mania event took place on May 1st and June 5th this year. With the help of over 300 volunteers, an estimated 5.68 acres were planted with 43,000+ stems of smooth cordgrass and other wetland plants, restoring six sites across the greater Houston-Galveston region. This year's sites included Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Sheldon Lake State Park, Terramar, Nassau Bay, Virginia Point and Sportsman Road. Thank you to everyone who came out in support of GBF's marsh restoration projects! If you participated on May 1st at Terramar, Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Nassau Bay or Sheldon Lake State park, please take this survey. If you participated on June 5th at Virginia Point or Sportsman Road, please take this survey.
Thanks for joining us at BAY DAY 2010
Galveston Bay Foundation hosted its annual Bay Day event on Saturday, May 15, 2010, at the Kemah Boardwalk. We appreciate all participants who came out to support a great cause for bay awareness and environmental education. This free annual event hosts live entertainment and lots of interactive, educational exhibits and demonstrations for families to learn about Galveston Bay. Read more about Bay Day 2010 and view our event photos.
Oil Spill Recovery Update
The Galveston Bay Foundation remains on standby to provide volunteer help in the case of any local impacts from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In that effort, we are collecting names and information for volunteers who may assist in the recovery process. If you are interested in volunteering with GBF, please fill out the necessary volunteer form. Volunteers without specific oil spill response training will likely serve in a support role to trained responders and will not come in contact with any hazardous materials. We are monitoring this situation closely and will contact you as soon as the need arises. If you would like to provide direct help to our sister organization, visit the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. For all the latest information regarding the spill, check out GBF's oil response page. Thank you.
GBF's newest conservation easement on West Galveston Island
Trash Bash 2010: Thank you volunteers for a successful event!
On March 27, 2010, 150 Galveston Bay Foundation volunteers cleaned Sims Bayou for the annual Trash Bash event. Starting from Glenbrook Park, Reveille Park, and Sims Woods, GBF volunteers cleaned 4 miles of shoreline collecting more than 90 bags of trash (for over 1,800 pounds of trash)! Additionally this year, GBF made a substantial effort to collect aluminum cans and plastic bottles for recycling; volunteers collected 17 bags of recyclables! After the cleanup, volunteers enjoyed lunch, door prizes, and the drumming of Angel Quesada "and some special helpers" at Glenbrook Park. Thank you to all the volunteers who came out Saturday!
Upper Gulf Coast Oyster Waters TMDL Implementation Plan
The Galveston Bay Foundation is initiating a community-driven effort to lower the bacteria levels in the waters of Galveston Bay. We need your help and input to develop reduction measures and a monitoring plan to lower the fecal coliform concentrations in six segments of the Upper Gulf Coast: Upper Galveston Bay, Trinity Bay, East Bay, West Bay, Lower Galveston Bay, and Chocolate Bay. The bacteria levels have reached critical levels in some areas and we must take action to ensure the long-term health of our waters. For more information and workgroup meeting schedules, please visit our TMDL page.
GBF's Get Hip to Habitat Program in The Daily News
The Get Hip to Habitat program of the Galveston Bay Foundation recently made Galveston County's The Daily News. Get Hip to Habitat brings our education and marsh restoration initiatives together in one program. With this program, GBF works closely with students and teachers to establish a salt marsh wetland nursery on their school campus grounds and later transplant their established grasses to Galveston Bay wetlands. Read the full news story here!
TPWD's Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Event
Galveston Bay Foundation staff and volunteers assisted the Texas Parks and Wildlife with their 8th annual Texas Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program. The event spans over a 10-day period in February when all Texas bays are closed to crabbing with crab traps, and any traps left in the bay are presumed to be abandoned and considered litter under state law, thus allowing volunteers to legally remove any crab traps they find. On February 20, GBF staff and volunteers helped remove over 175 abandoned crab traps from Trinity Bay.
GBF Accepts Presidential Award for Contributions at North Deer Island
On December 2, 2009, the North Deer Island Protection Team received the Coastal America Partnership Award-the only environmental award of its kind given by the President of the United States-for their efforts to protect the most important colonial water bird rookery on the upper Texas coast: North Deer Island. The project spanned over nine years and protected 1.7 miles of North Deer Island's rapidly eroding shoreline. GBF was a partner on the project along with Audubon Texas, NRG Energy, EPA Gulf of Mexico Program, EPA Region-6, Houston Audubon Society, Texas Commission of Environmental Quality--Galveston Bay Estuary Program, Texas General Land Office, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The full press release is viewable here. Congratulatory letter from President Obama is available here.
LEFT: GBF President, Bob Stokes, accepting the award from Eileen Sobeck, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, US Department of Interior. RIGHT: GBF staffers celebrating the award.
GBF Applauds New EPA Timetable for Critical San Jacinto River Dioxin Cleanup
GBF has issued a press release applauding a new Environmental Protection Agency timetable requiring two companies to clean up a submerged industrial dumpsite that has been leaking a cancer-causing chemical, dioxin, into the San Jacinto River and Galveston Bay. Read the related article on the Galveston County Daily News website, or read the press release here.
Marsh Planting is Final Step for Burnet Bay Restoration Project
Work on the Burnet Bay Wetlands Restoration Project broke ground in June, and we are proud to announce that all of the mounds have been planted with marsh grass. This project will restore over 30 acres of intertidal wetlands. Our latest "Marsh Mania" event was held Friday, November 6th with volunteers from ConocoPhillips. Here's the video from the restoration event:
Strategies For Future Hurricane Mitigation: A Galveston Bay Foundation Position Paper
Hurricane Ike caused terrible loss of life, injuries, property destruction, and environmental harm to the Galveston Bay region. In response to this devastation, several proposals have been made which seek to limit damage from a future storm. The Galveston Bay Foundation urges that any solutions proposed to limit damage from future storms go through a full environmental review and recognize the importance of the natural environment, including our bay marshes, seagrasses and oyster reefs. Please click here to read more about our position on these proposed solutions.
We're getting "Hip to Habitat" with Lanier Middle School, featured on Channel 39 News
"Get Hip to Habitat" is a program of the Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF) that brings our education and marsh restoration initiatives together in one program. With this program, GBF works closely with students and teachers to establish a salt marsh wetland nursery on their school campus grounds and later transplant their established grasses to Galveston Bay wetlands. Lanier Middle School was recently featured on Channel 39 News. Check out the news footage here!
GBF working with TPWD, FWS, and local residents to restore oyster reefs
As a result of Hurricane Ike, half of the oyster reefs in Galveston Bay were destroyed. Recently, the Galveston Bay Foundation teamed up with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and local residents to restore oyster reefs in Galveston Bay. Click here to read recent coverage by the Galveston County Daily News on this effort.
100+ Take Part in September's Marsh Restoration Project at Burnet Bay
On September, 19, 2009, the Galveston Bay Foundation hosted a marsh restoration project at Burnet Bay in Baytown, Texas. Thanks to all of the volunteers from ITC and Mitsui USA who came out to replant marsh vegetation! Upon completion of the marsh planting, the project will restore over 30 acres of intertidal wetlands.
Houston Green Scene @ Marsh Mania
Marsh Mania Featured on Channel 39's Going Green with Yolanda Green
GBF recently had the opportunity to meet with Yolanda Green of Channel 39 (KIAH)'s "Going Green" to discuss our annual Marsh Mania event. The program aired on June 13 and 14 and can be viewed online by clicking here.
