Club Notes
Message from the Chair - The Houston
Sierra Club Needs You
Dear Houston Sierra Club Member, It's time for the Houston Sierra Club's annual
fundraising drive again. It takes both dedication and money to keep our local work going.
The Houston Group receives only 50 cents per member in dues subvention from the national
Sierra Club, which usually allows us about $2,500 per year. That covers the printing and
mailing costs of just two of the ten issues of the "Bayou Banner". That still
leaves the other eight issues, paying for meeting room & telephone, and of course our
vital conservation work. (Oct 08)
50¢ Out of $39
Perhaps you think that your annual Sierra Club dues of $39 goes a long way
toward paying for the work of the Houston Sierra Club. Would you believe that your dues do
not even pay for mailing the Bayou Banner? That's right. The Houston Sierra Club (HSC),
receives about 50 cents per year as "dues subvention" from the Sierra Club (the
national organization to whom you paid your dues). It costs us 16.5¢ to mail each copy of
the Banner, so our annual mailing cost is $1.65 per member. That doesn’t include the
cost of printing. We have considered emailing the Banner to those who request it, but that
is not practical at this time. (Oct 08)
Annual Auction December 4, 2008 -
Volunteers and Donations Needed
We will hold our fundraising "Live and Silent Annual Action" along with
our Holiday Gathering at our December monthly General Meeting, Thursday, December 4, at
6:30 p.m. (Sep 08)
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ICO
Youth
General Conservation
Making All Gulf Towns "Cool Cities":
Volunteer Training Blitz July 7, 8 and 9
Cool Cities, the Sierra Club’s solutions-oriented campaign to address global
warming at the local level through energy efficiency, is expanding in the Houston
metropolitan area. The campaign is forming teams to meet with all area mayors, and we're
having lunch and evening trainings on three consecutive days in July to make it easy for
everyone to participate! (Jul 08)
Guadalupe Mountains National Park Needs Your Comments
by June 16 for General Management Plan
The National Park Service (NPS) has released the Draft General Management
Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (GMP) for Guadalupe Mountains National Park (GMNP) for
public comment. This will be the first change in the GMP since 1976! Your comments are
needed to ensure that wilderness and wildlife are fully protected. (Jul 08)
I-69 / Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) Needs
Your Comments Now!
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA) have proposed I-69/TTC in a Tier I, Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)
that is available for public review and comment. This mammoth proposal envisions a 20-50
year building program that could cost $20 billion or more. I-69/TTC would consist of a
four lane truck toll road; a six lane passenger vehicle toll road; two freight train
tracks; two commuter rail tracks; two high-speed rail tracks; and a utility corridor for
pipelines and power-lines. (Mar 08)
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Forestry
Save the Lone Star Hiking Trail
The Sierra Club and the Lone Star Hiking Trail could really use your help. Please
read the fact sheet/sample letter and send in your own letter today. Please pass the word
around. We need everyone's help. (Dec 08)
Big Thicket National Preserve to Begin Public
Participation and Input for General Management Plan in 2009
The National Park Service (NPS) will begin the General Management Plan (GMP)
public participation and input process in 2009 for Big Thicket National Preserve (BTNP).
The GMP is the document that ensures that BTNP and its natural resources are protected, on
a consistent, day-to-day basis, from oil/gas development, exotic species like feral hogs
and Chinese tallows, and recreational use and determines what facilities and activities
will be allowed. Public participation and input will be sought later in the year for the
draft GMP. (Dec 08)
Big Thicket National Preserve Boundary Expansion Bill,
HR 5891, Introduced by Congressman Brady
U.S. Representative Kevin Brady has introduced HR 5891 in the U.S. Congress
to expand the size of Big Thicket National Preserve (BTNP) from 97,000 acres to 197,000
acres. (Jul 08)
Forest Service Proposes Future Old Growth for First
Time
On December 21, 2007, for the first time since the 1996 Land and Resource
Management Plan (LRMP) was approved for the four national forests in Texas, the U.S.
Forest Service (FS) proposed designation of two areas (stands) in Sam Houston National
Forest (SHNF) as Future Old Growth (FOG). According to the LRMP FOG areas are "Areas
which have been designated to eventually become old growth. Areas will be subject only to
natural forces. No active management practices such as thinning will be applied to these
areas to develop or enhance old growth attributes." The Houston Sierra Club has been
advocating for FOG designation in SHNF for 12 years. (Mar 08)
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Transportation
Grand Parkway Toll Road Proposal Will Assault the Katy
Prairie
The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FIES) for Segment E of the Grand
Parkway (GP) toll road is out for public comment. Segment E is the part of the GP toll
road that would slash 14 miles through the Katy Prairie. The result of this proposed toll
road is the direct destruction of 500-700 acres of the Katy Prairie and the indirect
destruction of thousands of acres more of the Katy Prairie due to secondary development
fueled by construction of this unneeded "Road to Nowhere". (Jan 08)
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Watershed Management
Clean Water & Air
Habitat Preservation
Katy Prairie Teeming With Life – Come for a Visit
The Houston Sierra Club visited the Katy Prairie on December 20, 2008. We saw
just how alive a prairie can be, just 30 miles from Downtown Houston. At the close of the
day we saw or heard about 42 species of birds. (Dec 08)
Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge Hit Hard by Hurricane
Ike
Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), as well as Texas Point, Moody, and
McFaddin National Wildlife Refuges, were hit hard by Hurricane Ike in September 2008. All
refuges are currently closed to the public and all public visitation and hunts have been
cancelled. (Dec 08)
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December 2008/January 2009 -
(0.9mb) 
Annual Auction on December 4th
ExCom Election
Anahuac NWR Hit Hard by Hurricane Ike
November 2008 -
(0.7mb)
Early Voting Information
Annual Auction on December 4th
Sierra Club Comments at Annual TPWD Public Session
Hurricane Ike Effects
October 2008 -
(0.7mb)
Annual Auction - Volunteers and Donations Needed
50c out of $39
Non-native Invasive Plant Proposal
September 2008 -
(0.7mb)
Annual Auction - Volunteers and Donations Needed
Texas Computer Recycling Program Begins in September
ICO Summer Program
Bike Around the Bay
July/August 2008 -
(0.7mb)
Martin Dies, Jr. State Park Re-Opens
Joy George Receives Service Award for 2006-2007
Outings Service Awards for 2006-2007 to John Berlinghoff, John Sims and Dale Stevens
Guadalupe Mountains National Park Needs Your Comments for General Management Plan
June 2008 - (0.7mb)
TCEQ Grants Radioactive Waste Disposal Permit
2008 Marks 40th Anniversary of the Lone Star Hiking Trail
Chinquapin School on the Trail with ICO
George Batten Receives Brom Wilkin Award
Stephanie O'Leary Receives Outing Service Award
May 2008 - (0.7mb)
Sierra Club Criticizes Bush Administration's Massive Border Wall Waiver
Citizens' Transportation Coalition Wins Chapter Award
Lorraine Gibson Receives Chapter Service Award
April 2008 - (0.7mb)
Global Warming - Get it Right the First Time
Opposing the Trans-Texas Corridor
Christmas Mountains
Sierra Club National Election
March 2008 - (0.7mb)
Clean Water Restoration Act
I-69 Trans-Texas Corridor Needs Your Comments!
Forest Service Proposes Future Old Growth
The New Executive Committee
February 2008 -
(0.7mb)
Shell Oil Lawsuit
Year of the Reef
Help Improve Bike Access on MetroRail
