Posts by PM
Forest/Big Thicket
Overview According to Houston Wilderness, the Piney Woods is the southwestern-most remnant of what was once a huge contiguous pine forest that ran from East Texas through the southeast all the way to the Appalachian Mountains. They are some of the wettest areas of the state, with up to 50 inches of rainfall (on average).…
Read MoreGalveston Bay
Overview Galveston Bay is the state’s largest bay. The San Jacinto and Trinity Rivers (in addition to bayous and creeks) drain fresh water, sediments and nutrients into this semi-enclosed system, which mixes with salt water from the Gulf of Mexico. Estuaries are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, and 95% of fish species…
Read MoreCoastal Marshes
Overview Marshes rim the upper Texas coast, and provide a transition between prairies and bays. A salt marsh lines the salty water of the bay. It’s a muddy, mucky place with changing salinity, temperature and water levels. It’s dominated by Spartina alterniflora, which hides small shell- and finfish. A brackish, or intermediate, marsh is characterized…
Read MoreStudent Internships & Careers
Student Internships Lead to Careers in Conservation HOUSTON VIRTUAL GREEN JOB PROGRAM OCT. 6, 2020 Studies show that children who participate in healthy programs outside of school improve their academic performance and overall personal development. Great D… Out 2 Learn Houston This a public-private partnership committed to expanding access to high-quality out-of-school programming for all…
Read MoreTrunks
ECOSYSTEMS & WILDLIFE TRUNKS A trunk can be borrowed from any of these organizations. It comes with resources to enhance lessons in your classroom. For example, Project EduBat comes with curriculum, books to read-aloud, a DVD with a bat movie, plush dolls, bat skeletons, craft and lab supplies, and instructions. Bats Project EduBat from Bat…
Read MoreFood Gardening: how to grow produce & compost the leftovers
Below are resources to help you grow produce with students. Overview | Local Resources | Activities/Lessons | Videos Overview In Houston, you can grow fruits and vegetables all year long. Here’s a quick overview; contact our local resources for in-depth assistance. Start with good soil (at least 8 inches of loam). Build your own compost…
Read MoreGardening for Wildlife
Overview Pocket prairies. Butterfly gardens. Planter pots with a spot of color. Anyone can help pollinators by planting natives in their schoolyard. Let the children scatter the seeds, pick and dissect flowers in the Spring, harvest seed heads for the next generation, listen to the grasses sway, journal about what they see, hear and smell,…
Read MoreEnergy
Overview Every state in the United States provides electricity to its residents. Obviously, electricity is a modern necessity that every household needs in order to survive. But, some states produce more electricity than others. Texas is one of those States. Texas produces a lot of electricity. How much? Texas produces over 11% of the entire…
Read MoreLocal Resources
Don’t know which watershed you live in? You can search by address on the Galveston Bay Report Card’s Find Your Watershed tool (regional map) or the Texas Watershed Viewer from Texas Parks and Wildlife (state map). These maps from Bayou Preservation Association show the 22 bayou systems and waterways in the greater Houston region. Most of these watersheds…
Read More