H-GAC Seeks Input on Development of Regional Mitigation Funds Method of Distribution – February 3 (Online)

H-GAC is seeking input on the development of a Method of Distribution (MOD) for $488,762,000* in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Mitigation funds to provide financial assistance to areas that are heavily impacted by flooding and other disaster-related issues. These funds can be used for a variety of eligible project types to mitigate against risks posed by flooding, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.

Oral and written comments for the development of the MOD will be accepted online at public planning meetings scheduled for the following dates and times on Zoom:

Registration is required for each meeting.

H-GAC will also accept oral and written comments on the development of the MOD until Friday, February 4, at 5 p.m. To submit a comment, you may:

For more information on the development of the MOD, please visit h-gac.com/hurricane-harvey-recovery/community-development-block-grant-mitigation-funds-regional-mitigation-program

Natural Resources Advisory Committee Meeting – February 3 (Online)

The Natural Resources Advisory Committee (NRAC) will meet from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, February 3.

The event will be online, and registration is required.

NRAC is seeking nominations for committee membership which will be discussed further at this meeting. Additionally, Matt Singer of the Galveston Bay Foundation, will present on recent successes in land conservation.

The NRAC serves as a forum to advise the H-GAC Board and local decision-makers on policy issues affecting natural resources in the 13-county Houston-Galveston region. Its membership includes diverse representatives from local governments, natural resource management agencies, environmental organizations, and the private sector.

For more information, contact Rachel Windham.

Parks and Natural Areas Summit and Awards – February 11 (Online)

Make Plans to attend the Parks and Natural Areas Awards recognition ceremony to be from 10 a.m. to noon Friday, February 11.

This event will be online, and registration is required.

Award-winning projects serve as models for planning and project implementation for parks and natural areas in the region. Projects will be honored in four categories: Planning Process/Policy Tools, On-the-Ground Projects Over $500,000, On-the-Ground Projects Under $500,000, and, new this year, Programming.

For more information, contact Andrea Tantillo.

Clean Waters Initiative Workshop - February 14 (Online)

Join H-GAC for a Clean Waters Initiative workshop titled "Navigating Texas Water Development Board Grants and Loans for Water and Wastewater” from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday, February 14.

The event is online, and registration is required.

For more information, contact Todd Running.

Trash Free Texas Adopt-A-Spot Webinar – February 24 (Online)

Save the date for a Trash Free Texas Adopt-A-Spot webinar from 9 to 10 a.m. Thursday, February 24.

The event will be online, and registration is required.

At this webinar, participants will explore ways to use the Adopt-A-Spot website as part of new or ongoing litter cleanup efforts and have a conversation with Adopt-A-Spot partners who will share success stories and answer questions. 

This webinar is a part of H-GAC’s Trash Free Texas project. For this project, H-GAC has partnered with the North Central Texas Council of Governments and the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment  to establish a unified, coordinated approach to litter abatement and community engagement in the six river basins in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston-Galveston regions. 

For more information contact Kendall Guidroz.

Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable – March 14 (Online)

Mark your calendar for the next Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Monday, March 14.

This event will be online, and registration is required.

 For more information, contact Andrea Tantillo.

River, Lakes, Bays ‘N Bayous Trash Bash® – March 26

The River, Lakes, Bays ‘N Bayous Trash Bash®, Texas’s largest single-day waterway cleanup, is excited to welcome back volunteers to the 28th annual event on Saturday, March 26.

Since its inception, more than 114,000 volunteers have collected over 2,300 tons of trash, 20 tons of recyclable materials, and 11,629 tires. Find out how to volunteer and promote a healthy Galveston Bay watershed at one of their many cleanup locations on March 26. Trash Bash hopes you will come out and help “Clean it like you mean it!” ®

Find more information, including registration links and public health guidelines, at www.trashbash.org.

Bringing Back Main Street Roundtable – April 26

Save the date for the next Bringing Back Main Street Roundtable Tuesday, April 26.

The time, location, and topic will be announced.

The Bringing Back Main Street initiative offers local communities a place to share best practices and engage in a regional dialogue about revitalizing and supporting vibrant downtown spaces. Each quarter, community leaders gather for a roundtable on topics ranging from small business support to sidewalk infrastructure.

For more information, contact Sarah Torresen.

For more than 30 years, Keep Texas Beautiful, in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation has awarded the prestigious Governor's Community Achievement Awards to Texas communities for their outstanding overall efforts to keep their communities beautiful. This year, 10 winning communities will share $2 million in landscaping awards from the Texas Department of Transportation, with the amount based on population size. The funds are used for landscaping projects along local rights-of-way. There is a $25 application fee. The deadline to apply is Thursday, February 17. 

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is hosting the Take Care of Texas Art Contest for kindergarten-fifth grade students to depict positive ways to help keep the air and water clean, conserve water and energy, and reduce waste. The deadline to enter is Friday, March 4.

The Texas General Land Office's 26th Annual Treasures of the Texas Coast Children's Art Contest is accepting entries. All public, private, and home-schooled students in kindergarten-sixth grade are invited to submit artwork depicting why the Texas coast is important or special to the student. Prizes include inclusion in a 2023 calendar and event tickets to Texas destinations, and a grand prize of airline tickets and a cruise. The teacher of the student with the winning artwork will also receive recognition and prizes. The deadline to enter is Wednesday, March 2.

Resiliency and Recovery Workshop – February 16

The Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC) and the International Sustainable Resiliency Center are hosting the Resiliency and Recovery Workshop: Don't Mess With Texas-Gulf Coast from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, February 16. The free workshop on disaster resiliency and recovery will be at the Houston Marriott Sugar Land, 16090 City Walk, Sugar Land. Registration is required and closes on Friday, February 11, 2022. The workshop will focus on preparing communities to be more resilient to navigate disasters of all kinds, learning the best practices for business continuity, and accessing resources to aid in economic recovery. Each workshop participant will receive resource materials, a resilience scorecard, and important information to aid in resilience and recovery strategies for economic development. For more information, contact Amy Swank with TEDC.

The Galveston Bay Coalition of Watersheds, Texas Community Watershed Partners, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension office in Galveston County, Texas Riparian Association, and the Texas Water Resources Institute will co-host a one-day workshop on Tuesday, February 22, at the Galveston County Extension Office, 4102-B Main Street (Carbide Park), La Marque. This in-person Riparian and Stream Ecosystem Restoration workshop will include both indoor classroom and outdoor presentations by multiple natural resource agency experts and an outdoor field portion on Marchand Bayou to discover the function and the role of riparian vegetation in properly functioning systems. The program will cover an introduction to riparian principals, watershed processes, basic hydrology, erosion/deposition principles, and riparian vegetation, as well as potential causes of degradation and possible resulting impairments, and available local resources including technical assistance, and tools that can be employed to prevent and/or resolve degradation. RSVP is required. Online RSVP, Agenda, and CEC list. For more information please contact Lucas Gregory at 979-314-2361. This workshop is part of the Texas Water Resource Institute’s Texas Riparian and Stream Ecosystem program.

H-GAC has compiled a list of local, regional, state, federal, and private funding sources for local governments and other organizations. H-GAC also maintains a list of ongoing funding opportunities for parks improvements, conservation projects, and economic recovery resources.

If you know of a funding opportunity, forward it to Andrea Tantillo.

Looking for interactive applications or GIS data related to the H-GAC Community and Environmental Planning Department? Visit H-GAC's interactive applications web page.

H-GAC has a Facebook page where information about current and upcoming events is posted. Please visit and like H-GAC's page. While there, visit other H-GAC pages on Facebook, including Recycling, Trash Bash, and Regional Data Lab.