H-GAC's Parks and Natural Areas Awards Application Period Now Open

H-GAC's annual Parks and Natural Areas Awards program is now accepting awards applications.

The Parks and Natural Areas Awards recognize projects in four categories: Projects Over $500,000; Projects Under $500,000; Planning Process and Policy Tools; and Programming. Winning entries serve as models for planning and project implementation for parks and natural areas in the region. The application period will be open until 3 p.m. Thursday, September 28.   

Applications will only be accepted online, and an application guide is available to help you prepare your applications. No funding is associated with this awards program.  

Winners will be notified in December and recognized in 2024. For more information, contact Andrea Tantillo. 

H-GAC Welcomes New Principal Planner for Livable Centers Program

Sarai Osorio has joined the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Community and Environmental Planning Department as a Principal Planner. She will focus on strategic planning for the H-GAC Livable Centers Program, including the upcoming call for project sponsors, and will lead the planning for the agency’s annual Fall Planning Workshop. Cheryl Mergo, Senior Manager, and Jose Cantu, Regional Planner, will continue in their roles with the department and the Livable Centers program.

“Livable Centers aims to address the interconnectedness and diversity of challenges within auto-focused infrastructure across the region. Now more than ever, it is vital for our communities to reflect a mix of development types that are walkable, connected, and accessible by multiple types of transportation modes,” said Sarai. “Livable Centers hinges upon policies and recommendations that are innovative, equitable, inclusive, and appropriate for respective communities. I approach the opportunity to contribute to this legacy with a profound sense of responsibility.”

Before joining H-GAC, Sarai was a Planner with a transportation planning & engineering consulting firm working on over 25 projects across the Southern California region ranging from Transportation Plans to Pedestrian Plans, Local Roadway Safety Plans, Active Transportation Plans, Tactical Urbanism Demonstrations, and Multi-Modal initiatives. For over five years, she has worn many hats throughout her career, from data analytics, research, technical writing, and visual communications. She uses her community outreach skills, facilitation skills, graphic visualization skills, and fluency in Spanish to guide the development of various project types meant to serve vulnerable and underserved populations. Sarai received her master’s degree in Urban Planning with a concentration in Urban Design from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, and she received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Urban and Regional Studies from University of California, Los Angeles.

H-GAC Seeks Public Input on Hazard Mitigation Planning Survey

H-GAC is working with the City of Angleton and Austin, Liberty, and Walker counties' Offices of Emergency Management to update Hazard Mitigation Plans for the entities and participating jurisdictions within them. We are seeking public input to help develop the plans that will include a risk assessment, capability assessment, and a hazard mitigation action plan.

If you reside, work, or own property in Angleton or Austin, Liberty, or Walker counties, please consider completing this important survey.

Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable – September 11 (In Person) 

The next Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday, September 11, at H-GAC second floor conference rooms. 

Registration is requested, but not required to attend.

Learn about the overall importance of prairies; funding sources; tools municipalities can use to preserve, restore native prairies; best practices and tools available for landowners; embedding pocket prairies into the urban sphere; regional prairies; prairies as part of placemaking; and communicating about prairies to the public. 

Presenters include:

• Royce Daniels, Environmental Field Operations Coordinator, Harris County Pct. 1
• Jaime González, Community & Equitable Conservation Programs Director, The Nature Conservancy in Texas
• Mary Anne Piacentini, President and CEO, Coastal Prairie Conservancy
• Cassidy Kempf, Habitat Restoration Manager, City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department
• Schyler Rhea, Conservationist, Wildlife Habitat Federation
• Garry Stephens, Executive Managing Director, Wildlife Habitat Federation

We are also planning a field trip to Galveston Island parks from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday, November 17. Details and registration information are available online. 

The roundtable meets the second Monday of July and September, with field trips typically scheduled in the spring and fall and an awards ceremony in February. The group is open to anyone who is interested in participating. 

For more information, contact Andrea Tantillo. 

Elements of Placemaking Beyond Aesthetics Workshop – September 14 (In Person) 

Make plans to attend Elements of Placemaking Beyond Aesthetics from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, September 14, at H-GAC second floor conference rooms. 

Registration is requested, but not required, to attend.

At H-GAC’s annual Livable Centers Land Use / Transportation Workshop, participants will

• Learn about Livable Centers projects that have been implemented around the region; and
• Learn about different elements of placemaking beyond aesthetics, such as safety, economic development, and environmental impact.

Confirmed presenters include:

• Eileen Egan, Near Northwest Management District  
• Veronica Gorczynski, East End Management District  
• Amna Ansari and Marcus Martinez, Ultra Barrio
• Selina Valdez and Veronica Sanches, East Aldine Management District 
• Jason O'Mara, City of Angleton 

This event is eligible for 3 CM Credits from the American Planning Association.

For more information, contact Jose Cantu.

September is Commute Solutions Month

Join us in celebrating Commute Solutions Month September 2023. The Commute Solutions team has put together a series of webinars to help you increase your team's productivity and morale, recruit and retain top talent, decrease parking overhead, and create a work-life balance that helps your employees drive less and live more.

Webinar Dates

Tuesday, September 5: Exploring the Elements of an Outstanding Commuter-Friendly Workplace

Tuesday, September 12: ConnectSmart – Innovating Transportation Mobility with Technology for the Houston Region

Tuesday, September 19: Advocating for Vanpool in a Hybrid Work Environment

Tuesday, September 26: Biking is Transportation 

All presentations will be from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

For more information on the speaker sessions, visit yourcommutesolution.org. 

Houston GIS Day – November 16 (In Person) 

Save the date for the 2023 Houston Area GIS Day on Thursday, November 16, at the University of Houston – Clear Lake campus, 2700 Bay Area Blvd, Bayou Building, Houston. Houston GIS Day is a one-day celebration of Geographic Information Systems for local GIS professionals, universities, high school students, and teachers. 

This year’s activities include: 

• Live Educational Presentations for Students 
• Live Geospatial Presentations for Professionals 
• College and University GIS Program Exhibitors 
• Geospatial Exhibitors and Vendors 
• Student GIS Activities and Games 
• Professional Map Contests and More! 

For more event information including sponsor, exhibitor, speaker, and volunteer opportunities, visit the 2023 Houston Area GIS Day website.

Texas Regional Stormwater Wetland Manual Available

Do you know a community that is looking to implement stormwater management practices? Are you interested in stormwater wetlands but not sure how to start? Use this new manual to start the conversation. This is a non-technical guide to begin the planning stages, from exploring partnerships to performing economic benefit analysis. It gives some guidelines for location, timelines, and design features to consider before you begin your next stormwater wetland project. For more information or to request hard copies of the manual, contact Christie Taylor at christina.taylor@ag.tamu.edu. You can read the full manual online.

Adopt-A-Beach Coastwide Fall Cleanup – September 23

Save the date for the Adopt-A-Beach Spring Cleanup on Saturday, September 23, at various Texas beaches. This annual event by the Texas General Land Office encourages volunteers to help keep beaches clean. Since the program began in 1986, more than 567,000 volunteers have removed 9,8000 tons of trash from Texas beaches. Registration information and a list of cleanup locations are available online. 

DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back – October 28

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 28. Check the DEA website in early October for area drop-off locations. The collection event provides a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications and environmental contamination. Law enforcement agencies interested in hosting a collection site should call the point of contact for this area. 

STAR Texas Recycling Conference – November 1-3

Mark your calendars for the 25th Annual Texas Recycling Summit November 1-3 in San Marcos. The State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR) hosts the summit to bring together more than 200 industry professionals from schools, cities, businesses, and NGOs to collaborate, educate, and network as we collectively advance recycling in Texas. Attendees interact with more than 40 exhibitors and gain useful insights from keynote speakers, workshops and breakout and plenary sessions. Registration is now open.