As part of our Regional Conservation Initiative, H-GAC will actively assist with preparing grant applications, convening stakeholders, and otherwise supporting the implementation of priority conservation projects across the 13-county H-GAC region. To guide our efforts, we are collecting information about planned conservation projects from local governments and non-governmental organizations and categorizing the projects in a priority list.

See the current priority project list and learn more about our work online. The list will be updated quarterly. 

Staff encourages you to submit your conservation projects by Friday, October 14, or email [email protected] with any questions.

Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable – October 10 (Online)

The next Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday, October 10.

The event will be online, and registration is required.

The topic will be “Building a Park from Scratch,” and speakers have been invited to present information about planning and implementation of parks projects. Confirmed speakers include Eric Heppen from Harris County Precinct 3 and Jed Aplaca from the City of Pasadena.

We are also still planning a field trip to Rick Rice Park in November or December. Please complete this survey with your preference of day and time if you’d like to join us at the park.

For more information, contact Andrea Tantillo.

Clean Waters Initiative Workshop – October 21 (In-Person)

Join us for H-GAC's Clean Waters Initiative workshop from 9 to noon, Friday, October 21.

The event will be at Clark Henry Park, 7804 Equador Street, Jersey Village, and registration is requested.

Participants will see a live demonstration of techniques used by the Clean Rivers Program regional monitoring team to assess water quality. H-GAC staff will also share information on where to access the data collected by the program and discuss the ways water quality data is used throughout the region.

For more information, contact Rachel Windham.

Rural and Small Town Downtown Revitalization Summit – October 25 (In-Person)

Join us for H-GAC's Rural and Small Town Downtown Revitalization Summit from 9 to noon, Tuesday, October 25.

The event will be at H-GAC, Second Floor Conference Rooms, and registration is requested.

For more information, contact Andrea Tantillo.

Houston GIS Day – November 16 (In-Person)

Save the date for the 2022 Houston Area GIS Day on Wednesday, November 16, at the University of Houston – Clear Lake campus, 2700 Bay Area Blvd, Bayou Building, Houston. The Houston Area GIS Day is a free, one-day celebration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for local GIS professionals, universities, high school students, and teachers.

For more event information including sponsor/exhibitor opportunities, speaker opportunities, map contest registration, and general attendance registration and information, please visit the links for each specific part of the event or visit the 2022 Houston Area GIS Day website.

Fall Planning Workshop – December 2 (Online)

Save the Date for H-GAC's annual Fall Planning Workshop from 9 to noon, Friday, December 2.

The event will be online, and registration is required.

The topic will be Accommodating Your Community: ADA Requirements for Local Governments. Experts will discuss Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) rules, policies, and best practices for making built environments and engagement accessible for all.

For more information, contact Cheryl Mergo.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) invites students in 6th through 12th grades to enter the annual Take Care of Texas Video Contest. Student videos should be 30 seconds long and portray positive ways Texans can help keep air and water clean, conserve water and energy, or reduce waste. The contest deadline is Friday, December 2, and the public will have the opportunity to pick their favorite videos January 17-23, 2023. There will be six winners. Waste Management of Texas, Inc. will provide prizes—gift cards and scholarships.  

The Clean Coast Texas initiative of the Texas General Land Office is offering free learning modules for managing stormwater and reducing water pollution. The learning modules provide knowledge and tools to promote and implement green stormwater infrastructure projects. The modules are self-paced, and successful completion of all three can be submitted for CEUs for the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors or the Texas Floodplain Management Association.

Sustainable Blue-Green Infrastructure and Urban Landscape – October 7 

Texas AgriLife Extension and Harris County present Sustainable Blue-Green Infrastructure and the Urban Landscape from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, October 7, at Houston Community College, 22910 Colonial Parkway, Katy. Spend the day learning best management practices and plant selection for blue-green infrastructure landscapes in the urban setting. Tickets are $50, and registration is required.

Register today to attend the State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR) 24th Annual Texas Recycling Summit. The event will be in person from October 12 to 14 at Tanglewood Resort, Lake Texoma. The in-person event will include speakers and workshop sessions, the Texas Environmental Leadership Awards dinner, networking, the STAR North Texas Annual Golf Tournament, fishing adventures, games and more.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 29. 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.

For more than two decades, communities have come together on November 15 to celebrate America Recycles Day. Find tools for organizing or attending special events online

H-GAC's Community and Environmental Planning Department 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, and conservation projects.

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

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)administers federal funding programs, including Federal Highway Administration funds relating to TxDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program and Federal Transit Administration funds for transit in Texas. These funds are for specific purposes and have separate eligibility and funding requirements. An upcoming call for projects is the Transportation Alternatives Set-aside (TA) Program, targeted to open this month.

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, and Trash Bash.