On-the-Ground Projects:

What is the project? Planting day at Stuart Park, June 25, 2011.BR> Installed plants in seven butterfly garden boxes near the entrance. The vast majority are natives, although also included were a number of species that are more Central Texas rather than East Texas, because of the punishing growing conditions in the raised beds.
Seven volunteers planting. (see pictures below)
     
What was the progress during the past two months? Irrigation issues are almost straightened out.
Effects of drought need to be looked at.

Anything else the board should be aware of, or take action on? I attended the Texas Watershed Steward Workshop on August 30, 2011, in Baytown. I am beginning to look at the Sims Bayou data from the H-GAC Water Quality Report. The overall evaluation of the Sims water quality is "significantly impaired or with concerns." There are 11 monitoring sites on Sims Bayou over the 19 mile length of Sims Bayou, and I will be in touch with Todd Running of H-GAC to learn more about this process.

1. Houston Sierra Club News

EASY CANOE TRIP on SIMS BAYOU
(SE near Hobby Airport)
Sunday Morning, March 27, 2011

Join us as we explore a more environmentally sensitive flood control project in the forgotten part of town. This will be an easy in town trip to see what a "good bayou rectification" plan looks like. We will also show you what "unimproved" means by paddling down through one or two of the original meanders of Sims Bayou so you can see the difference between a natural bayou and one that has been modified. This will be a combined HSC and Houston Canoe Club Trip. Contact us with or without a partner. A list of canoe/kayak rentals is available.
John Berlinghoff: johnb@hal-pc.org, 713-644-8228.

2. Neighborhood News

Council Member James G. Rodriguez
City Hall Annex
900 Bagby, First Floor
Houston, TX 77002

I am one of your neighbors in Garden Villas. We are having problems here with burglaries, thefts, and homeless encampments along the bayou. There seems to be a good chance that all of these things are related. Several people have called the city or the non-emergency police dispatcher to report the tent cities along Sims Bayou in the last month. At least one person has contacted your office. Finally, on Saturday, a crew came to clean out the biggest of the encampments which was hidden in the woods. This morning it looks like the campers just moved down the bayou and are now under the bridge at Telephone and Belfort. Also, a big blue tarp tent is still on the north side of the bayou near Belfort and Lancaster where it's been for over 2 weeks. This camp was also reported 2 weeks ago. There was another break-in Friday, March 5th, on North Haywood. Then on Friday morning, March 11th, there were 4 burglaries within a mile of my house. By the way, I had a break-in the week after Thanksgiving.

How about a little help for your constituents and neighbors? It is illegal to camp along the bayous, and, in a wealthier part of town, this would have been taken care of immediately. We are only asking for assistance with things that our tax dollars are supposed to take care of: safety, security, policing of the bayou. A proactive response could reduce the need in the future for serious interventions.

Maryanne Hugghins

"Protecting and restoring the richness and diversity of our waterways"