The Bayou Preservation Association's (BPA) Water Zone at Air Alliance Houston Earth Day 2011 at Discovery Green Park on April 23 was a huge hit among attendees, especially the canoe and kayak rides in the "lake," a collaboration between BPA and Bayou Shuttle Service. At least 220 children experienced the fun of a short "paddle trip," along with several young-at-heart adults.
The event proved to be an excellent example of a partnership among many individuals and organizations to educate the public about our most precious natural resource and its role in our lives in Houston.
Other "hot" activities and exhibits in the Water Zone on this warm spring day included:
- A diorama highlighting plant and animal life near the bayous
- Two watershed models to demonstrate how oil, fertilizer and trash wash into the bayous, causing pollution. (Created by Westside High School Environmental Science Club students under the direction of teacher Lawrence Spence)
- A map called "Which Watershed Do You Live In?" where you stick a push pin in your watershed location
- A rain barrel with instructions on how to make compost tea
- A display board with a sample of pervious pavement
- "Decomposing Game" where you guess how long it takes different items to decompose or disintegrate in the environment
- Watershed map puzzles and displays showing stormwater runoff by Harris County Flood Control District
- Rain gauge race organized by University of Houston faculty and students
- "Corral the Grease" game sponsored by City of Houston with fun giveaways
- Educational displays and information from Linda Knowles representing the Native Plant Society
Many thanks go to our partners at Earth Day 2011, (Harris County Flood Control, City of Houston, the University of Houston) as well as several BPA board members and staff who were instrumental in making the Water Zone one of the most outstanding attractions of the day. These include Bette Leite, Kevin Shanley, Evelyn Shanley, Lawrence Spence, Claire Caudill, Terri Thomas, Jennifer Hawkins, Kathy Lord, Marina Rossow, and Steve Hupp.
The second annual Earth Day Houston Festival attracted over 12000 visitors to Discovery Green
on Saturday, April 3, 2010. Bayou Preservation Association was the Water Zone sponsor once again.
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BPA Board Members: Allen Craig and Bruce Heiberg
demonstrating canoe rides |
BPA Executive Director, Kathy Lord
explaining the trash decomposition display |
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Kevin Shanley, BPA Chairman of the Board
explaining the rain barrel display |
BPA Board Member, Lawrence Spence
demonstrating watershed display |
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Rhett Rentrop from SWA Group
watershed beanbag throw game |
Maria Modelska from the University of Houston
the rain gauge race |
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Linda Knowles from Native Plants Society set up a display
explaining the difference between the native plants and the invasives |
BPA Board Member and Earth Day Festival organizer,
Terri Thomas and Terry Hershey, BPA Founder |
Everyone who visited Discovery Green on Saturday, April 11, 2009 agrees that the Earth Day Houston, a green living festival, presented by GHASP and Mothers for Clean Air was a great success.
The festivities began with a Mothers for Clean Air 5K race followed by a day-long celebration with family entertainment, environmental education, and much more. The event featured several areas of interest: Earth Zone (Air, Land, Renewable Energy, and Water), Environmental Education Zone, Kids Energy Zone, and Farmers Market.
BPA was the Water area host and our theme was water-related environmental issues.
We shared our tent with the volunteers from
City of Houston Drinking Water Operations - Linda Stice and Cynthia Dawn Ritchie brought watershed maps and encouraged our visitors to find out what watershed they lived in
City of Houston Wastewater Operations - Shondel Martin and his colleagues brought Corral the Grease containers, fridge magnets and can lids; and with the help from their mascot "Mr. Grease Buster" they were teaching our visitors not to pour the kitchen grease down the drain
Greens Bayou Corridor Coalition - Regina Lindsey volunteered at the BPA display table
HC Flood Control District - Carla Wyatt brought boxes and boxes of giveaways, including the HC watersheds puzzles, coloring books, and brochures; Carolyn White set up a watershed Enviroscape demonstration to show how the polluted water ends up in our bayous and other waterways
Native Plant Society of Texas - Linda Knowles brought samples of Texas native plants and the invasives, had a beautiful and very informational display on how to identify a native plant, and plenty of handouts
University of Houston - Maria Modelska and Lisa Grecho brought G.R.A.D.E. Camp maps representing different Houston bayous, and they brought rain gauges and other displays
A number of BPA Board Members volunteered their time at the Earth Day Houston festival to bring the BPA's mission and goals closer to Houstonians. The BPA President, Ty Kelly was in charge of the canoe display together with Allen Craig, BPA Treasurer. Kevin Shanley, Chairman of the Board and his wife Evelyn Born Shanley, the BPA Board White Oak Bayou Representative brought a rain barrel to demonstrate how easy it is to collect the rain water.
Lawrence Spence attracted groups of children and adults with the watershed Enviroscape demonstration. Claire Caudill brought a sample of porous concrete and her Low Impact Development display drew a lot of attention.
Carol Brejot, the BPA PR brought new BPA T-shirts for everyone to wear. All of us worked as a team: Karen Cornelius, Jennifer Hawkins, Heidi Massin, Robert Rayburn - to name just a few. Fred Lazare, BPA Accountant who came in 25th out of 453 runners that completed the Mothers for Clean Air Earth Day 5K race stopped by the BPA tent to see if he could help too.
Our Water area had a lot of visitors and some of them, if not all walked away more aware that water matters; that it's good to know what watershed is and how to keep our waterways clean; that we need to trap the grease and not pour it down the drains; that it's wise to collect rain water and use it in our gardens rather than just let it gush into the gutter; that there are many ways to prevent flooding; that we need to educate ourselves about the invasive plants; and that we all need to enjoy our bayous more whether it's in a canoe, or strolling along the banks. Those are just a few messages but we hope our visitors got even more from our displays and interactions with them.
If you missed this year's Earth Day Houston festival, visit our Photo Gallery to view some of the images from the event, and we hope to see you next year!
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