Announcements

Trash Bash® Celebrates 32 Years of Water Cleanups  

On March 28, the River, Lakes, Bays ‘N Bayous Trash Bash® held its 32nd annual litter cleanup event. A total of 1,843 volunteers helped remove 29.5 tons of trash and 256 illegally dumped tires from 49.4 miles of shoreline in the lower Galveston Bay watershed. 

When combined, volunteers have removed 2,573 tons of trash and 12,785 illegally dumped tires since the first event in 1994. 

Learn more about Trash Bash® online. 

Natural Resources Advisory Committee Meeting – May 7 (In Person)  

H-GAC's next Natural Resources Advisory Committee meeting will be from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, May 7, in person at H-GAC second floor conference rooms.

Registration is requested.

For more information, contact Rachel Windham. 

Parks and Natural Areas Visit in Brazoria County – May 27 (In Person)  

The next H-GAC Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable event will be a visit to the new headquarters for the Brazoria County Parks Department, featuring the Dude Payne Event Center and the J.R. Norris Maintenance Center on Wednesday, May 27.

We will meet at the headquarters at 10 a.m. to hear about the multi-year journey of building the complex.

The complex is located at 41871 SH 288, Angleton.

Transportation will NOT be provided to Brazoria County, and carpooling is encouraged.

Registration is requested. 

For more information, contact Andrea Tantillo. 

Bacteria Implementation Group (BIG) Annual Meeting – June 2 (Hybrid)    

Make plans to attend the Bacteria Implementation Group (BIG) Spring meeting on Tuesday, June 2. 

Topics will include the 2025 annual report, Onsite Sewage Facility Repair and Replacement, and Partner Implementation. 

More information, including times and registration, will be available soon at h-gac.com/bacteria-implementation-group/meeting-materials

For more information, to be added to the contact list, or to submit public comment, contact Steven Johnston.

Clean Rivers Program Regional Monitoring Workgroup Meeting – June 9 (Online)  

H-GAC's Clean Rivers Program Regional Monitoring Workgroup meeting will be 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, June 9, on Microsoft Teams. Anyone interested in attending the meeting can contact Jenny Oakley for information. 

More information about the Clean Rivers Program is available online.   

H-GAC Film Conference in Galveston – July 22-24 (In Person)    

Save the date for H-GAC's first film conference, in partnership with the Office of the Texas Governor, on July 22-24 in Galveston. Whether your community is interested in attracting film productions or becoming Film Friendly Texas (FFTX) certified, this conference will give you the tools, insights, and connections to get started.

Highlights include sessions on permitting protocols, discovering your community's unique qualities, hosting film crews, creative local initiatives, content creation, and budgeting. Attendees can also learn how to become FFTX certified and other Texas Film Commission programs.

Sponsorship opportunities are available. More details about the conference, including full agenda topics and registration costs, will be available soon.

For more information, contact Anna Shadle.

Livable Centers Roundtable, Workshop Series Continues – July 23, September 17 (In Person)

H-GAC continues its three-part Livable Centers Roundtable and Workshop Series exploring how communities can become more vibrant and flexible through adaptive reuse, regulatory innovation, and human-centered design.

Attendees will examine strategies for transforming underutilized spaces into active community assets. We will work together to find ways to move beyond traditional single-use zoning and create frameworks that support mixed-use vitality and long-term adaptability. 

This series will equip planners, civic leaders, developers, designers, and community advocates with practical tools and forward-thinking approaches to shape places that grow organically. Participants can attend one, two, or all three events.  

Roundtable 1: Share to Prepare, was held on April 23 at H-GAC. Attendees discussed the challenges, opportunities, successes, and theories they have seen or used in their communities.

Upcoming events in the series include:

• Roundtable 2: Collaborate to Innovate, 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, July 23. Working in groups, participants will think through challenges and discuss ways to capitalize on opportunities identified during Roundtable 1, practicing collaborative problem-solving grounded in real-world examples. Registration is requested.
  
• Annual Land Use/Transportation Workshop: Expert Takes on What’s at Stake, 9 a.m. to noon, Thursday, September 17. Hear from a panel of experts about the practices they’ve implemented to support long-term adaptability. Registration is requested.

All events will be held at H-GAC second floor conference rooms. Participant networking is from 9 to 9:30 a.m. for each event. Program activities will begin at 9:30 a.m. each day.

For more information, contact [email protected].

Bringing Back Main Street Roundtable – July 28 (Online

The next Bringing Back Main Street Roundtable will be 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, July 28, on Zoom.

Registration is required.

The topic will be housing in rural and small town downtowns, including attracting developers and downtown housing success stories.

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 Andrea Tantillo. 

Thriving Communities Technical Assistance (TCTA) Program

The US Housing and Urban Development Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Program supports local governments receiving federal transportation grant funding to maximize community benefits – particularly improved access to housing and housing development – associated with the funded projects. Through this program, local governments receive support from private-sector experts to:  

• Identify and position properties for redevelopment into housing, including sites in Opportunity Zones. 
• Stabilize communities, create and preserve family-friendly housing, and support revenue growth for local businesses. 
• Cut red tape to expand housing production and supply. 
• Build partnerships with stakeholders, including public-private partnerships with developers. 

Requests are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis and are subject to program capacity. Priority is given to local governments serving populations under 250,000. 

Green Infrastructure for Texas Offers Free Class

Green Infrastructure for Texas provides a free online course, Introduction to Green Infrastructure, designed for professionals involved in community development, infrastructure planning, and environmental management. This self-paced course is available for users to take a closer look at tools and skills for local communities' green infrastructure needs.

Keep Texas Beautiful Conference – May 12-14

The 2026 Keep Texas Beautiful Conference will be online May 12–14.

Topics include:

• Strengthening local capacity
• Turning stewardship into measurable action
• Building partnerships that scale impact
• Creating lasting community value

Registration through May 5 is $175.

State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR) Recycling Summit – May 14-15

The State of Texas Alliance for Recycling 27th Annual Texas Recycling Summit will be May 14–15 in Denton, Texas. This summit brings together recycling professionals, municipal leaders, environmental innovators, and private-sector partners from across the state for two days of strategy, education, and collaboration.

Hosted in Denton at the UNT Gateway Center, 802 N. Texas Blvd., Denton, the Summit continues its long-standing tradition as Texas’ premier forum for advancing sustainable materials management and circular economy initiatives.

Registration is $475.

Funding Sources

H-GAC's Community and Environmental Planning Department maintains a list of ongoing funding opportunities for parks improvements, conservation projects, active transportation projects, and downtown revitalization projects. H-GAC also provides a Funding Resources Hub with the Funding Development Program and a listing of many funding opportunities for individuals, local governments, organizations, and others.

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

All content, including links to websites on these funding lists, is for informational purposes only. Users of this content are responsible for checking its accuracy, currency, and suitability.

Mapping Applications

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.