Spring Creek Watershed Protection Plan Public Meeting – August 3 (Online)

H-GAC and the Spring Creek Watershed Partnership will hold a public meeting from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, August 3, to discuss edits to the latest draft of the Watershed Protection Plan detailing community-driven strategies for water quality improvement.

The event will be online, and registration is required.

More information about this project is available online or by contacting Rachel Windham..

Houston-Galveston Regional Information Session: EDA ARPA Grants – August 10 (Online)

The Gulf Coast Economic Development District and the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) will present a workshop focusing on the EDA American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grants program and how to prepare an application for the Investing in America’s Communities challenges. The workshop will be from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, August 10. 

The event will be online, and registration is required.

For more information, contact Jillian Donatto. 

Caney Creek Coordination Meeting – August 17 (Online)

H-GAC will hold a public meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, August 17, to discuss an implementation plan for improving water quality in the Caney Creek watershed.

The event will be online, and registration is required.

For more information, contact Steven Johnston.

The meetings will be online, and registration for each is required. For more information, contact Steven Johnston.

Register today to attend Elements of Placemaking, a free workshop, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, August 20.

The event will be online, and registration is required.

Placemaking is collaboratively creating or re-imagining public spaces to meet the physical, cultural, and social needs of a community. At this workshop, Fred Kent, a pioneer of the placemaking movement, and local partners in the Houston-Galveston region will share their insights. The program will include discussions about projects in alleyways and on sidewalks, tips to re-energize underutilized buildings and open spaces, and quick placemaking solutions available to all communities.

For more information, contact Anita Hollmann.

Oyster Creek Coordination Meeting – August 24 (Online)

H-GAC will hold a public meeting from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, August 24, to discuss an implementation plan for improving water quality in the Oyster Creek watershed.

The event will be online, and registration is required.

For more information, contact Steven Johnston.

H-GAC invites residents, local governments, businesses, and non-profits within the watersheds that make up Chocolate Bay—Chocolate Bayou, Mustang Bayou, and Halls Bayou in Galveston and Brazoria counties—to attend a stakeholder meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 24.

The event will be online, and registration is required.

For more information, contact Steven Johnston.

H-GAC invites residents, local governments, businesses, and non-profits within the H-GAC 13-county planning area to attend a virtual workshop from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, August 26.

At the workshop, attendees will learn about the water quality programs H-GAC is supporting to improve the region’s waters, including:

The event will be online, and registration is required.

The Clean Waters Initiative program offers workshops that help local governments, landowners, and residents develop effective strategies to reduce pollution in area waterways.

For more information, contact Steven Johnston.

Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable – September 13 (Online)

The next Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable will be from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Monday, September 13.

The event will be online, and registration is required.

For more information, contact Andrea Tantillo.

Housing Summit – September 17 (Online)

Mark your calendars for H-GAC's Housing Summit from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Friday, September 17.

The event will be online, and registration is required.

For more information, contact Cheryl Mergo.

Keep Texas Beautiful, Black Cat GIS, and Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) launched the first-ever Texas Litter Database, a project funded by The Garver Black Hilyard Family Foundation. The tool is accessible through any smart device or computer and enables tracking and analysis of litter collected during cleanups. In addition to regular clean ups, the site introduces Take 2 For Texas, a new fast and easy way to contribute data on plastic bottles - 2 Minutes Can Make a Difference on Aquatic Trash. Interested in learning more about the Texas Litter Database? Take a tour with an interactive story map. This tool provides information about plastic pollution in Texas and instructions on how to use the database.

Each year, the Governor's Office and commissioners from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) honor the state's most outstanding environmental projects through the Texas Environmental Excellence Awards. Winners from across the state exemplify how Texans set the standard for ensuring clean air, clean water, and the safe management of waste. The application period for the 2022 awards is now open. Applications already submitted for the previously suspended 2021 awards will also be considered. To see winners from 2013 to 2020, visit the Texas Environmental Excellence Awards webpage. Applications will be accepted through Friday, September 24.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 is hosting the Annual EPA Region 6 Stormwater Conference August 8-12 in New Orleans, Louisiana. There will also be 450 virtual registration slots available. The conference provides participants national, regional, and state updates on water regulations and policy, as well as information on stormwater controls, water conservation management practices, and new technologies that can address stormwater pollution discharges to surface waters.

Houston Bird Week 2021 celebrates the important role Houston plays in the journey of billions of migratory birds and the everyday lives of resident birds. Houston Audubon and local conservation partners arrange a week of events centered around our region’s birds and wildlife – from bird walks to mindfulness talks to Purple Martin watch parties. Organizers are looking for partners interested in hosting a cleanup or some other wildlife/bird-related event for this year’s Bird Week, scheduled for September 18-25. If you or your organization are interested, please email Houston Audubon at [email protected] or visit www.houstonaudubon.org/BirdWeek for more details.

Mark your calendars for the 2021 Texas Recycling Summit hosted by the State of Texas Alliance for Recycling. The event will be October 5-8, and it will be online and in-person at Lake Granbury. The hybrid event will include speakers and sessions held online the first two days and workshops, the Texas Environmental Leadership Awards dinner, a live auction, networking, and games during the final two days.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and International City/County Management Association (ICMA) National Brownfields Training Conference will be December 8-11 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The National Brownfields Training Conference is the largest event in the nation focused on environmental revitalization and economic redevelopment. Held every two years, the National Brownfields Conference attracts over 2,000 stakeholders in brownfields redevelopment and cleanup to share knowledge about sustainable reuse and celebrate the EPA brownfields program’s success.

H-GAC 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, conservation projects, and economic recovery resources.

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

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, Trash Bash, and Regional Data Lab.