[AustinEcoNetwork] Earth Day 2008 events update from the AWU-CER

Fri Apr 18 06:30:31 CDT 2008

From: Anderson, Kevin [mailto:Kevin.Anderson at ci.austin.tx.us]
<mailto:%5bmailto:Kevin.Anderson at ci.austin.tx.us%5d>  

Earth Day 2008 events update from the AWU-CER

Below are some of the Austin-Bastrop area events for Earth Day 2008

***********************************************

Earth Day edition of the Hornsby Bend Monthly Birding Fieldtrip Saturday
April 19 

- 730am - 11am HBBO/Travis Audubon Society Meet at the CER 730am - all
levels of birder welcomed, an easy morning of walking and learning the birds
of Hornsby Bend. Bring binoculars and some water if the weather is warm.
More information at www.travisaudubon.org <http://www.travisaudubon.org/>
and www.hornsbybend.org <http://www.hornsbybend.org/>             

***********************************************

Earth Day event on the river April 19 at McKinney Roughs

An Earth Day Festival at McKinney Roughs Nature Park will be celebrated with
fun for the whole family Saturday, April 19, at the park along the Colorado
River between Austin and Bastrop.

Activities for the free festival will include guided hikes through the
wildflowers, small pocket prairies and pine forest. Participants also can
take part in nature crafts, conservation activity booths and demonstrations.
They can listen to speakers on varied topics and watch native animal
presentations while enjoying food, music and more. Events will take place
from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The 1,100-acre nature park is 13 miles east of
Austin's airport

During April McKinney Roughs will host a variety of events that give
participants a chance to get in touch with nature. They are:

*	Stargazing at the Roughs  - Friday, April 18, 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Free. Join night sky revelers for a chance to marvel at the beauty of the
planets and be awed by Earth's place in the galaxy. The wonders of the
universe will come to life when viewed through a telescope. Registration is
not required. 
*	Light of the Moon Raft Trip - Saturday, April 19, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
$50 per person. Begin the raft trip with a sunset on the Colorado River,
watch night fall and relax in the cool night air. Enjoy the evening as your
raft is guided down a moonlit stretch of tranquil river. Participants must
be able to swim. Pre-registration is required. 

To register for any of these programs, contact McKinney Roughs Nature Park
at (512) 303-5073. Registration is not required for the Earth Day Festival.

***********************************************

Another Earth Day festival - downtown Austin Saturday April 19 Republic
Square 9am - 5pm

Earth Day Living Green Festival at Republic Square - Join Austin Green Art,
the Austin Farmers Market, and many more non-profits and artists at Republic
Square Park (4th & Guadalupe) to celebrate Earth Day. The Austin Water
Utility will have several informational booths including a Hornsby Bend
booth involving Dillo Dirt compost, the CER, and Austin Youth River Watch.
Look for our partners, Treefolks, also at this event. 

More info at  <http://www.austinearthday.com/index1.html>
http://www.austinearthday.com/index1.html 

***********************************************

Earth Day Lecture Monday April 21 Downtown Austin - Waller Center begins at
NOON

CER Lunchtime Lecture - Earth Day Edition! -  Kevin M. Anderson "From
Pristine Nature to Urban Blight: American Environmentalism and The Myth of
Wilderness"- a lecture about the heart of American Environmentalism.  In his
essay "Walking" Henry David Thoreau states, "In Wildness is the preservation
of the World."  Why does this quote so often get transformed into a
statement about "wilderness"?  What is the difference between "wildness" and
"wilderness"?  In this Lunchtime Lecture, I will examine the historical
meaning of wilderness in America and how it has shaped American
environmentalism.  Then, I will specifically address how the American
fixation on wilderness as pristine nature has affected our perceptions and
management of the urban landscape. I will conclude by returning to Thoreau's
words and suggest how "wildness" may be the preservation of the World. The
lecture is Monday April 21 12pm - 1pm AT WALLER CENTER [625 East 10th St -
between Red River and I-35 Room 105] FREE - bring a lunch and learn!

***********************************************

Earth Day Tuesday April 22 - Grand Opening of the Colorado River Refuge in
Bastrop 

Pines and Prairies Land Trust invites you and your family and friends to the
Grand Opening of the Colorado River Refuge.  We hope you can join us in
celebrating the completion of the CRR.

This serene stretch of river is adorned with majestic old-growth forest with
trees over 80 feet tall forming a canopy.  You can stroll on gentle trails
along the river past interesting rock outcrops amidst a wide variety of
birds.  The entrance with a ramp and railings makes access easy.

The Board of Directors of PPLT is hosting this celebration with sausage
wraps, beans, drinks and more.  Board members and volunteers will conduct
tours and answer questions.

Time:                4 PM until dark

Directions:         From TX 71, east of the commercial part of Bastrop, turn
onto Tahitian Drive.  Drive 2.2 miles until Tahitian Drive dead-ends at
Riverside Drive.  Turn right onto Riverside Drive, and drive another 2.2
miles to the Colorado River Refuge.  

Someone will direct you to parking.

Contact:            PPLT office 308-1911 or www.pplt.org
<http://www.pplt.org/>  

                        Cell phone 922-2912 (during the event)

***********************************************

University of Texas Earth Day event Tuesday April 22nd International Earth
Day!  

>From 10am - 3pm at all locations.

Where: 

East Mall, West Mall, McCombs plaza, Flawn Academic Center and Speedway. 

Who:

1.	UT Sustainability Network is coordinating tabling and booth events
on East Mall as well as the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Exhibit on Speedway.
Meet the people around campus who are increasing our energy efficiency,
conserving award-winning volumes of water and recycling everything
imaginable on campus.  Check out the cleanest combustion engine on the face
of the planet, powered by natural gas.  See electric vehicles up close and
talk to the owners!  Sit in UT's own hydrogen-powered bus!!  Join in with
Austin Green Art to make recycled art. 

2.	Campus Environmental Centre will raise awareness about UT's
environmental woes and what students can do to change them. Bring five
recyclables (plastic bottles, aluminum cans, ink cartridges, plastic bags)
to receive a free reusable tote bag!  Students and staff who bring more than
five recycled items will get a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to Whole
Earth Provisions. Drop your name in the raffle jar to become the proud owner
of a refurbished laptop. To add even more spirit to Earth Day, the CEC will
also be recognizing its 5-year anniversary. Members will be passing out cake
and cupcakes to be washed down with Sweet Leaf tea. 

3.	Net Impact Undergraduate will be hosting a Green Business Fair on
the McCombs Plaza. Come learn about different corporations efforts to go
green and other business practices with booths sponsored by different
McCombs student organizations. 

4.	At the end of the day, the Texas Union Student Events Center's
Distinguished Speakers Committee will host an Earth Day presentation by Jack
Hanna, Naturalist, Adventurer, and Director of the Columbus Zoo, at 7 pm in
the Texas Union Ballroom.  LIVE EXOTIC ANIMALS will be incorporated into the
presentation! Admission to the event is free.  A pass is required for
admission but does not guarantee admission to the event (so arrive early!).
UT students, faculty, and staff may obtain passes from the Texas Union
Student Events Center's Events and Info Desk (UNB 4.300) by presenting a UT
ID.  Pass distribution will begin Tuesday, April 15, at 8 am (pass
distribution weekdays 8 am-5 pm). 

5.	The proposed Speedway Pedestrianisation model will be open for
viewing in the Atrium (Flawn Academic Centre 4.19) from noon- 2pm. 

What: (you can do)

Bring your recyclables to the West Mall and pick up a tote bag.  Write your
wish for sustainability on a pledge card for the CEC and then visit the
tables at East Mall, and sample some organically cooked local food by
Division of Housing and Food Services.  Talk to the folks tabling at East
Mall about how you can help the sustainability trend at UT Austin.

***********************************************

Earth Day at Hornsby Bend April 22

For Earth Day 2008, the CER and the Austin Youth River Watch will host the
students of LBJ Liberal Arts and Science Academy AP Environmental Science
Class taught by Tim Fennell for a Colorado River and riparian ecology field
day at Hornsby Bend from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Volunteers for the event include
members from the Travis Audubon Society, biologists from the City of Austin
Watershed Protection and staff from LCRA's Colorado River Watch Network. 

***********************************************

Next Austin-Bastrop River Corridor Partnership monthly meeting - 

Wednesday April 23 [Earth Day edition of the meeting!]

10am - Noon at the CER

All are welcomed to attend

Agenda Topics

-        Development impacts to Burleson Spring on FM 969

-        Second printing of Discovering the Colorado Report

-        Resource and Opportunity mapping 

-        Upcoming events 

***********************************************

April 26 Saturday Ecological Literacy Volunteer Day 9am - 1pm at the CER

-Help maintain Hornsby Bend Trails! Did you know that all the Hornsby Bend
Trails were built and are maintained by volunteers? If you enjoy birding or
walking along the Colorado River here, please join us in keeping the trails
open to the public. We do three hours work and one hour of learning about
the ecology of the Colorado River and Hornsby Bend - Wear work clothes and
work shoes, bring water if warm weather and binoculars if interested in
birds

Kevin M. Anderson, Coordinator
Austin Water Utility - Center for Environmental Research [CER]
2210 South FM 973, Austin, Texas 78725
at the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant
Phone 512.972.1960 Fax 512.972.1900 Mobile 512.689.6412
Work Schedule: Mon, Tues, Wed, Sat [Ten hour days]

CER Mission: Urban Ecology and Sustainability - Community, Education,
Research

CER website - http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/water/cer2.htm

Dillo Dirt and Hornsby Bend website -
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/water/dillo.htm

Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory website - http://www.hornsbybend.org

Texas Riparian Association website - http://www.texasriparian.org 

Central Texas Sustainability Indicators Project website -
http://www.centex-indicators.org/ 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://aen.austineconetwork.org/pipermail/AEN/attachments/20080418/6afdd4fa/attachment-0001.html 