The Association of Water Board Directors' 2012 conference in San Antonio was a success for GBCC. Three days of tradeshow presence and an after-hours reception allowed us to gain access to directors that we have previously been unable to reach.

Jill Boullion, GBCC executive director noticed a change in responses from directors this year.

"In our conversations with directors at our booth and at the reception we noticed a greater interest in providing recreational amenities for their communities and an interest in learning how other communities were developing parks and trails," Boullion said. "We especially noticed an uptick in visits after the Bayou Greenways Seminar on the second day of the conference."

Our presence there would not have been possible without our sponsors and partners. We want to send out a huge thank you to the sponsors without whom our outreach efforts at AWBD would not have been possible.

Bald Eagle sponsors ($750 & up) LJA Engineering and Johnson Radcliff Petrov & Bobbit PLLC.

Heron sponsors ($500-$749) Edminster Hinshaw Russ & Assoc.

Wood Duck sponsors ($250 - $499) Civil Tech Engineering, Environmental Allies, Costello Engineering, Clark Condon Assoc., AECOM, AEI Engineering, KBR, Hays Utility South Corp, Brown & Gay Engineers 

We would like to formally welcome our new East Reach Chair, Jennifer Hundl. Hundl is experienced, enthusiastic, and passionate about the Coalition's mission and our community outreach efforts. She will start leading the way in a separate East Reach starting in the new year. Currently, our East and South reaches form a Joint Reach. As our outreach grows, so does community participation and interest. It has prompted us to create a separate committee, and we can think of no one better to sit as its chair.

Jennifer has 5 years of experience in the use of specialized software programs including GIS 9.3, HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS, MIKE 21, XP-SWMM, and PC-SWMM.   Jennifer has 2 years of experience providing technical support for storm water and water systems projects including performing research, engineering calculations, and fieldwork; compiling and organizing project data and information; conducting site assessments; writing reports; and preparing report exhibits and tables.  Capabilities include storm water management, TPDES storm water permitting, domestic wastewater permitting, and project management.  

Recently, Parkway Utility District (a valued partner and GBCC member) unveiled their brand new walking trail that provides recreation and safe walking paths for elementary school students.

The trail provides the only recreation space in the neighborhood that consists of approximately seven thousand residents.

"The Board of Directors in tandem with the district consultants were very aware of the lack of any recreational facilities in this community," Gary Syzek, district consultant, said. "The only place for people to walk was in the streets and some streets do not have sidewalks."

The trail is there for community recreation, but it serves the dual purpose of providing a safe walking zone for local school children. "We also constructed a pedestrian bridge to allow the school children to walk over the drainage channel to Monahan Elementary School," Syzek said. "They would previously have to walk on Tidwell Drive to do so, which was very dangerous and without sidewalks."

This trail is the beginning of a project that will eventually connect to two other detention ponds in the neighborhood. The over-all goal, according to Syzek, is to eventually link to trails in Greenwood Utility District and all the way to Greens Bayou and Brock Park.

"The beautiful thing about the recently completed phase 1 is that Parkway UD funded the entire project from their operations fund without any outside assistance or financial aid," Syzek said.

West Reach Clean-up

Big things are happening along Greens Bayou this fall. In our West Reach (Willowbrook/CyFair), volunteer groups like boy scouts, girl scouts, rotary clubs, corporate teams, and the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints will clean approximately 4.5 miles of bayou starting at Jones and Mill roads on October 13, 2012. Sign-in for the event begins at 8:00 a.m. at Crossover Bible Fellowship located at 12332 Perry Road, Houston, TX 77070. Volunteer registration is ongoing now. If you or a group of your peers is interested in joining us, please e-mail Candice with information to get the necessary paperwork to streamline check in on the day of event (cpauley@greensbayou.org). There are also sponsorship opportunities available for the event that will host an anticipated 300-400 volunteers. This is the fourth bayou clean-up event in our West Reach.

Texas Stream Team

The Coalition constantly works to find opportunities and create programs that get individuals and groups out on the bayou to learn about and enjoy the natural space in their own backyard. In a new initiative to get school children and educators involved, GBCC is building a team of Texas Stream Team Volunteers to test water quality and make observations along the bayou. Stream Team, a program administered through the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), is made up of individual volunteers who commit to monthly water testing on the bayou. The commitment is a minimum of one year, and represents a unique chance for individuals interested in the quality of their bayou systems to take an active role in testing and reporting on the health of the waterways. In addition to certification classes, H-GAC provides optional, ongoing training in more specific issues affecting the bayou like identification of native and invasive species of plant and animal life. There are no Stream Team volunteers on Greens Bayou, and while TCEQ regularly tests water quality, they do not make observations about the environment, wildlife or plant life. Texas Stream Team represents a great opportunity for GBCC and community and individual partners to get children outside observing and learning about the environment along Greens Bayou. We are currently looking for individuals, professors, school programs or clubs who are interested in learning more. Please contact Candice (281-874-2139) for more information about the program. Also visit the Stream Team website for details.

In Houston's early days the city hired landscape architect Arthur C. Comey to design a plan for the city. Comey created the original city master plan in 1912, and focused almost entirely on the bayous, long considered the "life line" of the city. However, the plan was ignored and the city continued to build infrastructure along the bayous instead of preserving green space.

One hundred years later, Houston is reviving the original master plan and will hold a bond election in November where Proposition B will be on the ballot. The $166 million bond proposal would go to renovating existing parks and creating new ones along the city's bayous. In an attempt to raise money for parks and trails in the city of Houston, the organization "Parks by You" is ramping up outreach, education and campaigning to educate Houstonians about an upcoming bond election.

The Bayou Greenways Initiative has been researching and spear-heading the plan from the beginning. Ideally, the completion of the Bayou Greenways Initiative will have most Houstonians living with 1.5 miles of a park and trail system. This plan will create 2,000 acres of green space and 150 miles of trails

The benefits of such a parks and trails system is multilayered. A more active population means fewer health problems leading to lower health care costs. Active communities are also proven to be safer communities. Trails increase pedestrian activity which decreases crime. Parks also increase property value near them. As communities become safer and have additional amenities they become more desirable for new residents and businesses. The project will also lead to job creation in the way of construction jobs, maintenance of parks and trails, and in an increase in businesses wanting to be located in Houston because of increased quality of life.

Equally important is that parks, trails and trees provide more than green space and recreation; they also serve as a flood plain for times of heavy rain and flooding. The green space and natural flora will also enhance water quality as it filters the storm water, meaning less pollution and fewer beach closures. The addition of trees will improve air quality helping reduce haze and pollution in the air.

"Parks By You has the potential to impact parts of the East and South Reaches of Greens Bayou, and a portion of the North Reach in the Greenspoint area," Jill Boullion, Executive Director of GBCC, said. "Not only would Greens Bayou benefit but portions of Halls Bayou, which is part of the Greens watershed, would be impacted."

"Long-term a successful City of Houston bond election for parks would help accelerate the goal of the GBCC of a corridor-wide trail system on Greens Bayou," Boullion continued. "Development of parks and trails along Greens, with the exception of the Greenspoint area, is in the very early stages. In our community meetings for our parks and trails master plan the desire for additional park space and connection between parks was very high."

In the midst of increased budget cuts to Texas Parks and Wildlife, grant funding that was once robust, is now in short supply and competition is fierce.

"This is all coming at a time when Houston is gaining some recognition for the increased quality of life opportunities it offers (i.e. Forbe's Coolest City designation)," said Regina Lindsey, GBCC board member and Director of Economic Development for the Greenspoint District. "If recreational opportunities are a priority for the residents of Houston, the onus will increasingly be pushed to the local level. The bond issue is one way of securing those funds."

If you are interested in getting involved, Parks By You has a number of events and volunteer opportunities available. You can find them on Facebook, Twitter and their website.

Some Related Links

Red Fields to Green Fields (Video)

Bayou Preservation Association

Houston Wilderness Association

Houston Parks Board

Omar Escobar became involved with GBCC in May of 2007 after learning about our efforts in his neighborhood in the Humble area. After his first meeting, Escobar was approached by the then South Reach chair Dick Krause about taking over as Reach Chair. Based on his personal and business interest in the Coalition, Escobar gladly took up the position. Originally, he saw a great opportunity for him to stay well informed from a business perspective, but as his involvement increased, so did his passion for the organization and our mission.

"I am excited to see the momentum gained by the GBCC and now with the master plan, have a blueprint to work from," Escobar said. "I am excited about the top projects in the east and south reaches and ready to challenge and resolve the obstacles for the implementation of said projects."

Escobar has 35 years of experience in the civil engineering field and has been involved in both development planning and major flood studies.

"I have seen the flooding on Greens over the 37 years I have lived in Houston, and hope to use my experience in implementing projects for GBCC," Escobar said.

Armed with his expertise and a passion for the area and the work of the Coalition, Escobar brings a multitude of talents to the table. His continued work has been instrumental in forming community partnerships and putting into action plans and programs to build on the GBCC Master Plan. We thank Mr. Escobar for his commitment to GBCC and the areas we serve.

GBCC West Reach volunteers took a tour of the TH Wharton plant on Hwy 249 in an effort to establish a relationship, and discuss options for use of the bayou that is adjacent to the plant. Always on the lookout for ways to work with community partners to achieve our goal of linear trails connecting all of Greens Bayou, this visit was a step in that direction. The potential use of easements could create space for trails or a pocket park. While there is no indication that easements are a possibility, an important first step was taken.

In addition to volunteer outreach, GBCC is actively reaching out to area MUDs that fall within the Greens Bayou watershed to increase awareness about our organization and our recently released Master Plan. Recently Executive Director Jill Boullion has met with utility districts in several reaches, and more are scheduled. This outreach is key to moving our projects forward. Utility Districts support the Coalition through memberships, project partnerships and advocacy support.