Environment

Once described as being so numerous that they obscured the sun when in flight, the passenger pigeon is now extinct. This year, Project Passenger Pigeon marks the centenary of this extraordinary extinction. From Aug. 1 through Oct. 31, Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary is participating in this nationwide program to bring the subject of conservation to the forefront through informative and interactive exhibit installations and presentations. The Heard is one of the few educational facilities in the state of Texas with a specimen in its collection, and the only one of such locations to display it during this national event. $6-$9.

Screening of the award-winning documentary, which follows one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Free. Info: Karl at 817-451-1505 or administrator@firstjefferson.org.

The DFW Clean Air Network (Downwinders at Risk, Texas Campaign for the Environment, State Rep Lon Burnham and others) has been invited to present their plan on how to get to cleaner air in North Texas.

Bring your questions and comments to the meeting to build a new clean air plan for the 10-county North Texas area.

Info: Info@DownwindersAtRisk.org.

Learn where our current sources of energy stand and what our energy future looks like in the U.S.  Find out more about the pros and cons of those sources and what concerns that they pose to our air, water and the environment. Experts and academics from around the country and state will speak. 

Topics include: 

Geothermal, wind, solar, coal, natural gas, oil & tar sands, nuclear. 

Info: Rita Beving, rita.beving@gmail.com.

Celebrate the life and death of the great legendarily terrible idea in the Bishop Arts District. A slow jazz funeral procession will begin on the patio at Oddfellows

Read the Dallas Morning News article.

The Fort Worth Water Department, BRIT, and NBC5 are partnering to sponsor the second annual EcoScape residential summer landscape contest to find the homeowner with the most creative, attractive, and water efficient lawn in the area. The contest runs from June 14 to August 16 and will be judged on three key criteria:

1.     Design – aesthetic appeal; composition; use of color and plant variety;

2.     Water Conservation – efficient irrigation/water use; use of non-vegetative materials such as fences, walls, walks, etc.; use of native and/or adapted plants; reduced turf area; and use of mulches; and

3.     Appropriate Maintenance – healthy landscape, no weeds; plants pruned as appropriate.

Join the Swarm and take part in a week-long campaign of global actions to Save the Bees. Together we will Pester the Pesticide Pushers and Swarm together to BAN Neonicotinoids and other poisonous chemicals. We need to keep the bees alive to pollinate our food!

This will BEE the MAIN EVENT: SWARM DALLAS TO SAVE THE BEES! Klyde Warren Park. Dress like a BEE or wear yellow/black/white. We're starting early to beat the heat. There will bee: 

--Chalk party and face painting

--BEE fashion show (We’ll make a fun video with all the kiddos who want to model their costumes, so bee practicing your runway walk, now!)

--Speakers with all the buzz about the bees 

--BEE flash-mob/dance for all ages (INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrgUXy05KP0&feature=youtu.be)

--Short march/ “Parade of Bees” to show that BEES are our friends!

--Souvenirs/mementos for kids to take home to remind them how much we LOVE OUR POLLINATORS! 

(We’ll encourage everyone to wear their bee costumes everywhere they go for the rest of the day and hand out flyers) 

This month's guest speaker is Derek Broman, Urban Wildlife Biologist, DFW Metroplex
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Cedar Hill State Park.

The all-day conference features George Bandy, Jr., vice president of sustainability at Interface, and Michael Cain, executive director of Earth Day Texas.

The breakout sessions feature three tracks, saving the people, planet & money, with speakers from the cities of Dallas, Cedar Hill and Lancaster, medical organizations, non-profits and churches of southern Dallas.

Texas A&M Agrilife Research, North Texas Renewable Energy Group, Texas Campaign for the Environment, Urban Acres and Fossil Rim are also participating. Free. 

The last couple of years have seen the Dallas environmental scene blossom and mature. Now many of us want to take the next step by forming a city-wide “Dallas green alliance.” We plan on creating a 501(c)3 arm and a 501(c)4 or even a PAC that will have the political power to build it, election by election.