"What has always given me hope is that small steps can lead to a sea of change. As important as is the big picture, there's profound power in pulling it down to a manageable scale, to bringing it home, right down into our communities, and taking action with available solutions. The little things count as much as big things when enough people are doing them. And there's something very positive, very democratic, about the people gathering together in our common interest. How we treat the earth says much about us as a society, about our spirit and strength as a nation. I am extremely optimistic that we, the people, will turn the tide. "--Robert Redford - The Green Book
The Green Gala - Wednesday, October 17 - Flying Houston's Native Colors
Memorial Park Conservancy celebrated the present by honoring the memory of Miss Ima Hogg
On Wednesday, October 17, 2007, a green tide of nearly 400 Memorial
Park supporters washed over the River Oaks Country Club. Kate and Steve
Gibson and Gaye Lovett Davis and John Wilson Kelsey chaired the successful evening.
Linda Lorelle, Mistress of Ceremonies, stood in for Ron Stone, Sr., and
presented the honorees with Tiffany Star Bowls and a native tree planted in
Memorial Park. A colorful Stonefilms of Texas video tribute, prepared by the
Stone family, honored the dedication of Memorial Park Conservancy's
Life Members, Miss Ima Hogg (posthumously), Sadie Gwin Blackburn, Claire
Caudill, Terry Hershey, and Frank Smith. Green roses, ferns
and orchids in tall glass columns graced the green-sheer overlaid tables, courtesy
of Breen's Florists. Guests dined on halibut and beef tenderloin on a bed of
orzo, followed by a chocolate bombe, and took home a memento of the evening
in chocolate to dream on. Music was provided by Jazz Revisited. Over $380,000
was raised to benefit the ongoing programs and enhancement
efforts of Memorial Park Conservancy in cooperation with Houston Parks &
Recreation Department.
Memorial Park Conservancy’s mission is to protect, preserve and
enhance Memorial Park in accordance with the wishes of the donor, Ima Hogg.
This 1503-acre park is located in central Houston and is among the largest urban
parks in the state. To contribute, please contact Sally Tyler, 713-863-8403
or visit our website : www.memorialparkconservancy.org.
Online contributions are secured through Authorize.net.
Special Thanks to GHORBA (Greater Houston Off Road Biking Association) for volunteering!
September 22, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. - Mountainbike Trail Work Day.
Hogg Sanctuary/Buffalo Bayou Erosion Control Reviewed
MPC Member, Buffalo Bayou Partnership former Board member and neighbor to Memorial Park, Terri Thomas, has a knack for bringing people together. On October 3rd, numerous representatives of HPARD, Harris Country Flood Control District, Memorial Park Conservancy, Houston Plannin Commission, Tolunay-Won Engineers, Blackwood Educational Land Institute met with engineers Jimmy Johnson and erosion control specialists Robbin Sotir and Alton Simms. The purpose of the meeting was to recieve input from all parties in order to have a clear understanding of the area and to perform a physical assessment of this reach along Buffalo Bayou. Various perspectives about the erosion problems were shared and discussed on this pleasant morning stroll. Some saw for the first time that there has been some dramatic new erosion along this point that has taken place within the last 15 months. For a point that had been an inside curve (deposition location) and straight reach of Buffalo Bayou for many years, it is obvious that something major has changed within the last couple of years. Terri promised to keep the group informed as to what is going on near Crestwood and the sanctuary since it is comprised of public and private land.
. 
Yes
Academy Students joined HPARD to Renew Bush Grove
Our sincere thanks to the 98 Yes Preparatory School students, led by Jake Schmitz, accompanied by six other teachers, for volunteering on Saturday, October 13th. They
thinned wedelia and weed the garden area named for George Bush, near the Memorial Park Golf Course Clubhouse. They descended like locusts on the slightly overgrown
area and scoured the streambed to its orginal rock surface in two hours. Students took great joy in finding stray golfballs and insects.
In addition to learning some gardening basics, we found three snakeskins, two earthworms, and numerous anoles, too! Great work!
Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
ArBOOretum - Fun, Fall Family Festival
Saturday, October 27, 2007, 3 - 8 p.m.
Help us "Put a Fresh Face on the Park"!
With help from Bellaire High School student volunteers and others like you, Memorial Park Conservancy will host a facepainting booth in
support of the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center.
Visit www.houstonarboretum.org for more details or call Denise at 713-681-8433 to volunteer.
Volunteers needed: Carry out Lady Bird Johnson's legacy
by planting wildflowers in Memorial Park
The Houston Parks and Recreation Department together with the Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation invite you help
celebrate the life and legacy of Lady Bird Johnson, by taking park in the first Lady Bird Johnson Tribute Planting.
Wildflower plantings will take place at 9 a.m., Saturday, October 27, throughout various city parks including our own Memorial Park.
This project is a tribute to the late Lady Bird Johnson for her dedication to promoting the beauty of wildflowers in the Texas
landscape. During the blooming periods, the wildflowers will enhance the project sites by adding a variety of color and
fragrance.
For more information, contact Vanessa Wade at: 713-845-1117; Vannessa.wade@cityofhouston.net
bridgeBASH Kickoff - Wednesday, November 7, 2007, 5:30 - 8 p.m.
Mosaic Houston, 520 Texas Avenue, 77002 (Bayou Place)
Join us for a fun social to unite patrons of Memorial Park!
*View a proposed pedestrian/bicycle bridge design
*Meet the winners of th RDA Partners Design Charette and Memorial Park Conservancy representatives
The bridge will provide a measure of safety for pedestrians crossing the park, and shift pedestrian raffic away from ecologically
sensitive areas. In addition to the disjointed trail system, mobility and parking are major issues during peak times; weekday evenings
and weekends. Parking facilities located south of Memorial Drive are under-utilized primarily due to inaccessibility and users having
to cross Memorial Drive at grade to access park facilities on the north side. At grade crossings create safety concerns for
pedestrians particularly along Memorial Drive due to travel speeds and site distance at the west entrance where Memorial
Drive and Woodway merge traveling eastbound.
Chaired by Lisa Lee, Divya Paralkar and Lauren Summerville
Sponsored by: A&E - The Graphics Complex, Architecture Center Houston, Bike Barn, bluestarcooking.com, Bob's Steak & Chop House,Countrywide Loans, DJ Sun,
El Meson Restaurant, Group 1 Marketing, Houston Magazine, Jackson Place Condominiums, Luke's Locker, Moet Hennessy USA, Mosaic Houston, Saint Arnold Brewing
Company, SoVino Wine Bar & Bistro, Tri on the Run, Turn-Key WebWorks
(Go to www.bridgethepark.org for more info!)
Thank you!
We would like to thank our generous donors for supporting our efforts in community building and preserving Houston's premier green space.
$10,000-19,999
Mr. and Mrs. James C. Flores
The Talbert Family Charitable Fund
Anonymous
$5,000-9,999
The Margaret and James A. Elkins, Jr. Foundation
Mithoff Family Charitable Foundation
Ms. Odette McMurrey Mace
Mr. and Mrs. M. Bradford Moody
Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Tudor
The Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa
Kinder Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Grimm
Jerry and Nanette Finger Foundaiton
Chamberlain Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Martin
The Francis L. Lederer Foundation
$2,500-4,999
Wendy and Mavis Kelsey, Jr. Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Shannon B. Sasser
Amegy Bank
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Raspino
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Thomas
Mr. and Mrs. William Kelsey
$1,000-2,499
Tom and Ann Kelsey Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Talbert
Mr. Mavis P. Kelsey, Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Cary Moorhead
Budlight/Silver Eagle Distributors
Mr. Lewis Proctor Thomas, III
Scott and Katherine Galloway Family Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Russell Frankel
Mr. and Mrs. Philip John
Ms. Martha Katherine Long
Mr. and Mrs. Gentry Lee
Mr. and Mrs. Lee Hamel
Dr. Mavis P. Kelsey, Sr.
Amy and Peter Shaper Family Fund
Luke's Locker Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Dan C. Tutcher
Mr. and Mrs. Victor A. Kormeier, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Fay
Mr. and Mrs. Mathew Wold
Mr. and Mrs. Henry J. N. Taub
Mr. and Mrs. William M. Hitchcock
Mr. and Mrs. William E. King
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas L. Carter
Mr. nd Mrs. Randolph Allen
$1-999
Houston Striders, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Mark (Butch) Abendshein
Mr. John T. Cater
Mr. and Mrs. George A. Peterkin, III
Council Member Pam Holm
Mr. and Mrs. Wallace S. Wilson
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hart
Mr. John F. Wombell
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Eads
McGinnis Insurance Agency
Edith H. and C. Hastings Johnson Family Fund
Mr. and Mrs. George Alcorn
Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Hixon
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Bres
Mr. and Mrs. David D. Kinder
Clyburn McWilliams Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Peter T. Shaper
Mr. and Mrs. William Anderson, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Palmer
W. S. Bellows Construction Company
Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Gaylor
Ms. Nancy Hull Godshall
Mr. J. Cooke Wilson, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Bland, Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Mark Fisher
Mrs. Donna Glick Lewis
Mr. Timothy Okabayaski
(These gifts have been received between September 15-October 15, 2007. Our gratitude to those who have contributed since that date.)
Suggestion Box for Memorial Park
Got an idea for the Park? Let us know! Call 713-863-8403 or email us at styler@.memorialparkconservancy.org
The following is just a sampling of ideas under consideration:
-
Tennis Center Recycling Bin
-
New Digital Scale in the Tennis Center
-
Refurbish Gazebo on Seymour-Leiberman Exer-Trail
- Spruce up Picnic Loop Lane (MPC Ad Hoc Park Aesthetic Committee Formed)
- Fix Callout Trail (consultants from Talon have reviewed the trail)
Park Points
- In 2000, the enlarged Memorial Park Advisory Committee became Memorial Park Conservancy, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit including numerous representative park users and "green" agencies
- Houston’s City Council in 2004 approved the 25 Year Master Plan (Wallace, Roberts & Todd), Philadelphia, PA, which includes among many other improvements:
-Relocation of Forestry Complex
-Re-location of HPD Mounted Patrol Complex
-Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge over Memorial Drive
-Trail maps and improved user signage
-Renovation of Greenhouses
-New and enhanced trails; low maintenance surfacing
-Canoe/Kayak Launch to replace old archery range on northwest corner of Loop 610 and Woodway
Thank you for your support of Memorial Park!
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