Houston Wilderness Inc

HOUSTON WILDERNESS WORKS WITH A BROAD-BASED ALLIANCE OF BUSINESS, ENVIRONMENTAL AND GOVERNMENT INTERESTS TO PROTECT AND PROMOTE THE 10 DIVERSE ECOREGIONS OF THE 13+ COUNTY AREA AROUND HOUSTON, GALVESTON BAY, AND THE GULF OF MEXICO, INCLUDING COASTAL PRAIRIES, FORESTS, WETLANDS, AND WATERWAYS.

HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL TREES & RIPARIAN ENHANCEMENT OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES (HSC TREES) PROGRAM - A MULTI-YEAR COLLABORATIVE PROJECT BY HOUSTON WILDERNESS, TREES FOR HOUSTON, PORT OF HOUSTON AUTHORITY, CITY OF HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND BUFFALO BAYOU PARTNERSHIP FOCUSED ON LARGE-SCALE TREE PLANTINGS ALONG LOWER BUFFALO BAYOU, LOWER BRAYS BAYOU AND 25 MILES OF THE HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL, TARGETING NATIVE TREE SPECIES THAT ARE RANKED IN PRIORITY BASED ON THEIR RESPECTIVE LEVELS OF AIR POLLUTION ABSORPTION (INCLUDING CO2, GHGS AND PM) AS WELL AS WATER ABSORPTION AND EROSION CONTROL. THE REMOVAL AND PLANTING PHASES OF THE PROJECT PROVIDE A MULTITUDE OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES INCLUDING INCREASED AIR & WATER QUALITY, INCREASED NUTRIENT CYCLING & OXYGEN PRODUCTION AND IMPROVED AESTHETIC FOR THIS HIGH-NEED AREA.

EIGHT-COUNTY GULF-HOUSTON REGIONAL CONSERVATION PLAN FACILITATED BY HOUSTON WILDERNESS, THE GULF-HOUSTON REGIONAL CONSERVATION PLAN (GULF-HOUSTON RCP) IS A LONG-TERM COLLABORATIVE OF ENVIRONMENTAL, BUSINESS, AND GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES WORKING TOGETHER TO IMPLEMENT RESILIENCE PLAN FOR THE GULF-HOUSTON REGION. IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING A UNIQUE ONLINE INTERACTIVE DATABASE OF ALL TARGETED NATURE-BASED INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS TAKING PLACE IN THE REGION, THE THREE KEY GOALS OF THE EIGHT-COUNTY GULF-HOUSTON RCP INCLUDE: (1) INCREASING THE CURRENT 15.6% IN PROTECTED/PRESERVED LAND IN THE EIGHT-COUNTY REGION TO 24% OF LAND COVERAGE BY 2040, (2) INCREASING AND SUPPORTING THE REGION-WIDE LAND MANAGEMENT EFFORTS TO INSTALL NATURE-BASED STABILIZATION TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS LOW-IMPACT DEVELOPMENT, LIVING SHORELINES, AND BIOSWALES, TO 50% OF LAND COVERAGE BY 2040, AND (3) PROVIDING RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY FOR AN INCREASE OF 0.4% ANNUALLY IN AIR QUALITY OFFSETS THROUGH CARBON ABSORPTION IN NATIVE SOILS, PLANTS, TREES, AND OYSTER REEFS THROUGHOUT THE EIGHT COUNTY REGION

COLLABORATIVE GRANT ORGANIZING PROGRAM--HOUSTON WILDERNESS WORKS WITH MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS AND FEDERAL/STATE AGENCIES ON COLLABORATIVE GRANT PROPOSALS AND FUNDED PROJECTS, OFTEN IN "PIONEERING" AREAS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND RESILIENCE IN THE GREATER GULF-HOUSTON REGION. SINCE ITS CREATION, THE CGO PROGRAM HAS BROUGHT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF ADDITIONAL DOLLARS TO OVER 75 PARTNERS IN OUR REGION AND HAS HELPED ESTABLISH "PIONEERING" PROJECTS/PROGRAMS IN THE AREAS OF LIVING SHORELINES WITH OYSTER REEFS, MONARCH-BASED POLLINATOR HABITAT, TARGETED LARGE-SCALE TREE PLANTINGS FOR REDUCTION OF AIR POLLUTION AND INCREASED IN CARBON SEQUESTRATION AND WATER ABSORPTION, ESTABLISHMENT OF PROCESSES FOR NATIVE GRASS RESTORATION PROJECTS.