March Against Monsanto This Saturday

The American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) Annual conference is the premier gathering for the rainwater harvesting industry, bringing together practitioners, suppliers, academics, professionals in water quality, rainwater catchment, plumbing, mechanical, fire protection, engineering and water utility fields. It will be co-hosted by the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI).

Workshop Topics range from “Urban Water Management in the Era of Climate Change” and “Rainwater Harvesting as a Water Source for Fire Protection.”

The mission of ARCSA is to provide resources and information on rainwater and stormwater collection to promote the advancement of rainwater conservation and to work with government at all levels in promoting rainwater and stormwater management

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Cats Indoors: Better for Cats, Better for Birds, Better for People
Presented by Grant Sizemore

Do you love your pet cat AND wild birds? Do you want to know how to keep them and the family you love safe? Then the best place for your pet is indoors. Grant Sizemore, Director of Invasive Species Programs for The American Bird Conservancy (ABC), will be with us in person to tell us how ABC’s “Cats Indoors” program provides all these safeguards and more by advocating responsible pet ownership and providing best practices. Domestic cats (Felis catus) can make wonderful pets. But cats allowed to roam outdoors can have serious consequences. Across the globe, cats have been introduced into new habitats by people with terrible results.

Outdoors, cats are a non-native and invasive species that threaten birds and other wildlife, disrupt ecosystems, and spread diseases. Now numbering well over 100 million in the United States, cats kill approximately 2.4 billion birds every year in the U.S. alone, making cat predation by far the largest source of direct, human-caused mortality to birds. Cats maintained indoors or under an owner’s direct control have less exposure to disease, predators, injury, and loss. This, in turn, protects your family from experiencing disease and the grief of having a treasured pet sick, killed, or lost. We invite you to join a growing network of diverse stakeholders, such as animal shelters, veterinarians, wildlife rehabilitators, and conservation biologists, as we build a future that is better for cats, better for birds, and better for people.

About Grant Sizemore
Originally from Ohio, Grant grew up fascinated by nature and enjoying the outdoors. He earned degrees in Zoology and Environmental Science from Miami University and an MS in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida. Prior to joining ABC, Grant has worked toward wildlife conservation through policy, outreach, education, and years of wildlife research. Outside of work, Grant enjoys hiking, birding, fishing, and taking care of his (indoor) cat.

Approved for AAMN AT hours.If you plan to attend the meeting in person at Alamo Colleges District, 2222 N. Alamo Street, San Antonio, TX 78215, please sign up here. We will offer a slice of Bexar Audubon 40th Anniversary celebration cake to all attendees!

ZOOM LINK
Click HERE to join the Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 865 5579 7726
Passcode: 658468
Find your local number to call in here

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Join Hemisfair and City of San Antonio officials for the official Civic Park Phase 1 Ribbon Cutting on Saturday, September 30, at 12:00 p.m. We are excited to celebrate the opening of the first phase of our community’s newest gathering space!

Following the ribbon cutting, enjoy a wonderful day of music at the 40th Annual Jazz’SALive – which will be the first event ever held at Civic Park!

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Every Saturday, they invite the public to Los Patios for the Garden Hangout and Volunteer event. The goal is to transform the space into a beautiful and thriving garden nursery, and they need your help to achieve this vision.

This a local cooperative, and they’re dedicated to building a thriving community through sustainable gardening practices and community involvement.

During this event, participants will be installing infrastructure and cleaning up the space. They are making compost on-site. Long sleeves and closed-toed shoes are recommended.

As a cooperative, they’re committed to fostering community involvement. In addition to weekly events, they offer a variety of landscape and garden workshops throughout the year. These classes cover everything from sustainable gardening practices to plant care, and they’re a great way to expand your knowledge and improve your gardening skills. 

11:00am – 11:15 am Sign in and Intro
11:15am – 12:30 pm Garden Volunteer Day
12:30pm – 1:00 pm Seed Starting Activity

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Nobel Laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum, a Mayan K’iche’ woman, activist, and social justice advocate from Guatemala who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992, will be visiting San Antonio to share her life’s work. Dr. Menchú has dedicated her life to the struggle for human rights for all of humanity, particularly for the rights of Indigenous peoples around the world and in her native Guatemala.

The Lewis Center at the University of Incarnate Word brings influential leaders like Dr. Menchú from throughout the hemisphere to San Antonio as part of their work to broaden perspectives and ready students to be enlightened citizens of the world.

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Join The World Heritage Office for the 2023 Farmers and Artisans Markets every first and third Saturday from March through November!

The market will kick off with a FREE community Zumba class hosted by local Zumba instructors for all fitness levels at 9 a.m. After the class, find fresh, locally-sourced foods and explore handmade crafts and products from local pop-up vendors. The City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department will also host seasonal Tree Adoptions. Trees will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 9 a.m.

The San Antonio Food Bank Mobile Mercado mini-grocery store will host healthy cooking demos and nutrition education sessions. Enjoy live music, food trucks, fun family activities, and more! The markets are brought to you by the City of San Antonio’s World Heritage Office and the San Antonio Food Bank. Admission is free! Parking On-site! The venue is pet-friendly!

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JOIN US, FRIENDS!

For the 8th annual Festival celebrating the monarch butterfly, pollinators, & the ecosystem that sustains both them & us! 🐛 🦋 🦇 🐝 🦜

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7TH, 9AM-1PM

@ Brackenridge Park in the Pecan Grove, by the Zoo entrance. Parking is available in the lot near the train depot and the zoo parking garage

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

About the Festival

The mission of the Monarch Butterfly & Pollinator Festival is to celebrate and educate our community about the monarch butterfly, pollinators, and the ecosystems that sustain both them and us. The festival inspires children and “grown-up kids” of all ages to engage and connect with the natural world around them by immersing themselves in an educational playland that cultivates compassion and sparks change for good.

On festival day, over 30 educational partners convene at Brackenridge Park to provide hands-on, nature-based experiences for children and adults to over 3,500 attendees. This community endeavor supports the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge and the city of San Antonio as a Monarch Champion City, and is a partnership with the Brackenridge Park Conservancy.

Produced by Blooming with Birdie, an educational entertainment company that brings learning to life with curated, Montessori-Inspired experiences designed to foster curiosity and compassion, the festival is a unique place to play while learning with friends and family.

Festival Highlights

The Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival is unlike other festivals as it is thoughtfully curated and designed to fully immerse attendees into engaging educational experiences that spark joy, cultivate compassion, and create long lasting memories.

Notable immersive experiences at this year’s festival will include:

• The People as Pollinators Experiment: Pick your favorite wildlife pollinator and transform yourself through face-painting and costume. Metamorphosize to experience a day in the life as your favorite butterfly, bee, bat, or bird!
• Monarch Tagging: Participate in a citizen science project in partnership with Monarch Watch to place a (harmless!) tag on a monarch butterfly wing
• The Monarch Migration Obstacle Course: Become a monarch and fly the multi-generational Spring monarch migration by eating milkweed and metamorphosizing 3 times. Then, overcome obstacles like hail, hurricanes and taggers as you make your way back to Mexico for the Fall Migration
• Pollinator Procession: Join our friends from Bexar Brass as we dance, flutter, and buzz through the festival in true pollinator style
• Dia de los Muertos Altar: Connect with the spiritual aspect of the monarch, celebrate Dia de los Muertos, and the return of the monarchs to Mexico
• PLANTS, TREES, & MORE: Adopt a tree, plant a plant, and get your hands dirty as you learn how to do your part to take care of our ecosystem.

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Come celebrate with the community at this free, fun, family-friendly festival that will include a variety of activities and engaging opportunities to learn how you can save energy & water, go solar, learn about Electric Vehicles and how to stay engaged with our great city’s local resiliency efforts. We would love to have you there!

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The farmers market, happening every Wednesday at Woodlawn Pointe, offers farm fresh produce, local baked breads, pickles and other pantry staples. All produced or grown in our area. Vendors joining every week.

Contact 01farmersmarket@gmail.com for inquiries.

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Get excited for our Texas Master Naturalist 2023 Annual Meeting – to be held Thursday, October 12^th through Sunday, October 15^th this year at the southernmost point of the South Texas Plains ecoregion, surrounded by mesquite and prickly pear brush country in McAllen, Texas.

The Lower Rio Grande Valley is famous for its diversity of birds, butterflies, and endangered species like Ocelots, Texas Tortoises, Sabal Palms, and Piping Plovers that call the region home. McAllen offers some of the best birding and nature exploration opportunities in Texas, with its sunny subtropical climate and prime location along the Central Flyway. For our 24th Annual Meeting, we are excited to gather at the McAllen Convention Center, which sits between multiple nature centers and wildlife refuges along the Rio Grande Valley. McAllen also offers a unique opportunity this year as a close location to view an annular solar eclipse!

The Texas Master Naturalist Annual Meeting provides an opportunity for the Texas Master Naturalist volunteers from around the state to gather, participate in hands-on educational seminars, and receive all their Advanced Training requirements for the year in one weekend. It’s also an opportunity for program participants and supporters to network, share new ideas, and to learn from chapters in different regions of the state.

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Join Gardopia Gardens on Saturday mornings to volunteer on the 0.5 acre Eastside Micro-Farm to practice healthy living and sustainability!

On Saturday morning Gardopia invites community members to get their hands dirty and cultivate San Antonio’s little slice of a garden utopia! From composting, chicken care, planting, crop rotation, organizing, and more! We are open to individuals, friends, families, beginners, experts, and anyone else who wants to help cultivate an educated, health, and environmentally sustainable city!

COVID-19: In order to help keep volunteers healthy, we offer free masks, have an open air space to allow for ventilation, and are currently keeping volunteer groups to 25 people or less to allow for optimal physical distancing.

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