Event to Feature Special Post-Harvey Discussion with Harris County Flood Control District Executive Director Russ Poppe and Harris County Engineer John Blount
HOUSTON, TX, SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 – Hurricane Harvey will play a prominent role in this year’s Bayou Preservation Association Symposium, to be held Thursday, October 19, from 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM, at the United Way of Greater Houston, 50 Waugh Drive, Houston, Texas.
The theme, Bayou Stewardship: From Awareness to Action, was planned before Harvey struck the region and was originally to focus on how the citizens of the metropolitan Houston area have become more aware of our bayous and how that culture of awareness has led to enhanced efforts to link people to the bayous.
Then Hurricane Harvey came and dramatically changed how Houstonians think about the bayous and our relationship to them. This year’s symposium will continue to examine that relationship.
Featured speakers will include:
- Andrew Groocock, tour guide with the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, who will provide historical context;
- Scott McCready, Principal of the SWA Group, who will discuss how Buffalo Bayou Park was designed to flood;
- Beth White, President and CEO of the Houston Parks Board, who will provide an update on the Greenways Initiative; and
- The Honorable Jack Cagle, Commissioner, Precinct 4, Harris County, who will provide an update on post-Harvey activities and issues.
The program also features:
- Kyle Shelton, Program Manager and Research Fellow, Kinder Institute for Urban Research;
- Kathie Bulloch, P.E., Managing Engineer for Utilities for the City of Houston;
- Jeff Taebel, Director of Community and Environmental Planning at the Houston-Galveston Area Council;
- Bob Stokes, President of the Galveston Bay Foundation; and
- Sarah Bernhardt, Program Manager, Galveston Bay Estuary Program, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
A special part of this year’s program will be a Post-Harvey discussion led by Russ Poppe, P.E., Executive Director of the Harris County Flood Control District, and John Blount, P.E., Harris County Engineer.
The Honorable Ed Emmett, Harris County Judge, and The Honorable Jerry Davis, Vice Mayor Pro Tem of the City of Houston, will officially open the symposium.
The event includes a continental breakfast and catered lunch. Tickets and sponsorships areavailable for purchase here. For more information, call 281-921-8784.
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Founded in 1966 by Terry Hershey and others, The Bayou Preservation Association is a volunteer, non-profit organization that works to celebrate, protect, and restore the natural richness of all our bayous and streams.