Northeast Houston Residents Demand Sewage Justice From City Of Houston

Bayou City Waterkeeper, Northeast Action Collective, and West Street Recovery kicked off efforts to demand the City of Houston invests in sewage repairs in community members' homes through a press conference, community sewage tour, and testimonies at City Hall. Learn about our sewage demands policy brief and recent advocacy and a recent article co-written by Northeast Action Collective member Sade Hogue and Executive Director Ayanna Jolivet Mccloud.   

Wetland Community Engagement Launched Through Walks and Hub 

This year we launched Wetland Walks and our Wetland Watch Hub – a resource page dedicated to protecting wetlands and building awareness on the importance of wetlands in our Lower Galveston Bay Watershed. The Wetland Watch Hub allows includes 5 Critical Wetlands Story Map, Wetland Watch Survey Form, Wetland Mapper, and a calendar on Wetland Walks for our community to stay engaged about our wetland advocacy.

Texas Tribune Panel: Protecting Texas’ Coastline

Last week, as two separate storms converged on the Texas coast, our Senior Legal Director and Waterkeeper Kristen Schlemmer participated in a panel, hosted by the Texas Tribune, on protecting our coast from a changing climate. Joining the conversation were Jim Blackburn, environmental lawyer and planner, professor in the practice of environmental law at Rice University; State Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi; and Kiersten Stanzel, executive director of Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program. The Texas Tribune’s environmental reporter, Alejandra Martinez, moderated the discussion. Kristen Schlemmer reflected that “Ecosystems and communities need to be at the center of our decision-making.”

Water Is A Point Of Entry To Celebrate Juneteenth

Juneteenth is an opportunity to recall water justice histories among African Americans, the African diaspora, and in Houston, a water city; and to advocate for current water injustices that disproportionately impact African Americans in our city and nationally. African Americans are more likely to be impacted by water injustices than any other group in the United States.  Water is a literal point of entry for Juneteenth. On June 19, 1865, more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state of Texas were set free by an executive decree when 2,000 Union soldiers entered Texas through the waters in Galveston Bay.

Latest Poo Report

Welcome Our New Policy And Partnerships Manager

Join us in welcoming our new staff member Guadalupe Fernández, As BCWK’s Policy and Partnerships Manager, Guadalupe will manage our policy and government relations work alongside our interdisciplinary team made up of community members, organizers, scientists, lawyers, and artists, as we advocate for equitable investment in sewage, water, flooding, and climate infrastructure; advocate for nature-based infrastructure and interventions; and push back against false climate solutions, across greater Houston.

Artist In Residence Spotlight: Fred Schmidt-Arenales

Fred Schmidt-Arenales served as Bayou City Waterkeeper's Artist-in-Residence from September 2023 through March of this year, engaging with our work in the Surge Forward coalition to create IT IS A GOOD PROJECT AND SHOULD BE BUILT, a film that spotlights the opaque processes driving the proposed $57 billion Ike Dike. Fred staged a reenactment of Gulf Coast Protection District meetings at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and filmed several original scenes, including a children's beach scene, art performances and spells on the waterfront and at the Galveston Opera House, and a coastal fly-over.

Welcome Our New Board Members

Meet our new Board members. Bayou City Waterkeeper’s Board sets the strategic direction and governs the overall execution of the organization’s mission. Members of the Board steer the organization by contributing the programmatic, management, legal, and financial skills needed to ensure long-term organizational stability and ensure year-to-year educational excellence for Bayou City Waterkeeper’s mission. Welcome to Leah and Vanessa!

Welcome Our Summer 2024 Interns & Fellows

Meet our Summer 2024 fellows and interns. Throughout the year, Bayou City Waterkeeper hosts law, policy, and science fellows and interns to help with our research, investigation, and analysis of issues affecting water quality, wetlands, and resilience to flooding and climate change across the greater Houston-Galveston region. This year, we have legal interns, watershed design fellow, watershed design fellow, and a watershed research fellow.

Regeneration: BCWK's First Staff Member on Sabbatical

Bayou City Waterkeeper launches its first-ever sabbatical policy for staff members who have worked for over five years at our organization. Senior Legal Director Kristen Schlemmer will be on sabbatical leave from July 1 to October 7. The sabbatical amplifies our focus on "regeneration" as a core value. It is intended to create an opportunity for employees to pursue professional or personal development of their choosing that will deepen their capacity to contribute to BCWK, in order to return to the organization with a renewed commitment to the mission and the vision of the organization. If you have questions about our legal work while Kristen is out, please contact Staff Attorney Clara Goodwin: [email protected].