GBC and Halliburton Bring Kids Back to the Bayou

It's been a LONG time since Greens Bayou Coalition has hosted Kayaking for Kids program on Greens Bayou. Thanks to a grant from Halliburton, we were able to invite Erica Villareal's Environmental Science class from Channelview High School for a morning on the southern Reach of Greens Bayou, the most natural sweep of water in Houston/Harris County.

The mission of our Kayaking for Kids program is to foster future environmental stewards by exposing them to both the natural beauty of the area and the harm caused by urban pollution.

We began at Thomas Bell Foster Park with a nature walk, guided by Houston Parks Board conservation coordinator Ricardo Cagigal. Then it was off to the bayou! First, water and safety lessons from Bayou City Adventures, the suppliers of our kayaks, then an upstream paddle guided by our Bayou City Adventure guides. The kids saw herons, turtles, an alligator gar and the bald eagles' nest.

They also saw trash. A lot of trash. Armed with trash grabbers, they gathered as much as they could fit into their net bags before they returned to the park--at least 30 pounds of it.

GBC hopes that these kids will return to their lives a little wiser about where all that loose trash ends up, and help take care of it before it hits the bayou. We need more stewards for our natural environment. We do know they'll have some great memories of a fun day on Greens Bayou with their friends!