"Crazy Widespread Disappearance of Wetlands around Houston" 

"The Army Corps of Engineers is not keeping track of whether developers are replacing tens of thousands of acres of wetlands lost to development in the Houston region as required by law. A study by the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), reported by the Houston Chronicle Friday, July 31, 2015, found that “more than 38,000 acres of wetlands vanished in greater Houston over the past two decades despite a federal policy that ‘no net loss’ can be caused by encroaching development...”

"Galveston Bay Report Card"

"Galveston Bay is resilient, but faces an uncertain future. The Bay’s watershed is home to the fourth- and ninth-largest cities in the U.S., Houston and Dallas. It’s also home to three ports, and remains a hub for the manufacturing and refining of chemicals and petroleum products. But people, industry, and commerce often come with environmental challenges. Galveston Bay’s most significant problems are tied to pollution, declines in habitat acreage, and to the impacts of climate change, like sea level rise.

"That Galveston Bay could receive C for overall health despite facing these monumental issues shows how resilient it is. It offers hope that we can continue to make changes in the way we live to lessen the negative impact on water quality, habitat like wetlands and seagrasses, and wildlife..."

"Removing Fallen Trees from Bayou Banks is Wrong"

"Big floods are powerful. Anyone who has lived on or spent any time on a river in the wild knows that a river can rearrange its banks with an awesome, even frightening force. Yet floods in nature are necessary.

"Buffalo Bayou is an 18,000-year-old river, our Mother Bayou. We are privileged to have a forested stretch of the bayou passing through the middle of the city in our great public Memorial Park. But during the Memorial Day flood and the record-high water released by the Army Corps of Engineers from the upstream dams during the days that followed, the rushing bayou took down trees and shrubs. The bayou was reordering its banks, replenishing and reseeding the floodplain, adjusting to the changing flow, as it has done for a very long time..."

"Canoe Challenge a hit with Scouts"

"Emily Stevens, 16, had never been in a canoe before she took off Saturday morning in the Ford Canoe Challenge — a 44-year-old canoe race on the San Antonio River. Run by the Paseo del Rio Association and sponsored by Ford Motor Co. and the Tower Life Building, the challenge is open to the public as well as corporate and celebrity teams. The vast majority of participants (nearly 120 of 170 registered two-person teams) compete in the Scouting division, but there were numerous winning categories..."

"Large, snapped tree is blocking the Comal River"

"Comal River tubers' float was interrupted Friday by a fallen tree. A large tree snapped and is blocking the section of water near Camp Warnecke, from the Garden Street Bridge to the Last Tuber’s exit. A contractor began clearing up the area around 1 p.m. Friday. Tubers were forced to exit at the Garden Street Bridge until the tree and debris were removed..."

"Alligator spotted in Guadalupe River"

"A woman discovered an alligator in the Guadalupe River on Sunday. A game warden told KENS 5 News it's the first reported alligator sighting in South Texas this summer. On Sunday, Carey Mueller said she was with her husband and spotted something moving in the water. She said they thought it was an alligator gar or a turtle. But after she took a photo and zoomed in, she saw that it was an alligator. Mueller said it was about a 4-foot long alligator..."

"Colorful paddleboards and pictures of people practicing the sport in beautiful settings fill the exhibit halls at the world's largest outdoor retail trade show this week in Salt Lake City in the latest illustration of the sport's exploding popularity. They make long, skinny boards for racers. They make wide, sturdy ones for more casual users, some of whom do yoga or fish off the boards. They even make inflatable boards for people who want the convenience to be able roll them up and put them in a bag..."

"Skill Builder: The Power of the Paddle"

"At kayak class, after donning life jackets and launching, kayakers typically learn four basic strokes that every paddler should know. In my classes, we always start with the backward stroke, or “stop.” This way, once you learn how to go forward, you’ll be able to stop, rather than float away. Practice these four basic strokes, and before you know it, you will be having a great time on the water!"

"Small hog hitches ride on kayak"

"We spotted this little sucker trying to swim across the river but was stranded in the middle. When I got next to it he just latched onto my kayak and wouldn't let go. So I picked him up and put him in the back and he rode 6 hours back there. Apparently when hogs spend too much time in water their skin becomes too heavy to let them do much of anything. So we set him on the bank and He dried out overnight and then got up and left in the morning..."