Houston Canoe Club
Board Meeting Minutes
June 3, 2026
Officers in attendance: Christy Long, Vice Commodore and Website Master; Bruce Bodson, Fleet Captain; Tyrone White, Boatswain; Harmon Everett, Newsletter Editor (via Zoom); Tom Douglas, Conservation Chairman; and Mike Grove, Recorder.
Officers absent: Natalie Wiest, Commodore; and Tracy Caldwell Becker, Purser.
Vice Commodore Christy Long called the Zoom meeting to order at 7:02 pm and asked the officers present to make their brief officer reports.
Mike Grove gave his Recorder’s report. Christy first posted on the Zoom screen a copy of the Draft Minutes of the May Board Meeting that she had distributed to the Board, via a link, just prior to the meeting. Mike presented those Minutes for Board approval, as they were published in draft form in the Club’s June Newsletter. Following a motion and second that those minutes be approved, all present voted to approve them.
- Mike said he thought that Christy’s distribution of a link to those draft minutes just prior to the Board meeting was a good development, and asked Christy if she would like him to continue that practice for future Board meetings. Christy said that she agreed that we should do that, and Mike said that he would make it a practice, in the hour or so before each monthly Board Meeting, to distribute to the Board a link to the draft minutes of the previous Board Meeting.
Tyrone White gave his Boatswain’s report that during May the Club gained 4 new members and 14 renewing members, and as of the end of May there were 125 Club members and 1073 Facebook followers.
Harmon Everett next gave his Newsletter Editor report:
- Harmon said that the June Newsletter came out fairly well this month, with several trip reports but with no new articles. He encouraged folks to start writing more about their past trips, or about what they should do on a trip, or amusing anecdotes about canoeing or paddling.
- Harmon said that he was already working on the July issue of the Newsletter, which he would be doing remotely during July and August as he and Terry are travelling.
- Harmon reminded everyone as a Safety Minute that rivers change and the river that you have paddled before might be an entirely different river the next time you go on it, so we always have to check and confirm the latest river conditions before paddling a river that we have paddled before.
Tom Douglas next gave his Conservation Report. Tom reported o. 1) the Buffalo Bayou Partnership 90-minute Cruises on Buffalo Bayou to see the bats that come out from under the Waugh Street Bridge, which will be held on June 11, 14, 18, and 26 at 7:35 pm; 2) the upcoming Bayou Preservation Association Rainwater Harvesting Workshops (part 1 of 3) to be held on Saturday, July 18, from 10 am to noon at the Third Ward Multi-Service Center at 3611 Ennis Street in Houston; and 3) upcoming Houston Galveston Area Council’s training of folks to become Texas Stream Team Monitors who will be trained to do a standard set of water tests and will be issues a kit with all the necessary chemicals and equipment to do those standard tests. The upcoming training is on Friday, June 19th from 9 am to 4 pm at Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy, 5600 S. Willow Drive, Houston, which will enable attendees to become certified in all three segments of the training. More details on this training can be found at the following link: https://www.h-gac.com/texas-stream-team.
Bruce Bodson gave his Fleet Captain’s report. He reported that during the previous month the Club has had an additional 5 trips totaling about 80 miles, and we have had about 22-23 different participants in those trips, including 5 who are non-members of the Club. He mentioned that he and Christy each have almost 100 paddling miles for this year, and that Doug Fairchild, Chris Clodfelter, and Greg Fan are all getting really close.
Christy Long gave her Vice Commodore’s Report:
- Christy noted that she is trying to select a place for her August First of the Month Trip, and that she is considering the Columbus Loop. Tom responded that although the Columbus Loop is below its historical median level, it is still higher than it has been and could be a good trip.
- Christy gave Fran Wilcox her Trip Coordinator Cup for 2025 and said that she has 4 more 2025 Trip Coordinator Cups to give out to Amy, Brent, Kent, and David Henderson.
- Christy said that she is in the process of identifying others to contact for our future monthly Membership Meeting speakers.
Old and New Business.
- Christy noted that there was no additional old or new business to address. She adjourned the meeting at 7:35 pm.
Recorder,
Mike Grove
Houston Canoe Club
Minutes of General Membership Meeting
June 10, 2026
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm by Vice Commodore, Christy Long, and Zoom access was granted to members who chose to meet virtually.
Officers in attendance: Christy Long, Vice Commodore and Website Master; Tracy Caldwell Becker, Purser; Tyrone White, Boatswain; Harmon Everett, Newsletter Editor (via Zoom); Bruce Bodson, Fleet Captain; Tom Douglas, Conservation Chairman; and Mike Grove, Recorder.
Officers absent: Natalie Wiest, Commodore.
Meeting attendance: 15 members were present in person, and 4 members were ``present via Zoom.
Vice Commodore’s Report: Christy made the following preliminary comments.
- Commodore Natalie is travelling and visiting family this month and is unavailable to attend this meeting.
- Tracy bought an HCC shirt from the Club for about $25.00, but it is not the right size. She is offering to sell the shirt to anyone interested in purchasing it. If interested, please contact Tracy directly.
- Christy then asked each officer to make their respective officer’s reports.
Recorder’s Report: Mike reported that this month we have two sets of Monthly Membership Meeting Minutes to approve, one set for the April 8th meeting and one set for the May 13th Swap Meet meeting. Since there was no formal business conducted during the May 13th Swap Meet, other than presentation of a Conservation Report, there was no opportunity to have the April 8th meeting minutes approved at that time. Mike asked for a motion to approve both sets of such minutes. The motion was made and seconded, and upon vote the motions carried and the Minutes of the April 8th Monthly Membership Meeting and the May 13th Swap Meet meeting were both approved.
Boatswain’s Report: Tyrone reported that:
- During May the Club gained 4 new members and had 14 renewing members, and as of the end of May there were 125 Club members and 1073 Facebook followers.
- Tyrone introduced Dawn Bateman, who attended the meeting and is one of the Club’s 4 new members. He invited Dawn to introduce herself. Dawn said that she had just moved to the area from Las Vegas, where she had done a lot of paddling, and she joined the Club to resume her paddling in this area. She said that she is open to all types of paddling.
Purser’s Report: Tracy reported that with last month’s 4 new members and 14 renewing members the Club received a fair amount of annual dues payments. She noted that expenditures and receipts during the preceding month have been routine, and that the Club continues to be in good shape from a financial standpoint.
Vice Commodore Comment: Christy noted that before we continued with additional officer’s reports, she wanted to particularly recognize and thank Greg Fan for his help all year in coming early to the Monthly Membership Meetings to set up the computer, the Zoom link, the video, the audio, and all of the associated wiring and for managing all of that during our meetings.
Newsletter Editor’s Report: Harmon reported that the June Newsletter has been published and looks fine. He said that it included, among other things, 4 trip reports, and he thanked Tom, Kent, Natalie, and Christy for sending in those reports. He encouraged everyone at the meeting and on Zoom to consider submitting articles for publication, such as favorite trips that someone might want to talk about or tips about paddling that you would like to share with everyone.
Safety Minute: Ann Derby volunteered to present a Safety Minute. Her introductory statement was “I like big hats and I cannot lie!” She harkened back to almost 40 years ago when she bought her first boat, a sea Kayak. The fellow who sold it to her told her that there are 3 things that she must do on every trip: (1) wear a life jacket, (2) take water, and (3) wear a hat! She said that she took that advice seriously and ever since then, any time she is out paddling, out for a walk, or on the beach, she wears a hat, with the goal of avoiding skin cancer. She mentioned that, nevertheless, late last year she felt a bump on her head, which a dermatologist later removed and had it biopsied. It proved to be a squamous cell carcinoma, which is skin cancer of the top layer of skin. The dermatologist noted that Ann caught this one early, so she had it surgically removed in a procedure that was not at all unpleasant and she is now clear of any other indication of skin cancer. She noted that this carcinoma might have developed due to her tanning practices years before she began extensive paddling, but in any case, her practice of wearing a large-brimmed hat at all times in the sun over the last 30 years or so has undoubtedly saved her from having developed earlier, more, and more serious events of skin cancer. She encouraged everyone to follow a routine of wearing wide-brimmed hats during paddling and other times in the sun, and to also visit a dermatologist regularly to have their bodies checked for potentially cancerous or pre-cancerous moles or growths.
Harmon asked Ann if she would be willing to submit an article about that Safety Minute for publication in the Newsletter, and Ann agreed she would do that.
Conservation Report: Tom gave his Conservation Report. Tom reported on: 1) the Buffalo Bayou Partnership 90-minute Cruises on Buffalo Bayou to see the bats that come out from under the Waugh Street Bridge, which will be held on June 11, 14, 18, and 26 at 7:35 pm; 2) the upcoming Bayou Preservation Association Rainwater Harvesting Workshops (part 1 of 3) to be held on Saturday, July 18, from 10 am to noon at the Third Ward Multi-Service Center at 3611 Ennis Street in Houston; and 3) upcoming Houston Galveston Area Council’s training of folks to become Texas Stream Team Monitors who will be trained to do a standard set of water tests and will be issues a kit with all the necessary chemicals and equipment to do those standard tests. The upcoming training is on Friday, June 19th from 9 am to 4 pm at Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy, 5600 S. Willow Drive, Houston, which will enable attendees to become certified in all three segments of the training. A complete copy of Tom’s Conservation Report will be made available in the HCC Conservation Forum in the Forum section of the Newsletter.
Fleet Captain’s Report: Bruce reported on paddling activities during May and so far this June. He said that the Club has had 11 trips since his April report. Available miles during the May period totaled 28.7 and since May another 75.61 miles have been available. There have been 27 paddling events so far in 2026. A total of 15 people have participated in trips since the last report, and a total of 51 Club members have participated this year, along with 11 non-members. Total available miles this year have been 367.41. To date this year, the resulting participation in aggregate miles by members is 1,854 and change. The Trip Leaders who have made most of these miles available this year are Bruce – 11 trips; Christy – 6 trips; and Kent Walters – 5 trips. Bruce then invited the leaders of several of the most recent trips to comment on those trips, which they did.
Principal Speaker: Christy next introduced the principal speaker for this monthly meeting, our Conservation Chairman, Tom Douglas. The topic that Tom presented is “Why the Majority of Rivers, Bayous, and Streams in this Region of Texas Flow from West to East.”
Tom made a comprehensive oral presentation coupled with detailed Power Point depiction of his key points. He began with the question that he encountered soon after his arrival in Houston in 1976: “Since the Gulf of Mexico is to the South of the Bayous and related waterways in this Region, why don’t those Bayous flow more Southward, rather than from West to East?” Tom began his research into that question with an article published in 1974 titled An Analysis of Texas Waterways, which is posted on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Website but is hard to find.
Tom began his analysis by discussing the courses of Spring Creek and Cypress Creek. He demonstrated that both of those waterways begin by flowing Southward, but then they each hit points where they make conspicuous turns toward the East and Northeast. From there, Tom engaged in detailed discussions of some core concepts of geology and river mechanics including (among others) erosion and deposition, and the balance between the volume of water, the slope of the terrain, and the amount and size of sediment that the river carries. Tom explained how flowing water shapes the physical features of rivers, streams, and their surrounding landforms such as meanders, floodplains, and deltas.
In particular to our region around Houston, Tom explained how the rivers, bayous, and creeks over time helped to lay down and create the Willis Formation, then the Lissie Formation, and then then Beaumont Formation. Tom’s presentation was sufficiently detailed and complex that it is beyond accurate and useful summarization in these minutes. Tom, however, expressed his intent to work his slides and oral presentation into an article that will appear in the Club’s Newsletter. He acknowledged that finalizing such an article might take some time, but that he intends to do so.
Christy thanked Tom for his great presentation and those present give him a round of applause for the explanation and insight that he provided.
Old and New Business.
- Christy then noted that there was no additional old or new business to address. Christy adjourned the meeting at 8:44 pm.
Recorder,
Mike Grove
