Mary Anne Piacentini, President, Katy Prairie Conservancy, joins us to discuss:
-her background
-the Katy Prairie Conservancy: what it does and what it has accomplished
-Houston flooding: what and why
-the Army Corps of Engineers Interim Report: what it says; what has been accepted and what has been rejected by it
-effective, cost-efficient, proven manageable ways to mitigate flooding
-what to consider other than “get rid of the water!” and why it is important



About MaryAnne: "MaryAnne Piacentini, President, Katy Prairie Conservancy, coordinates its land protection programs and conservation assistance to private landowners, establishes community partnerships and relationships with diverse stakeholders, and oversees the agency’s operations and programs. She expanded the land protection program from 1,300 acres in 1999 to more than 20,000 acres today; implemented a conservation buyer program to support additional conservation; and formed joint venture partnerships to restore habitat while also increasing earned income using stream and wetlands mitigation projects.

"In 2018 she was awarded the Bayou Preservation Association’s Terry Hershey Bayou Stewardship Award. Ms. Piacentini received the AIA Houston’s Civic Vision Award in 2016. She was one of four women in Texas to receive Audubon Texas’s inaugural Terry Hershey Texas Women in Conservation award in 2014. In 2005, she received the Army and Sarah Emmott Conservation Award from the Citizens' Environmental Coalition.

"She received a Master of City Planning from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of New Hampshire. Previously, she served as Executive Director of various nonprofit organizations, including Friends of Hermann Park, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the Cultural Arts Council of Houston. She also served as the Senior Policy Planner for the Community Development Division of the Mayor’s Office of the City of Houston."


Contact Michael:
1. ccerppodcast@aol.com
2. http://www.goldams.com
3. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gold-2883921/
4. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1152144714995033/

Join us at CCERP on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1152144714995033/




Show notes (more to come).
1. Katy Prairie Conservancy: https://www.katyprairie.org

2. Matt Cook Wildlife Viewing Platform at Warren Lake
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/life/gardening/article/A-duck-oasis-40-minutes-from-Houston-14963397.php

3. Indiangrass Preserve and the Ann Hamilton Walking Trail
https://www.hikingproject.com/trail/7023579/ann-hamilton-trail

4. Warren Ranch
http://www.warrenranchtx.com

5. Effect of and damage caused by Hurricane Harvey: https://www.khou.com/article/weather/hurricane/harvey/final-report-shows-harveys-impact-on-harris-county-by-the-numbers/285-562016932

6. 2019 disasters and their costs: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article239153533.html

7. US Army Corps of Engineers' "Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Resiliency Study, Texas:" https://www.swg.usace.army.mil/Portals/26/BBTnT_Interim_Report_202001001_Final_1.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0VI6q_U1Td_J3YXUwE3yMgwOKF3qsa0-BbZa8nRhIjZKKDiWg95823bcA

8. Nature Deficit Disorder
a. http://richardlouv.com/blog/what-is-nature-deficit-disorder
b. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/parenting/nature-health-benefits-coronavirus-outdoors.html
c. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/people-in-nature/200901/no-more-nature-deficit-disorder
d. https://www.childrenandnature.org/about/nature-deficit-disorder/
e. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_deficit_disorder

9. Regenerative agriculture and holistic management
a. http://www.regenerativeagriculturedefinition.com
b. https://www.ted.com/speakers/allan_savory
c. https://savory.global
d. https://rodaleinstitute.org/why-organic/organic-basics/regenerative-organic-agriculture/
e. https://holisticmanagement.org
f. http://www.polyfacefarms.com
g. https://www.thelunaticfarmer.com

10. The National Wildlife Federation: https://www.nwf.org

11. Tax Day Flood
a. https://www.click2houston.com/weather/2019/04/16/look-back-at-houstons-2016-tax-day-flood/
b. https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/tax-day-flood-houston-2016-photos-looking-back-12832654.php
c. https://spacecityweather.com/houstons-flooding-review/

12. "Aging dams threaten thousands across US:" by David A. Lieb, Michael Casey and Michelle Minkoff: https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2019/11/10/aging-dams-threaten-thousands-across/F66XXa2e9lGpec2ZyQOEeJ/story.html

13. Rewilding rivers and removing dams
a. https://rewildingeurope.com/blog/free-flow-rewilding-rivers-through-barrier-removal/
b. https://www.americanrivers.org/threats-solutions/protecting-rivers/
c. https://www.americanrivers.org/threats-solutions/restoring-damaged-rivers/
d. https://oregonstate.edu/instruction/anth481/ws/damremove.html

14. Economic value of nature
a. "The Value of the World's Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital"by Robert Costanza, et. al.: https://mro.massey.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10179/9476/Costanza%20et%20al%20%20Nature%201997%20prepublicaton.pdf
b. "Twenty years of ecosystem services: How far have we come and how far do we still need to go?" by Robert Costanza, et. al.: https://www.robertcostanza.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2017_J_Costanza-et-al.-20yrs.-EcoServices.pdf
c. TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaAEfERGyO8
d. Robert Costanza talk "Flourishing on Earth: Lessons from Ecological Economics:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZkTlVPgqG4
e. "Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services – Professor Robert Costanza:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4F3M1b1bdI
f. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2020/10/31/nature-has-economic-value-that-needs-to-be-valued/?sh=39928d263a2c



Image and bio courtesy MaryAnne Piacentini.