Welcome!  Please put your sticky note at the front of your desk so I can see it.  Please pass forward your signed safety contract.  Please get out map of Houston ecoregions and your ecoregion description

Class Procedures  If you miss class:  Check the binder for details and handouts  Double check with your neighbor  Power point notes available on class website  Objective Sheets:  Calendar  A study guide for the unit

Houston  Intersection of four ecological zones:  Prairies  Bayous  Forests  Galveston Bay  How did these areas shape the growth of Houston? Do they still matter today? Could they have brought your family to the area?

Were any of the reasons to move here related to our natural resources?

Houston 10,000 years ago  Akoskia nation  Spring/summer – oysters, clams and fish from the Bay  Fall/Winter – small animals and plants from the prairie  Why did they move with the seasons?

Battle! Texas becomes a nation.  Santa Anna retreated from San Antonio to San Jacinto

Tall grass prairie – 6 to 9 feet tall! Did it play a role in the victory?

Waterways were used for transportation

Official founding of Houston  Allen Brothers – confluence (meeting point) of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak bayou – farthest point upstream where a barge could turn around.

What resources are emphasized in this painting?

Early economies  Cattle  Cotton  Sugar  Timber  PLUS waterways to move them!

1870’s: Railroads carried goods to ships and to markets east.  “Houston – where 17 railroads meet the sea.” (late 1800’s marketing moto)

Rice fields were established after barbed wire was invented.  Rice fields must be flooded, so rainfall is important.

How were the early Houstonians reliant on the four ecosystems?  Prairie  Forest  Bayou  Bay How about these? shop keepers home builders doctors teachers

Oil! Spindletop well in Beaumont starts Texas oil boom 1901

Port of Houston built 1914 – today it moves the most foreign tonnage in the US

1945 – Texas Medical Center

Houston, we have a space program. (1961)

Soooo....that sticky note  Color your sticky and put it back on the timeline:  Brown: agriculture, ranching  Green: timber  Red: oil/energy  Blue: medical  Leave uncolored: supporting industries  Others?

Graph – Houston’s population growth  What units are on the X axis?  How many people were in Houston at the last census?  How long ago was the population half what it is today?  How many people might there be by 2070?  Mark the following on the graph:  Building the railroads  Spindletop  Medical Center established  NASA established

Houston’s natural resources have contributed to the area’s growth.  Evidence for:  Evidence against:

Expected Houston demographic trends for the next 50 years:  City will grow  City will continue to diversify jobs, ethnicity  City is getting younger on average

Houston is an amazing place to live!

Our Big Questions:  What environmental issues will we face as our city continues to grow?  What is your role in our city and our ecosystems?

We each depend on natural resources  Food  Air  Water  Energy  How does increased population affect our resources?  Which resources do you think Houstonians should be most concerned about?

Sustainability Keeping an ecological balance by conserving our natural resources

We each depend on natural resources  Food  Air  Water  Energy  How does increased population affect our resources?  Which resources do you think Houstonians should be most concerned about?

Objective Sheet time – wrap up