Please remember to join us this coming Thursday evening, May 9, for our next Hawkins Squadron meeting at Waterman’s Restaurant, 14302 Stewart Road in Galveston (map here). We will be meeting in the newly-christened Texas Navy Room. Social hour begins at 1800, with the Squadron meeting and program beginning at 1900. Our program will be, “The Galveston Bay Foundation: The Guardians of Galveston Bay.” Our guests will be the GBF’s T’Noya Thompson, Report Card Coordinator, and Scott Jones, Director of Advocacy. They will discuss the bay’s importance in our ecosystem and the role individuals can play in helping protect it; their education programs; and the vast number of factors that contribute to both the bay’s health and the health of surrounding communities.
T’Noya Thompson joined Galveston Bay Foundation as Report Card Coordinator in May 2017. Born and raised in the Bahamas, T’Noya felt connected to nature at an early age as there was much to explore and learn from. A deep connection to the ocean inspired her to attend Texas A&M University at Galveston where she received a B.S. in Marine Biology in 2005. From there, she began working at Moody Gardens in the Animal Care Department. Over past 12 years, T’Noya served a number of roles at Moody Gardens and connected with the community on various levels. She is currently pursuing a Global Field Project Master’s Degree in Biology at Miami University through Project Dragonfly. T’Noya is passionate about collaborating conservation with community engagement and is excited to apply her experience to GBF. She looks forward to connecting with the community to preserve Galveston Bay for future generations.
Scott has been with GBF since September 2008. Previously, Scott worked for eight years at the Galveston Bay Estuary Program and on water quality issues for four years at TCEQ-Austin and the Galveston County Health District. As Environmental Policy and Outreach Specialist, Scott provides education and outreach on the importance of freshwater inflows to Galveston Bay, ensuring that diverse stakeholder groups and citizens at large have a voice in State water planning. Scott also facilitates GBF’s Wetland Permit Review Committee, a group of volunteers that examine Corps of Engineers permit applications to ensure that impacts to our wetlands are avoided, minimized and/or mitigated. Scott received a B.S. in Aquatic Biology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1993.
Ordering will be handled as previously, at during the meetings previously at Fisherman’s Wharf. Meeting attendees can order off either the full dinner or, for smaller appetites, Waterman’s lunch menu (see menus here). Checks will be provided individually, and a gratuity built in for separate checks. Suggested pro tip – bring cash in a variety of denominations to settle your check without requiring change or a follow-up signature.
The Texas Navy Association is a private, 501(c)(3) organization, dedicated to preserving and promoting the historical legacy of the naval forces of the Republic of Texas, 1835-46. The mission of the Texas Navy Association is to preserve and promote an appreciation of the historic character and heroic acts of the Texas Navy; to promote travel by visitors to historical sites and areas in which the Texas Navy operated; to conduct, in the broadest sense, a public relations campaign to create a responsible and accurate image of Texas; and to encourage Texas communities, organizations, and individuals, as well as governmental entities, to participate with actions and money, in pursuit of these goals. Membership in the Texas Navy Association is open to all persons age 16 and over who have an interest in Texas history and want to help support the goals of the organization.
In Galveston, the Charles E. Hawkins Squadron was organized in the fall of 2016, and meets on the second Thursday in odd-numbered months.
Images courtesy Galveston Bay Foundation.
Charles E. Hawkins Squadron 