Williamson Creek Greenbelt Central

Neighbors of the greenspace at Emerald Wood and South 1st have been working on improvements to their park for a long time – even though their park didn’t even seem to have a name! At long last, they have a sign officially indicating the area’s status as parkland.

In the past few years, neighbors have cleaned tons of trash out of the creek, removed invasive trees and plants, raised funds and installed a picnic table (an APF grant project), planted and watered trees, and most recently, added landscaping and a butterfly garden (also partly funded by an APF grant).

We’re really impressed with the dedication of the whole Southwoods neighborhood, and especially Nicole Sanford who has volunteered countless hours and taken the lead on much of this work. You can see some pictures of the volunteers in action here.  Way to go Southwoods

Great Information on Town Lake Birds

At the mouth of Shoal Creek and Lady Bird Lake, also known as Shoal beach, there’s a great kiosk with some good information on native birds who populate the area. This was an eagle scout project done in collaboration with the Town Lake Trail Foundation and the City’s Parks and Recreation Dept.

2nd Annual Nightcrawler attracts over 70 volunteers

On Friday June 6, REI, Austin Parks Foundation, American Youthworks E-Corps, the Austin Ridge Riders and over 70 volunteers gathered to do volunteer work for National Trails Day – the night before.  We cleared out and leveled a big berm of soil (and a few big trees) that has been deposited over the years just south of the Lamar Blvd bridge on the Shoal Creek Greenbelt Trail.  thanks goes to Courtney, REI outreach coordinator for sponsoring the event along with the foundation and for supplying great volunteer shirts and ice cream.

Zilker one of 8 Great Urban Parks

I was on a trip to Washington DC this past week and opened my NWA WorldTraveler magazine to see if any of the 8 great urban parks profiled in the cover story were in Austin.  And number 7 was Zilker Park with a picture of Barton Springs Pool!  Here’s the link.