Barton Creek Trail Corps Update – 7/26/11

The Barton Creek Trail Corps is finishing up our rock work at the rope swing area just east of the Mopac overpass.  It’s looking really good and once they are finished, they’ll move to trail surface work for the next few weeks…

 

Tree Stress Continues…And What You Can Do

Our hot temps, drying winds and no rainfall are taking a tremendous toll on our trees, especially those that are very young and are much older.  We are offering grants for mulching trees in parks through-out Austin and we strongly encourage to you to apply – Info is here.

Bartlett Arborist performing root zone invigoration

Meanwhile, work continues at Wooldridge with our efforts to treat another 8 trees. Our arborists have treated six out of the eight trees as of now and the Parks Forestry Division is helping us with watering duties, which is great.

Mulch being applied after air spade work is completed

And some bad news with a huge tree limb falling off an old post oak at Wooldridge that had been doing very well despite the drought….

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please Donate to Wooldridge Tree Treatments

Beginning Thursday, Bartlett Tree Experts will be working under contract to the Austin Parks Foundation to do tree treatments on eight older heritage trees in historic Wooldridge Square, located at 9th, 10th, Guadalupe and San Antonio Sts in downtown Austin.  In 2009 and 2010, we funded the treatment of 12 trees and the result has been very good, with 11 of the 12 trees making a dramatic recovery.

Bartlett will be performing a process called root zone invigoration.  This involves using an airspade to blow out the soil anywhere from 10-20 out from the trunk of the tree to a depth of six inches, then add fertilizer and compost and then top with mulch.  We then water the treated trees regularly (weekly).  For the trees in heavily compacted soils, like Wooldridge, it’s like getting increased lung capacity, the soil is nice and loose, has nutrients and water and usually responds by growing new roots that strength the health and capacity of the tree. We’ve attached a map of the trees that we’ll be treating vs. those that we have already mulched.

We need to raise another $8,000 to pay for all of the work that needs to be done and 100 percent of donations will go to paying for the work.  You can donate online to our Special Funds – Central – Wooldridge Square on www.austinparks.org or you can mail a check to the Austin Parks Foundation, 816 Congress Ave Suite 1680, Austin TX 78701.  Write “wooldridge” in the memo line of your check and we’ll make sure it gets to the right place.

Thank you!

Thanks to our Saturday Volunteers at Barton Creek!

We had over 40 volunteers yesterday out on Barton Creek Greenbelt helping us gather rocks – small, medium and large, as well as buckets of gravel and soil to help our Barton Creek Trail Corps as they continue work on the retaining wall at the (sometime) swimming hole just east of Mopac on the main greenbelt trail.

Here’s the before and after pictures to give you an idea of what still needs to be done.

From This Past Tuesday…

This is just fill behind the really big rows of boulders that will be placed by the Barton Creek Trail Corps, we moved a number much closer so the Corps can use their winch system to drag the bigger ones into place…

The first row of boulders at the bottom of the picture will be the actual front of the area, everything else will be backfilled.

This is a boulder being hauled into position using a rock cradle.

The amazing i-serve volunteer crew shoveling gravel into buckets.

Austin Parks Foundation announces new grants for park projects

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  – July 13, 2011

CONTACT: Charlie McCabe, 512-477-1566 x2, cmccabe@austinparks.org

Restoring Grassland, Protecting Trees

Austin Parks Foundation announces new grants for park projects

AUSTIN, Texas—Today, Austin Parks Foundation announced $110,000 in grants for projects at 14 parks across Austin. All projects are initiated and led by volunteers. Project highlights include native prairie restoration at Commons Ford Ranch and tree protection at Zilker Park.

Restoring native prairie: In 2010, bird watcher and attorney Ed Z. Fair formed Commons Ford Prairie Restoration Organization to replace a 40-acre field of mesquite with vital bird habitat. “Native tall-grass prairies are on the verge of extinction,” says Charlie McCabe, Austin Parks Foundation Executive Director. “This project supports endangered plants and animals while serving the community through beautification and education.” Austin Parks Foundation will contribute $25,000 for native seeds and other expenses.

Disc golfers and tree-huggers team up: Disc golf is a favorite Austin park activity but flying discs can be hard on trees. Now Austin Heritage Tree Society and Waterloo Disc Association are teaming up to protect trees at Zilker Park’s disc golf course. Austin Parks Foundation is funding experimental tree cages and extensive mulching for tee boxes.

Austin Parks Foundation grants are funded by a percentage of Austin City Limits Music Festival ticket sales and more information about the program is available at http://www.austinparks.org/npg.html. The next grant application deadline is September 30, 2011. Community members are invited to attend a class on how to apply on August 16at 7 PM. Register on the calendar page of http://www.austinparks.org.

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Full list of July 2011 grantees:

• Commons Ford Prairie Restoration Organization, $25,000 to restore native grassland
• Gaines Creek Neighborhood Association, $5,000 for trail development and habitat restoration
• Off Leash Adopters, $40,000 for informational kiosks to be installed at off leash dog areas citywide
• Friends of Patterson Park, $8,000 for a community-built mosaic project in the pool area
• Pease Park Conservancy, $12,000 for stone, concrete and brick work
• West Austin Park, $14,500 for basic repairs to the bathrooms
• Austin Heritage Tree Society, $5,000 for tree protection and mulch at Zilker Park Polo Fields

Time for More Rock work on Barton Creek Greenbelt!

Our Barton Creek Trail Corps Crew from American Youthworks is back on the job after the week of July 4th off for vacation.  They are working to build a retaining wall to shore up another portion of creek bank on Barton Creek Greenbelt.  The area is just east of the Mopac Expressway crossing.

Part of the Trail Corps Crew...

Some of the bigger rocks already gathered.

We also have a volunteer workday planned for this Saturday, July 16th from 9 am to noon to help stockpile big rocks and cobble for use by the crew.  (Please meet at Twin Falls accessTrailhead at 9 am to join us!)  You can also RSVP here.

This is a similiar project to one completed earlier this year at Twin Falls, but not as big or as high. Here’s a picture of the retaining wall at Twin Falls as it currently looks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mulching at Wooldridge Square

These are photos from the July 2nd volunteer workday at Wooldridge Square.  We spread 50 cubic yards of mulch on the trees we (Austin Parks Foundation) had treated with a process called root zone invigoration back in November 2009 and all but one have responded really well.

Our thanks to Richard Craig – also of the Pease Park Conservancy (and an APF fiduciary partner) for helping organize this mulching effort. There are two trees (Pecans) that are having some difficulty and those were pruned by Parks Forestry team and mulched, and another eight that need treatments.  The total cost of these treatments will be just under $15,000 and we are looking for donations to help fund this work.  You can donate to the Wooldridge Square fund and 100 percent of all donations will be used to help us pay for this work.

Thanks to all who helped us.  There’s plenty more work to be done!

Volunteers and Park Staff working together at Mary Moore Searight

We wanted to pass on the before and after pictures of the work of Parks Supervisor John Estrada and his crew, plus volunteers from South Austin Disc Association and the Friends of Mary Moore Searight Park to restore to the 15th hole and fairway this past Saturday, and this was on top of a week of work done by John and his crew.  Our thanks to Claire Sorenson for documenting this project!

These two pictures are obviously the before shots….

Protect your Pets as our very hot summer continues…

We’re passing on some great information from the City’s Town Lake Animal Shelter on protecting your pets in this record heat and drought…Please pass this on….

by Town Lake Animal Center on Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 2:16pm

“Pets cool themselves the same way humans do—through the evaporation of sweat produced by the body,” said Dr. Linda Czisny, one of Town Lake Animal Center’s veterinarians. “The problem pets have is that they only have sweat glands on the soles of their feet. If that limited sweating isn’t enough, they pant. But, if the air they pant is just as hot as they are, they’re unable to cool down.”

The result can be heat-related stress, heat exhaustion and even death. High humidity can make the heat even more deadly, since it slows the evaporation rate. If a dog’s or cat’s temperature reaches 108 degrees, brain damage can occur after just a few minutes.

“Heat-related deaths often take pet owners by surprise, because a pet may seem to do just fine in the heat for years,” Czisny said. “We need to remember that any time a pet has to work overly hard to stay cool, it takes a toll on the body’s systems, so the pet may not be able to survive the next day’s high temperatures. That’s especially true for older animals or those whose health is already compromised in some way.”

Prevention is the best course of action when it comes to pets and the “dog days” of summer. Allowing your pet to stay inside during the heat of the day, in air-conditioned comfort, is the best prevention.

If that’s not possible, here are a few things you can do to help your pet stay healthy in the heat:
Make sure your pet always has access to shade. Remember that shade moves throughout the day, so check to make sure there’s something in the yard that will provide shade for your pet all day.

• Provide plenty of fresh, cool water every day for your pet to drink and put it in a spot that’s out of the sun and unlikely to be spilled.
• Setting up a shallow “kiddie pool” of water in the yard can help cool your dog down in the heat of the day.
• Avoid exercising your pet strenuously on hot days.
• Take plenty of water for your pet when out for walks or other activities.
• Never take your pet in the car if you’re going to leave it unattended. Parked cars turn into ovens in the sun, even if the windows are left open.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion in dogs and cats usually start with heavy panting, followed by huffing, puffing, or gasping for air. The animal may have difficulty walking or getting up because of dizziness, and may collapse or lose consciousness. If you observe these symptoms, you should immediately take steps to cool the animal down.

1. Get the animal out of the heat and into an air-conditioned place, if possible.
2. Provide a drink of cold water and rinse or spray your pet with cool water.
3. Direct a fan toward the animal while its coat is damp.
4.  If necessary, place ice bags around the animal’s head.
5.  As soon as the animal has cooled off, take it to the veterinarian for medical treatment.