Red Bud Isle Volunteer Workday Photos

Thanks to Volunteer Kyle who worked with the City of Austin Parks Department staff and some volunteers on a workday last Saturday at Red Bud Isle.  Here’s a before, during, and after photo set showing their work:

Day 4: Red Bud Shoreline Project

Things are really moving along with native rocks now wedged into both sides of the steps where it ties into the bank.  I got there too late to meet up with E-Corps, but they’ll be back Monday (they take Fridays off in the summer) with another two days worth of work to complete.  In the meantime, check out a few views of the progress to date.  Nadene, one of the two organizers of the Friends of Red Bud Isle, had her dogs with us and both tried out the new steps.  Dudley pronounced them perfect from his perch in the water.

Day 3: Red Bud Shoreline Project

Just back from another trip to Red Bud, and apart from my camera’s drained batteries, Things are looking really good. All of the steps are in place, e-corps is now working on fitting rocks into the sides of the steps to lock everything in securely and then will be working on filling the area behind the steps with rock, gravel and dirt and pulling rock in the water up close against the bottom two sets of steps. I’ll get out there tomorrow and take some fresh pictures with some fresh batteries.

Bern's dogs are already checking out the steps under construction on day 2.

Red Bud Isle – Shoreline Erosion Project Begins

The second of two shoreline erosion projects has begun at Red Bud Isle. Funds from the Foundation as well as those raised by the Friends of Red Bud Isle totaling over $9,000 will reconstruct a portion of the shoreline, making it easy for dogs and people to enter and exit Lake Lady Bird. When completed, it will look like this:

Completed Steps from 1st Erosion Control Project

But American Youthworks and Parks Equipment operator Rico are beginning with the sandbag placement:

Sandbagging the site

Here’s the future steps and rock and gravel needed for the project.

Big limestone blocks that will be the steps.

Gravel and Rock for the project

We’ll be posting updates on the project as it progresses this week. Stay tuned.

Starbucks at Red Bud Isle on Earth day!

Earth day, on Tuesday, April 22 was a hot and humid day at Red Bud Isle. We made fantastic progress at this off-leash dog park with over 95 volunteers from Starbucks stores around Austin working a total of 205 hours, with many invasive trees cut and hauled, coffee grounds and mulching in the main field completed and the digging and placement of 7.5 tons of flagstone creating a new walk near the point of the island. Not bad for just a few hours of work.

Red Bud Isle Steps

Fresh photos of the first of two Red Bud Isle step entry areas – replacing a big eroded hole in the bank – work done by American Youthworks E-Corps and Austin Parks department, funded by Austin Parks Foundation. More info about the friends of Red Bud Isle here

Thanks to our 40 volunteers at Red Bud Isle

On Sat, December 1st, despite the overcast day and a bit of drizzle, over 40 volunteers from the Central Texas Trail Tamers, the Friends of Red Bud Isle and volunteers from the Austin Parks Foundation came out to spread mulch, pull out or cut down non-native trees, especially ligustrum, and repairs one of the smaller eroded areas along the trail. We also had two Parks and Recreation department employees who were cutting and treating the stumps from several hundred ligustrum trees so they won’t re-sprout. The pictures here show the before, during and after of correcting the eroded section along the trail.

Needless to say, there were many tails a wagging on Red Bud Isle on December 1st. But then, of course, there are always many dogs wagging their tails on a Saturday morning at Red Bud Isle. I especially liked meeting all of the great danes of various ages and sizes.

Did you know? Red Bud Isle is actually the remains of the former dam that formed Lake Austin that collapsed in 1900?

Our next big workday is January 19 at Copperfields Nature Trail. Visit our Volunteer Page for a list of the many volunteer opportunities coming up in the next few months.

Red Bud Project Takes Off

Here are a couple pictures from Friends of Red Bud’s recent volunteer day. They used APF grant funds to purchase benches, cedar fences and a kiosk. Bern Abplanalp, project organizer, reports that people were using the benches before they even got them bolted down!

You can find out more about the group and their plans for Red Bud Isle at http://redbudisle.org/