Workin' 9 to 5

While lots of us were working 9 to 5 in office buildings the contractor was busy along Boggy Creek.  The staging area has been in place for weeks but when I took the dogs for a walk this afternoon I saw that the crew had a very busy day.  Here's a photo map of what's going on in the park walking upstream from the Senior Activity Center to Rosewood Avenue and then downstream from Rosewood Avenue along Hargrave.

Nile Street staging area near park's restrooms

 

 

inside the fenced in staging area is covered with mulch

and rocks where the heavy equipment enters/exits to reduce soil compaction

 

 

some of the heavy equipment ready to roll

 

 

erosion berms being moved into the staging area (a pretty unusual sight for Nile Street)

 

 

fencing and wood being put around trees to protect them during creek restoration

 

fencing to reduce pedestrian access to the work zone. 

The contractor is going to start at Rosewood Avenue and work their way downstream.

 

loose rock dam runs perpendicular to the creek's flow

 

fencing to keep pedestrians out of the work zone runs from the

Pleasant Valley overpass all the way to Rosewood Avenue

 

 view from Rosewood Avenue looking downstream

 

 fencing and erosion control in place along Hargrave

 

rocks at an access point off of Hargrave

 

Hargrave staging area

 

It'll be exciting to see the work progress over the next year.  More details about the restoration project are available at -  www.austintexas.gov/boggycreekrestoration

Plethora of Pecans

It’s been a bumper crop year for pecans in the greenbelt and every day you can see neighbors gathering these nourishing treats. Cultivated thin-shelled varieties are commercially grown throughout the Southeast but our pecans are smaller and sturdier with thick shells that give squirrels and humans a sense of accomplishment when you crack one open.

 

Since it is holiday time, which often means lots of good food, I asked our City of Austin Council Members to share their favorite pecan recipes and will list those below as they come in. 

 

Happy pecan gathering and eating during this holiday season!

Rusty Banks of Boggy

Rusty metal and concrete are so ingrained in Boggy Creek that the literally hold it in place and concrete carves a path down the middle. Bumpers make up the banks and surprise visitors since they expect to see a rock outcropping when they peer over the edge but are greeted by disintegrating cars. Over time the beauty of the slowing vanishing vehicles grows on you as you watch roots entwine with them and imagine the path that led them to hold up the creek bank.

English lovers can't help but think of T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" as you wander along the banks.
          What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow 
          Out of this stony rubbish?

 

 

 

 

 

This Fall, Boggy is going to begin its transformation into a more naturalized creek.  Details are posted on the City of Austin Watershed Protection Department's page: www.austintexas.gov/boggycreekrestoration  While many neighbors have a sentimental attachment to our cars parts creek, we look forward to one that's safter for kids to play, will have stable banks and reduced erosion, more native plants, and still have points where we can access the creek.

 

Artist rendering of what one of the drainage areas that flows from Nile Street to the creek will look like with native flowers and grasses in bloom.

 

 

Stay tuned to this blog for photos as the project progresses. 



 

It's Adopted!

The Boggy Creek Greenbelt, 1114 Nile Street - 78702, is a quiet greenbelt with lots of pecan trees, two pavilions, picnic tables, open areas for families to gather, and Central Texas vegetation and songbirds.

In November 2012, the greenbelt was formally adopted by the Rosewood - Glen Oaks Neighborhood Association and paperwork signed with the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department.  Financial donations are being managed in partnership with the Austin Parks Foundation.  The section adopted is between the Senior Activity Center and Rosewood Avenue. 

The group will participate in large volunteer days like It's My Park Day and Clean Sweep. 

Initial Projects May Include:

Painting Over Graffiti

Repairing Benches

 

Repainting Tables

Uncovering the Sand Volleyball Court

Longer Term Projects May Include:

Native Tree Plantings To Replace Trees Lost in Drought