Clean Sweep 2013

There's no better way to start a Saturday than with volunteers working to make the world a little bit better.  On April 13 we welcomed volunteers to the park for Keep Austin Beautiful's annual Clean Sweep.  We were one of 134 cleanup sites and we're biased but we think we had the happiest volunteers in town.  Thank you to everyone who came out to make a difference!

 

Photos of our Boggy Creek Clean Sweep

 

 

"before" shot of trash floating in the creek

 

See all the volunteers in our creek?

 

moving some mulch leftover from It's My Park Day

 

 

Victory!

 

Oh & did we mention that KAB throws a volunteer party?  We made a neighborhood bike gang and rode to the party to enjoy lunch, t-shirts, music, face painting, and cool exhibits like making a reusable bag out of old vinyl banners.

 

 

 

 

waffle maker, juicer, new towels OR stuff for the park?

When Doug and I got engaged one of the first things we did was adopt this park.  We love walking our dogs (Kona & Pippa) here and now that our partnership was going to be formalized it seemed like the right thing to formalize our partnership with the park too.

 

Kona         &                 Pippa

 

We did have ulterior motives though, we didn't want stuff.  As soon as you get engaged it seems like people begin to ask you where you're registered so by adopting the park and setting up a fund management account with the Austin Parks Foundation we could cleverly skirt that question and encourage people to donate to the park.   Besides, if you get a juicer it needs to be cleaned every time you use it and you have to clean it alone.  If you take care of a park with a creek then you do need to hold cleanups every once and a while BUUUUT people help you and thank you for what you're doing! When was the last time you were thanked for cleaning a juicer?

So on the fifth anniversary of our first date, we tied the knot and now we just need to decide how we want to improve our park.  The great staff from the Parks and Recreation Department have requested some trash cans with side entry and a lid that'll be more attractive, easier for them to use and will reduce the amount of litter that blows out.  It would also be nice to have  bench facing the creek so we can have quiet moments to watch wildlife.  What do you think our wedding gifts to the park should be? 

 

It's My Park Day!!! - Power in #s

It's My Park Day was March 2, 2013 so this blog is a little late but better late than never.  We had an outstanding turnout for our first It's My Park Day!  More than 60 volunteers joined us to move 120 cubic yards of mulch, pickup trash, paint over graffiti, put up bird boxes, and take on Bermuda grass in the sand volleyball court.  We also had some great door prizes thanks to neighborhood businesses: East Village Café, East Side Pies, Hillside Farmacy & Blue Dahlia. 

 

SIDE NOTE: I JUST WENT TO GET THE LINK TO THE "IT'S MY PARK DAY" PAGE AND GUESS WHAT, WE'RE THE MAIN PHOTO!!!

Here are some more photos of the fun:

MULCHING

 (& a video on how to properly mulch - www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLdbdQ9fVZE)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PAINTING OVER GRAFFITI

 

 

 

 

 



 STORYTIME

growing the next generation of park stewards

 

 

 

 

CREEK CLEANUP

 

 

 

 

 

VOLLEYBALL COURT RESCUE

 

 

 

GIVING OUT PRIZES!!!

 

 

 

Thanks to everyone who volunteered and donated prizes.  Our trees, our creek, and our neighborhood are a better because of your service.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hargrave Grow Zone

Some people see a drainage ditch and some people see an area full of dewberries, wild onions, and tree saplings.  Last month our Friends group contacted the City of Austin Watershed Protection and Parks and Recreation Departments to talk about turning the drainage ditch that runs from Hargrave to Boggy Creek into a Grow Zone. 

The orange line marks the new Grow Zone that goes along the

drainage channel that runs from Hargrave Street to Boggy Creek.

 

 

photo taken from the track at Hargrave looking toward Boggy Creek

 

 

By allowing plants to grow along this area we will reduce the heat island effect, slow water down to allow it to soak into the soil, create wildlife habitat, and improve water quality.

 

Since there is already engineered construction going on along the creek with orange fencing we decided to install some orange fencing along our Grow Zone too.  This will allow vegetation to begin to re-grow so when mowers are working in the park they will be able to clearly see the area we are allowing the recover.

 

 

February 18, 2013 - Doug & Staryn install temporary fencing

 

 

 

 

 

 

we also removed 3 grocery bags full of trash & a tire from our new Grow Zone

 

 

 

What's growing in our Grow Zone now?

 

Alamo Vine - stunning seed pods

 

Dewberries - yum!

 

Wild Onions

 

 

Cedar Elm Saplings

 

 

We can't wait to see what grows next!

 

 



What a difference a week makes

Last Week, January 26, 2013

 

 

Today, February 1, 2013

 

 

photos taken from Pleasant Valley bridge looking upstream

Home Tweet Home

We've signed up for It's My Park Day on March 2nd and one of the perks that the Austin Parks Foundation offers are mini-grants to reimburse organizers up to $250 for the cost of materials.

One of the ideas that came up during our planning meeting was to place habitat boxes on top of the tree stumps in the park.  When it comes to bird boxes there are lots of choices.  Texas Parks and Wildlife provides a great list of bird box sizes for common Texas birds. 

Do we want to build more homes for wrens, purple martins, owls, wood ducks, or some other kind of feathered friend?

 

 

Invasive Plants - Early Detection

Just like we go to the doctor for routine checkups, our greenbelt’s health is being monitored so we can nip problems in the bud before they grow.  One of our Friends is documenting all of the invasive plant species in our greenbelt and the effort we spend removing them.

Found one!  Cat Claw Vine was documented in the greenbelt today for the first time.  This invasive vine has caused a big problem in Mayfield Nature Preserve where it has formed a blanket under the trees preventing understory plants from growing and using up valuable water that the trees need to survive our harsh conditions. 

 

These photos are of the cat claw vine in our greenbelt.

Surgery - Luckily the amount in our greenbelt is very small right now, so our Friend is talking with the Parks and Recreation Department and the Watershed Protection Department to let them know about the plan to remove it.  Once approved, our Friend will simply dig up the small tuber and throw it away.

Prevention is the Best Medicine – Cat Claw Vine is a woody vine that is sold as an ornamental plant.  It spreads by seeds and by runners.  If you have it in your yard then you can remove it by digging up the tubers and throwing them away.  Great native alternatives that you can use in your landscape include:

• Trumpet Vine
• Crossvine
• Passion Vine

Happy Gardening! For more earth-wise gardening tips for Austin visit www.GrowGreen.org

crossvine         passion vine         trumpet vine

January 10, 2013 Update

The Parks and Recreation & Watershed Protection Departments gave approval for the removal of this small grouping of cat claw vine sooooo.....

tonight was spent digging up invasive plant tubers.  We will continue to monitor the area to see if there are any new shoots but initial prognosis is good.