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presented by
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It’s My Park! Day is an annual community service day focused on improvements to Austin’s park system. Individuals and community groups lead projects. This year, 2,500 volunteers helped out at 60 different parks! Hundreds of trees were planted, a new playground was installed, trails were built, new friends were made, and a good time was had by all! We can't thank our volunteers, project leaders, and sponsors enough for all their hard work.
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Other Photos from March 7:
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Project Highlights and Anecdotes
Volunteers at Gus Garcia Park built a new nature trail with help from the Texas Iron Spikes.
Hundreds of trees were planted at Dick Nichols and Quail Creek parks.
At Great Hills Park, ground was broken for a new trail. Parks Department staff wielded chain saws, while volunteers used hands, tools, or whatever was available to clear the way. At one point a big, black squirrel jumped on a working chain saw, but escaped unharmed! |
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At Shipe Park, volunteers removed invasives, raked, aerated, and more. Stan Kozinsky, repainted the park's entry arch he designed and constructed 7 years ago.
Volunteers at Lower Shoal Creek had a blast pulling out vast quantities of trash. They found many large items, including an AC unit that took four strong people to move.
While weeding at Butler Park, volunteers had to watch for turtles and relocate them to the pond area. |
Friends of Red Bud Isle accomplished a massive mulching project along with poop and trash pickup. The dogs either helped out or napped in the mulch piles.
Central Texas Mountaineers used ancient Egyptian techniques to move rocks while building a staircase up Guide Wall in the Barton Creek Greenbelt.
Friends of Copperfield Nature Trail worked on trail improvements and also had Daisy Scouts planting Texas Mountain Laurel seeds.
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A Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park volunteer reports, "I met a new friend because of volunteering for It's My Park Day. Major Aaron Leonard from Ft. Hood helped us with the disbursement of the cedar shavings and afterwards he and I rode [mountain bikes] together. Aaron was leaving the next day for Iraq for his 3rd tour there and it was a privilege to get to know him and to learn more about his self-sacrificing role in protecting the Iraqi people."
The project leader at Bruning Green told us, "It was great to see volunteers who didn't have a lot of gardening experience get in there and annihilate so many weeds." |
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