This year's Spring It's My Park Day came on the heels of the historic winter storm that hit Austin in early February. Days of icy accumulation impacted 30% of the city's total tree canopy and damaged an estimated 10.5 million trees as a result. Many of our city's treasured parks were left in bad shape, with limbs blocking trails, disrupting green spaces and posing threats to parkgoers. In an effort to help with the huge undertaking of cleaning up this debris, many leaders adjusted their It's My Park Day projects to include tree cleanup, while others organized pre-It's My Park Day brush-clearing projects.
Thousands of Austinites showed up for our parks on Saturday, March 4th, organizing community-led projects in neighborhood parks, trails, green spaces and community gardens alike. Austin Parks Foundation is grateful to everyone who participated in this event. We are continually blown away by the generosity of our city!
In total, 3,301 volunteers completed 84 park improvement projects including tree mulching, invasive plant species removal, trail maintenance, trash clean-ups, community garden improvements and more. Over the course of the day, Austinites dedicated a combined 9,903 volunteer hours to our cherished parks and green spaces (a value of over $296,595)! A perfect example of how volunteerism impacts our city’s underfunded park system.
THANK YOU
Austin Parks Foundation offers a huge THANK YOU to It's My Park Day project leaders, sponsors, volunteers and giveback partners for making our Spring 2023 event a success. It’s My Park Day Fall will be here before we know it! Save the date for our next city-wide volunteer event happening Saturday, November 4th.
We couldn’t have done this without the support of airbnb, the presenting sponsor of It's My Park Day Spring 2023. We’d also like to give a shout-out to our other sponsors as well as the twelve local businesses that participated as Giveback Partners, offering free or discounted treats to volunteers. It’s amazing to see the Austin community come together to champion volunteerism and giving back!
Austin Parks Foundation hosts open volunteer opportunities in parks across the city each month, including opportunities for IMPD extension projects at Alderbrook Pocket Park and Montopolis Neighborhood Park in March.
Spring 2023 Impact Wrapped-Up
Check out the infographic below for an in-depth look at the impact we made during It’s My Park Day Spring 2023. We can't wait to see you in the parks!
