Join Us for a Nature Walk!

On Monday, Sept 10, 2012, join FLWR and representatives from the City of Austin on a tour around the Willowbrook Reach. We will identify plants and talk about the changes that have begun to take place since the beginning of the restoration project and establishment of "grow zones."

This takes the place of FLWR's regular bi-monthly meeting. Instead of meeting at Cherrywood Coffeehouse, we'll meet at the Reach!

Meet at the swing on the corner of Willowbrook and E 40th St. 6:30pm.

Brainstorms from 5/1/2007 meeting

Here are the brainstorm ideas from our meeting on 5/1/07. In attendance were Priscilla, Lee, Girard, David B (in absentia), Dolly, Dave W., John, Aaron and Gale. Numbers following items indicate independent mentions of the idea (remember, we were all given an open forum to throw out our ideas for the Reach and many of us touched on some of the same things). Items with no number means it was only mentioned once, but that doesn't mean the idea was or wasn't oohed and aahed by the others! I've tried to organize by category, but there is some inevitable crossover.

The BRAINSTORM:

Plants and Trees
open mown spaces, including for human use like Frisbee and croquet (4)
wildflowers (3)
woodland areas or groves (2)
no mow areas (2)
no mow area from path to creek (2)
planting plan (2)
completely wild
crape myrtles
more trees
trees concentrated along the creek (eg, riparian trees, bald cypress)
tree/plant inventory
adopt-a-tree program
more native plants
more native shrubs and small trees (fruiting and flowering)
removal of invasive species over time
poison ivy control

Wildlife
more wildlife (snakes, birds, amphibians) (4)
butterfly gardens (3)
purple martin propagator (2)
certified monarch butterfly habitat
wildlife habitat certification
bat houses
more pools of water for wildlife

Paths and Hardscape
bridge (5)
wider path (overall or at points) (4)
move path away from creek in sensitive areas (2)
spur trails connecting to street at midpoints
subtle, landscape level lighting at choice points

Creek and Water
deal with drainage problems
small dams to control flow, create pools
better erosion control
native erosion control
prevent water from going under pipes
pipes crossing creek hidden or removed

Human uses
better enforcement of poop pick-up, more poop bag containers (2)
more trash cans and trash pickup
not too many picnic tables
maintain as greenbelt with low impact human uses
picnic tables
benches
creek cleanups
regular maintenance plan
drinking fountain

Art, Education and Other Features
educational signs for trees, wildflowers and animals (3)
bulletin board or kiosk (2)
public art (2)
murals on bridge overpass
acknowledgement of the history of the area (ie, old dairy farm)
recycling dead trees for stuff in the park
community vegetable garden

FLWR meeting: April 3

We had our first meeting last night for the newly invigorated FLWR. Girard Kinney, Priscilla and Dave Boston, Dolly and Dave and John Stott were in attendance. First and foremost we added the 'L' for 'Lovers' to the old name, Friends of Willowbrook Reach. As an acronym, FLWR has super fun potential.

Here are a few other things we talked about:

• Erosion control - this is going to be an ongoing issue in an urban creek system confined to a small space by houses and roads. Creeks and rivers are born to meander--to change their paths by miles at a time. It’s a natural process, but if we let it happen in the city, the creeks and rivers would gulp houses and roads up into its gullet. So, we need to prepare.
• More native plants - We’d like to plant more native trees, shrubs and wildflowers to attract butterflies and birds. This will also help with erosion
• Mowing - we need to work with the city to come up with a good maintenance schedule. Mowing is important, as it helps keep back some of the nasties like poison ivy and Johnson grass.
• Monarch Waystation - Dolly threw out the idea of a monarch waystation, which I think is a fabulous idea. Once we get some more flowering native plants in the ground, I think we can easily apply to become a waystation.
• Martin house - the Reach is ripe for purple martin houses
• Bridge - a longer term goal is to get a bridge mid-Reach.
• More garbage cans and doggie bags - Enough said.
• Master plan - We desperately need a master plan to guide everything we do on the Reach. It will not only help us develop, maintain and foster the Reach in a cohesive and appropriate way, but it will help our communications with the City of Austin and other stakeholders.

In the end, we quickly applied for an Keep Austin Beautiful grant to get us started.