Nominate a TreeNow till June 30th   Wanted: Tree of the Year nominationsIt’s time to send in your pick for “Tree of the Year 2008.” Nominations are due June 30th.   Each year, one large and one small tree within the Austin city limits will be recognized. Look for trees that are native, healthy and beautiful.  A nomination form may be found at www.cityofaustin.org/treeoftheyear. A form may also be picked up at local plant nurseries or the Zilker Garden Center. The winners will be chosen by a committee that includes representatives from Austin Energy, Parks and Recreation, Watershed Protection and Development Review, the University of Texas and the community. More information: Check the Web site or call (512) 505-3726. 

Red Bud Isle Workday07/06/2008     Friends of Red Bud Isle are going to have a short workday on Sunday, July 6th from 8-11am. Volunteers will be filling 100 sandbags in preparation for the stairway project that will begin the following day.  The work will be done on the far point of the island next to the eroded shoreline. This is not back breaking work, unless you’re assigned to stacking the filled sandbags, but provided everyone behaves properly one of the leaders will do the stacking.  This is just staging work; we will not be building a sandbag wall.  All ages are welcome.   When:  Sunday, July 6th 8am-11amWhere:  Red Bud Isle, 3401 Red Bud Trail (Central Austin – 78746)Contact:  berna@austin.rr.com  

YardWise Workshop, AustinTuesday, July 8 9:00 a.m. – NoonLadyBirdJohnsonWildflowerCenter4801 La Crosse Ave.Austin, TX78739 Agenda  9:00 a.m.        Welcome / Introductions                                         Alan Watts - TCEQ 9:10                YardWise: a Resource for You                              Alan Watts - TCEQ 9:30                Planning & Planting:  Native Species Options  Andrea DeLong-Amaya                                                                                                            LBJ Wildflower Center 10: 10             Wildflower Center Tour                                           Deryn Davidson                                                                                                            LBJ Wildflower Center 10:30              Building and Maintaining Soil Health                 Susan Decker                                                                                                            Travis Co. Master Gardeners 11:10              Problem-Solving: Integrated Pest Management              John Gleason                                                                                                              City of Austin – Grow Green 11:50              Wrap-Up 12:00              Adjourn  Directions to the LadyBirdJohnsonWildflowerCenter:Take  MoPac Expressway (Loop TX-1) south.  Turn left at the first stop sign past Slaughter Ln. -  La Crosse Ave. –  look for entrance on the right. 

Slaughter Creek Trail07/12/2008  Join the Austin Ridge Riders Mountain Bike Club for a rewarding workday on the Slaughter Creek Trail.  Volunteers are currently working on re-routing a portion of the trail.  This re-route is approximately 500+ yards in length and we have about 100 yards of it completed.  The sooner it’s complete, the sooner the trail can open to the public. Date: July 12th  Time:  8am-noonLocation:  9901 Camp Ben McCullough Rd. (aka: FM1826) at Slaughter CreekDirections:

• From Austin, go to the Y in Oak Hill.  Continue west on Hwy 290 and turn left onto Camp Ben McCullough Rd./FM1826 (third traffic light after the Y). Drive approximately 2 miles, cross the low water bridge over Slaughter Creek and the property/gate entrance will be on your left.  Drive up the driveway to the parking lot.
• From Circle C and other areas in South Austin, take Slaughter Lane to Camp Ben McCullough Rd./FM1826. Turn left on Camp Ben/1826. Drive approximately 1 mile. Cross the low water bridge over Slaughter Creek and the property/gate entrance will be on your left.  Drive up the driveway to the parking lot.

Contact:  Britt Jones at bikejones2426@yahoo.com  or call 512-423-0889Notes:  Bring: sturdy shoes or boots, sun block, bug repellent, work gloves, eye protection, WATER, & food (i.e., energy bars and/or sandwich).  In the case of rain, please attend the next scheduled trail work day. 

Wild Basin Workday07/12/2008 Like to get dirty, work hard, and have fun? Then join us for trail maintenance, invasive plant removal, revegetation, erosion control, and other land management projects on the second Saturday of each month.  Date: 2nd Saturday of every month, July 12th Time:  8:30am-12:00pmLocation:  Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve, 805 N. Capitol of TX Hwy (West Austin-78746)  Contact:  For more details, email hike@wildbasin.org or call 512-327-7622, ext 17.Note: Wear hiking boots or sturdy shoes and long pants with a long-sleeved shirt; bring bottled water and gloves, plus a day/fanny pack to carry personal items. You need your hands free! Dress for the weather: hat & sunscreen for solar protection; raincoat/light jacket if it's chilly or raining lightly. We don't go out in thunderstorm conditions.Website: www.wildbasin.org 

PLANT CONSERVATION:  Seed Cleaning Party07/12/2008Help out the Millennium Seed Bank Project at the Wildflower Center by cleaning seeds for storage at the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation, and the Wildflower Center. Great project, fun company, and pizza lunches.Saturday, March 8, 10 am-2 pmSaturday, May 10, 10 am-2 pmSaturday, June 14, 10 am-2 pmSaturday, July 12, 10 am-2 pmSaturday, August 9, 10 am-2 pmIf you’d like to help, contact Flo Oxley at 512/232-0160 or oxley@wildflower.org.If these opportunities don’t ring your chimes, we have lots of other volunteer opportunities throughout the Center, including in horticulture and landscape restoration. Trust me, there’s something for everyone! For more information on other volunteer opportunities at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, contact Carrie McDonald, Volunteer Coordinator at 512/232-0102 or cmcdonald@wildflower.org. 

Weed & Water Beds @ Neighborhood Green07/13/2008 Bruning Green is a neighbor-maintained green space that was established in 2001 and has been developed into a beautiful little public space with a butterfly bed, path, stone seating walls, and bench. It is very precious to the neighborhood and needs regular maintenance to keep it in top condition.  Please bring work gloves, a pitchfork if you have one, and bottled water for yourself. Contact keeper@northfieldna.org to sign up for one of the work days Date: July 13th    Time:  9am-10amLocation:  Bruning Green @ 52nd, Evans, and Bruning Avenue (N. Central Austin - 78751)Parking:  along neighborhood streets, please be courteous of neighbors and do not block drivewaysContact:  keeper@northfieldna.org to volunteerNote:  Please bring work gloves, a pitchfork if you have one, and bottled water for yourself. 

Keep Austin Beautiful awards Neighborhood Beautification Grants annually to support neighborhoods in their efforts to beautify and improve public spaces. Keep Austin Beautiful designed the program to help groups of residents and neighborhood organizations take ownership of their local environment, and build a stronger community by developing and nurturing relationships among neighbors. Application Deadline: 5pm, July 14thMore Information: www.keepaustinbeautiful.org/nbg 

Garden @ Dobie Middle School07/17/2008  Help spread mulch, set up the compost pile, pull weeds, and water.   Date: July 17th  Time:  8:00am-10:00amLocation:  Dobie Middle School, 1200 E Rundberg Ln (NE Austin- 78753)Contact:  karen@sustainablefoodcenter.org 

Garden @ City Hall07/18/2008  Austin City Hall was recently certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a wildlife habitat!  On July 21st there will be a press conference to announce the big news. The landscape needs a little sprucing up so we are organizing a habitat work day to whip the City Hall grounds back into shape. Please bring gloves, comfortable working shoes/attire, hat, sunglasses, shades, etc.PARD will provide some latex gloves, all tools, mulch, water/Gatorade and a LUNCH! Date: July 18th  Time:  7:30am Location:  Austin City Hall Plaza 301 W. Second Street, Austin, TX 78701Contact: alice.nance@ci.austin.tx.usNote:  Please rsvp by Friday, July 11th  

Garden @ Ann Richards School07/18/2008  Help fix 2 raised bed gardens, and till, weed, and plant a new garden area of 15' x 20'.   Date: July 18th  Time:  8:00am-11:00amLocation:  Ann Richards School, 2206 Prather Ln (Central Austin- 78704)Contact:  karen@sustainablefoodcenter.org 

Greenbelt Guardians Workday07/19/2008  Here’s a chance to show how much we REALLY LOVE the Barton Creek Greenbelt – come out and work with fellow volunteers in this stunning heat!  Greenbelt Guardians plan to bring cold watermelon snacks as enticement (plus the usual tacos, energy drinks and bars and water). Volunteers will be starting an hour earlier than usual to enjoy the moderate morning temperature. Plan to meet at 8:00 am at the sign-in table by the trail entry for Homedale Trail, 2010 Homedale Drive, across from the parking lot of Barton Hills Elementary School.Projects include: some re-grading and drainage work to do on the entry trail section to the kiosk, in preparation for resurfacing with the granite/polymer mix on our work day in the fall. We always have weed-eating and weed management to do in that section of the trail also. Invasives removal and restoration area upstream of the rock flats still has plenty of ligustrum and nandina to offer up. It is wonderful to walk this cleared area and see all of the native plants filling in the blank spaces, sprouting from the long dormant seed bank now that they have sunlight exposure. As well as doing invasives removal work, we will also be doing data collection and documentation for these restoration areas.There’s also more old ranch barbed wire to remove. And there is always the ample supply of beer cans and snack wraps and cigarette butts to remove. Sweat equity will have a whole new meaning at the end of the morning (they say it’s good for us)!Please RSVP so organizers have plenty of energy food, plus some special surprises being provided by the Austin Parks Foundation. Date: July 19th  Time:  8:00am-noonLocation:  Homedale Trail Entrance, 2010 Homedale Drive (Central Austin – 78704)Contact:  gleeful@earthlink.net 

Invasives Removal – Stennis Tract07/19/2008  Volunteers and staff will remove invasive woody plants from the riparian corridor at the city’s Stennis Tract.  Work will begin close to where Bull Creek crosses exits the tract.  Volunteers will use weed wrenches and hand tools to pull up invasives, including their roots.  Some of the target species include ligustrums, nandina and photinia. City staff will help identify invasives as necessary.   The Goal is to reduce the amount of woody invasives in the riparian area before it becomes inundated and invasives start to spread into the surrounding landscape.  At the moment, the infestation is still manageable.  Project requires participants to be able to transverse rough terrain, carry heavy and sharp tools.  Under 18 must be accompanied by parent or guardian.  Date: July 19th  Time:  8:30am-12pmLocation:  Participants will park in the Stennis trail parking area (NW Austin near Spicewood Springs and 360).  Work will begin near this location.  Directions will be sent upon registeringContact:  Daniel.Dietz@ci.austin.tx.us or 512-263-6443  Notes:  Volunteers should bring a water bottle that can be refilled and carried and a snack. Gloves and tools will be provided.  If you have a weed wrench you can bring, please inform city staff.   

Slaughter Creek Trail07/20/2008  Join the Austin Ridge Riders Mountain Bike Club for a rewarding workday on the Slaughter Creek Trail.  Volunteers are currently working on re-routing a portion of the trail.  This re-route is approximately 500+ yards in length and we have about 100 yards of it completed.  The sooner it’s complete, the sooner the trail can open to the public. Date: July 20th  Time:  8am-noonLocation:  9901 Camp Ben McCullough Rd. (aka: FM1826) at Slaughter CreekDirections:

• From Austin, go to the Y in Oak Hill.  Continue west on Hwy 290 and turn left onto Camp Ben McCullough Rd./FM1826 (third traffic light after the Y). Drive approximately 2 miles, cross the low water bridge over Slaughter Creek and the property/gate entrance will be on your left.  Drive up the driveway to the parking lot.
• From Circle C and other areas in South Austin, take Slaughter Lane to Camp Ben McCullough Rd./FM1826. Turn left on Camp Ben/1826. Drive approximately 1 mile. Cross the low water bridge over Slaughter Creek and the property/gate entrance will be on your left.  Drive up the driveway to the parking lot.

Contact:  Britt Jones at bikejones2426@yahoo.com  or call 512-423-0889Notes:  Bring: sturdy shoes or boots, sun block, bug repellent, work gloves, eye protection, WATER, & food (i.e., energy bars and/or sandwich).  In the case of rain, please attend the next scheduled trail work day. 

Slaughter Creek Trail07/27/2008  Join the Austin Ridge Riders Mountain Bike Club for a rewarding workday on the Slaughter Creek Trail.  Volunteers are currently working on re-routing a portion of the trail.  This re-route is approximately 500+ yards in length and we have about 100 yards of it completed.  The sooner it’s complete, the sooner the trail can open to the public. Date: July 27th  Time:  8am-noonLocation:  9901 Camp Ben McCullough Rd. (aka: FM1826) at Slaughter CreekDirections:

• From Austin, go to the Y in Oak Hill.  Continue west on Hwy 290 and turn left onto Camp Ben McCullough Rd./FM1826 (third traffic light after the Y). Drive approximately 2 miles, cross the low water bridge over Slaughter Creek and the property/gate entrance will be on your left.  Drive up the driveway to the parking lot.
• From Circle C and other areas in South Austin, take Slaughter Lane to Camp Ben McCullough Rd./FM1826. Turn left on Camp Ben/1826. Drive approximately 1 mile. Cross the low water bridge over Slaughter Creek and the property/gate entrance will be on your left.  Drive up the driveway to the parking lot.

Contact:  Britt Jones at bikejones2426@yahoo.com  or call 512-423-0889Notes:  Bring: sturdy shoes or boots, sun block, bug repellent, work gloves, eye protection, WATER, & food (i.e., energy bars and/or sandwich).  In the case of rain, please attend the next scheduled trail work day.