100 Creek Adopters and Going Strong!

On Tuesday, July 12th, the Friends of Givens Park officially adopted Tannehill Branch Creek and the surrounding Grow Zone, becoming our 100th Adopt-a-Creek group! With dogs in tow, the Friends walked along the creek, discussed possible projects, and made a long-term commitment to dedicate their time and energy to implement park and creek improvement plans.

The human and dog Friends of Givens Park excited about adopting Tannehill Branch Creek.

Since July 2015, the number of adopters in the Keep Austin Beautiful Adopt-a-Creek program has more than doubled! It is clear that Austinites care about our creeks and want to be actively involved in making them cleaner and healthier. The adopters represent Austin’s diversity; they are businesses, faith-based groups, community organizations and individuals. For example, employees from AmaTerra Environmental and CTA Architects and Engineers have removed over 1,000 pounds of trash from sections of Barton Creek. Faith groups such as Oak Hill United Methodist Church and Westminster Presbyterian Church have planted hundreds of native seedballs and picked up hundreds of pounds of trash in their sections of Williamson and Waller Creeks. Neighborhood groups like the Friends of Tannehill Branch Creek and the Friends of Williamson Creek bring together neighbors to clean up a shared greenspace and restore the diversity of both creek sections.

New adopters Indeed celebrate after a recent cleanup of Bull Creek.

It isn’t just about removing litter. Many of the adopters have incorporated creek restoration work and have active restoration plans. Guided by Keep Austin Beautiful and the City of Austin Watershed Protection Department, these dedicated groups work to remove invasive plant species and replace them with a variety of native vegetation. They know that restoration is a long-term effort, and the work done today will benefit future generations of creek goers.

Richard Maness from the Friends of Williamson Creek removes an unwanted nandina plant.

As Austin continues to grow, programs like Adopt-a-Creek allow citizens to be actively involved in the improvement of urban waterways, to meet their neighbors, and to engage in meaningful work to build more beautiful communities. Keep Austin Beautiful is excited to continue to support these community connections. It is incredible to be a part of a community which cares so much about its urban waterways.

We are excited that so many people in Austin from all walks of life are taking part in the Adopt-a-Creek program. Congratulations to all of our adopters, and thank you for helping us reach this amazing milestone! When the program was formed in 2005, 100 adopters likely seemed a lofty goal. As we welcome our newest adopter, we are thrilled about the bright future of Austin’s creeks.