Tag: trees

Celebrate Trees and Pollinators at Patterson this Saturday

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27
ROOTS & WINGS FESTIVAL POP UP
Patterson Park, 10 a.m. – 12 noon

Celebrating trees and pollinators of all kinds!
 
Join us on Halloween weekend to explore the park, enjoy nature based play and crafts, learn about our new and old trees, and celebrate in your best nature-themed costume!
 
The Roots & Wings Festival is a combined community-wide appreciation party for Arbor Day and Monarch Appreciation Day happening at the Zilker Botanical Garden and five neighborhood parks around the city. Visit Zilker, Dittmar, Alderbrook or Brentwood Park after you start the day at Patterson Park. FREE ADMISSION.
 
At Patterson, we’ll have:
 
* butterfly & bee crafts with Jamie from C.R.A.F.T.
* bilingual storytime with favorites from the Maplewood Library
* postcards with Giddyup Post
* butterfly kite flying
* scavenger hunt to learn about the park’s trees
* butterfly garden tour at the Patterson Park Community Garden
* giveaways from the City of Austin‘ Urban Forestry Program and Watershed Protection
* Kona Ice snow cones
 
HOW TO GET THERE:
Go Green! We encourage walking, biking, carpooling, ridesharing, and use of mass transit. Plan your trip via CAP Metro: www.capmetro.org
 
Sponsored by the City of Austin, Austin Parks Foundation, and TreeFolks. For updates, visit the Facebook event.

Roots and Wings Festival at Patterson Park

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Celebrating trees and pollinators of all kinds!

Join us on Halloween weekend to explore the park, enjoy nature based play and crafts, learn about our new and old trees, and celebrate in your best nature-themed costume!

The Roots & Wings Festival is a combined community-wide appreciation party for Arbor Day and Monarch Appreciation Day happening at the Zilker Botanical Gardens and four neighborhood parks around the city. Visit Zilker, Dittmar, Alderbrook or Brentwood Park after you start the day at Patterson Park.

FREE ADMISSION

Getting There:
Go Green! We encourage walking, biking, carpooling, ridesharing, and use of mass transit. Plan your trip via CAP Metro: http://www.capmetro.org

Baseball diamond imrovements at Patterson Park. Photo by J. Potter-Miller/FoPP.

September 6 Friends of Patterson Park Meeting

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Join Friends of Patterson Park for a discussion of current and proposed projects and refreshments. We’ve got a lot to talk about but will keep things moving quickly.

Thursday, Sept. 6 @ 8-9pm
Sour Duck, 1814 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd

1) Welcome and introductions (5 mins.)

2) Update on Austin Parks Foundation Community Grant and next steps on playground project: Jennifer PM (10 mins.)

3) Update on Neighborhood Partnering Program grant application: Jennifer PM (5 mins.)

4) CherryWoodstock Music and Art Festival: Jeremy Klitzman, Organizer (10 mins.)

5) Tree and Butterfly Party (held in parallel to Oct. 27 Family Arbor and Monarch Appreciation Day at the Zilker Botanical Garden): Kathleen Mannello, Austin Parks Foundation (10 mins.)

6) Proposed improvements to baseball field: Seth Kessler, Cap City Cobras (10 mins.)

7) Proposed tree planting & shade sails with funds raised by Patterson swim team: Dusty Harshman, Patterson Piranhas (10 mins.)

Patterson egg hunt March 31, 2018. Photo by J. Potter-Miller/FoPP.

Egg Hunting, Mulching, and Planting on a Spring Weekend at the Park

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We hosted the biggest Easter egg hunt yet at Patterson on Saturday, with 200+ neighbors coming out to search for 1000 stuffed eggs + many hundreds of chocolate eggs, enjoy a potluck brunch and crack dozens of cascarónes. Servant Church volunteers were a huge help once again. Lots of photos on Flickr at http://bit.ly/pattersonegghunt2018

The Austin Parks Foundation organized a mulching day to add another 20 yards of to the new grove downhill from the playground, and volunteers from the Florida State University alumni association and Texas Parks Rangers knocked the work out in record time.
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Lastly, the community garden held a dedication ceremony for a plaque in honor of a friend of the garden, and planted their Giving Garden.

What a fantastic way to welcome spring!

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Photos by J. Potter-Miller/FoPP. See more on Flickr.

 

Patterson tree planting, March 2018. Photo by J. Potter-Miller/FoPP.

New Grove of Trees Planted at Patterson Park

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There’s a new grove of trees at Patterson Park! Volunteers planted 15 saplings on March 10 as part of a pilot project in collaboration with TreeFolks and Austin Parks Foundation.   Neighbors from all around the park came out to plant native trees under the supervision of Treefolks staff.  They added a layer of cardboard to suppress weeds and several inches of mulch to protect them. A volunteer watering brigade will use Treegators to give them a slow, deep soak with ten gallons of water once a week.

The grove includes Burr Oak, Monterrey Oak, Flameleaf Sumac, Goldenball Lead, Texas Kidneywood, Mexican Plum, Texas Persimmon, Red Bud, Desert Willow, and Anacacho Orchid and is intended to add biodiversity to the park. The trees are doing great so far and FoPP is determined to be a good steward for the next generation of great trees at Patterson. Stop by to check them out just downhill from the restrooms!

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IMPD Sp2018 Patterson-

Another Great It’s My Park Day at Patterson!

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We had another great It’s My Park Day on Saturday, with almost 40 volunteers working to mulch the large oak trees around the playground. It was a beautiful morning and we were thrilled to have the Assistant Director of PARD, Director of Development at Austin Parks Foundations, and a forester with Texas A&M Forest Service join us.

Forester Brad Hamel gave a great short presentation on how mulch works like a cushion to protect the root system in high traffic areas like where we were working, and the value of clearing root collars of the soil that accumulates over the years, stressing the trees.
Thanks to everyone who came out to lend a hand, to Austin Parks Foundation for organizing the city-wide volunteer day, and to Thunderbird for the great coffee! If you’d like to help plant trees this Saturday, please sign up here: https://givepul.se/55jph.

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Photos by J. Potter-Miller

MLK Day of Service

It’s My Park Day at Patterson March 3

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Join Friends of Patterson Park on Saturday, March 3rd for It’s My Park Day! Meet us at 9am at the pavilion for a family work day.

WHEN: Saturday, March 3
WHERE: Patterson Park pavilion
REGISTRATION: https://givepul.se/a6pwk

Sign up at this link to receive an awesome t-shirt and sign a liability waiver. The plan is to prepare the area just west of the playground to plant a new grove of trees including a diverse range of species. PARD will dig the holes, and volunteers will engage in several activities including laying cardboard and mulch to suppress bermuda grass around the new trees, root collar clearing and trash pickup.

This is an opportunity for the folks of all ages to volunteer. We will have coffee, lemonade, tacos, and muffins to fuel our volunteers. Thank you to the Austin Parks Foundation for organizing this city-wide work day at Austin’s parks. We’ve accomplished so much at volunteer work days over the last several years and always have a great time!

We are also looking for volunteers for the Patterson Tree Planting.

WHEN: Saturday, March 10
WHERE: Patterson Park pavilion
REGISTRATION: https://givepul.se/55jph

Friends of Patterson Park is organizing a group of neighbors to “adopt” the grove and commit to get them established by watering for three years. This pilot project is a partnership between the Friends of Patterson Park, Austin Parks Foundation, TreeFolks and the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department. If you want to join the watering crew and get one of the trees labeled with your family name, email fopp.atx@gmail.com.

Trees in the new grove include Burr Oak, Monterrey Oak, Flameleaf Sumac, Goldenball Lead, Texas Kidneywood, Mexican Plum, Texas Persimmon, Red Bud, Desert Willow, Anacacho Orchid. Read more about the new grove.

Friends of Patterson Park community meeting January 20, 2018.

Notes: FoPP Community Meeting Jan. 20

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Twelve Friends of Patterson Park met at the playground on January 20 to review plans for spring projects.  The major topics were 1) the tree planting planned for March 10, 2) grant application for playground improvements due April 30, and 3) spring fundraising. There was a great discussion with several issues resolved and we enjoyed dinner together at the pavilion afterward.

Tree Planting

Guest speakers Bill Stout (Austin Parks Foundation) and Suzannah DesRoches (TreeFolks) spoke about the location of the new grove of trees to be planted in March, and led a discussion of how to organize a “Patterson Tree Huggers” watering crew, what it would involve, and ways to offer an “adopt-a-tree” marker for families participating in the crew as an incentive. The decision was made to use Treegator watering bags to maximize ease of watering and efficient soaking, and to search for markers that can be attached to tree branches identifying the species and recognizing a tree adopter.

The area where the grove will be planted is just west and north of the playground. Bill has worked out a plan with PARD where they will use their equipment to clear the bermuda grass and dig post holes prior to planting day. Austin Resource Recovery will donate cardboard, and APF will donate mulch, so that on March 10 volunteers will plant the trees, and cover the entire area with cardboard and mulch to suppress grass. This will allow mowing crews to stay clear of the young trees.

The list of trees included in the planned grove is Burr Oak, Monterrey Oak, Flameleaf Sumac, Goldenball Lead, Texas Kidneywood, Mexican Plum, Texas Persimmon, Red Bud, Desert Willow, Anacacho Orchid. TreeFolks plans to procure them from the Barton Springs Nursery.

Playground Improvements

FoPP has worked with PARD to identify circular monkey bars and spinners as equipment that will 1) fit in this area 2) meet need for new equipment focused on strength and balance, and 3) be durable. The preferred vendor is Landscape Structures. Paige Oliverio Hill (Urban Patchwork) presented her design for seating around the area where the playground addition is planned. This is immediately adjacent to the playground, on the west side. Plans also include steps down to the bathrooms, and boulders for natural play and seating in front of the bathrooms.

Spring Fundraising

Jennifer Potter-Miller, FoPP Chair, shared plans to raise funds through the Austin Parks Foundation during the Austin Marathon races (Feb. 18) and Amplify Austin (March 1-2). There will be a taco night on Feb. 20 at her house for neighbors interested in creating individual fundraising pages for Amplify.

MLK Day of Service

AYLA Mulches at Patterson for MLK Day of Service

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On January 15, Friends of Patterson Park partnered with the Austin Parks Foundation and Austin Young Lawyers Association for a Martin Luther Kind Jr. Day of Service. Lots of area attorneys and neighbors came out with their families on the holiday to mulch the large oaks and clear root collars of accumulated soil. This will nourish the trees and allow them to breath better. Thanks for the great work everyone!

Volunteer opportunities this spring include It’s My Park Day (March 3) and a tree planting with TreeFolks and APF (March 10). We are also looking for people to adopt the trees and join the watering crew that will be responsible for our new grove of trees for the next few years, to help the future great trees of Patterson get established. This is a pilot project in coordination with the Parks and Recreation Department to demonstrate that neighbors can take responsibility for new plantings in public parks.

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Photos by J. Potter-Miller/Friends of Patterson Park

 

Friends of Patterson Park illustration by Caitlin Alexander

Community Meeting Saturday, Jan. 20

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Please join Friends of Patterson Park at the pavilion on Saturday, January 20 for a community meeting to discuss projects planned for 2018. We can order pizza for dinner afterward!

AGENDA

4-4:30 pm Tree planting

Guest speakers: Bill Stout, Austin Parks Foundation and Suzannah DesRoches, TreeFolks

Finalize project plans, including location of new grove, selection of tree species, and watering commitment. Planting is scheduled for March 10, and planting prep will take place on It’s My Park Day, March 3.

4:30-5 pm Playground addition

Guest speaker: Paige Oliverio Hill, Urban Patchwork

Review plans for installation of circular monkey bars, spinners, and seating,

5-5:30 pm Upcoming fundraisers and discussion of small project/phased addition of park furnishings

Speaker: Jennifer Potter-Miller, FoPP

In search of neighbors to fundraise for Friends of Patterson Park during the Austin Marathon races (Feb. 18) and Amplify Austin (Mar. 1-2). Also, should we consider a small project this spring as playground addition would not be implemented until fall?

proposed Patterson Park playground addition