Hello Everyone!
Sarah here! We had a successful meeting with the Friends of Lick
Creek Park a few weeks back. I want to
thank the people that showed up for your ideas and time!
The FoLCP, RBAS, and TMN formed an Advisory Committee to
communicate with the City. The meetings
will occur about once a month and maybe more frequently as we approach the
construction dates. The first committee
meeting occurred on the 28th of last month (March) and went well. David Schmitz from the Parks Board is gladly
welcoming the help with planning some of the details of the Nature Center.
 |
| Nature Center Overview |
 |
| Indoor Teaching Building |
WANT TO HELP OUT?
Parks Board/City Council Attendance
We’d like to have someone or several people attend the Parks
Board and/or City Council meetings. This
would be to get noticed and stay ahead of any news concerning Lick Creek or
voice our support (or other opinions) about the Nature Center. The Park Board meets the second Tuesdays of
every month. If you are interested in
helping out with this, let me know!
Committee within Master Naturalists
I’d like to form a committee within the Master Naturalists
about projects we could take ownership of in the park. For example, we can most likely get funding
for native gardening projects and plantings around the Nature Center. I think this is a good way to interact with
the City, show our support of the overall project, and get the Chapter name out
in the public. If you feel very
passionate about being involved with the nitty gritty details of the plans for
the park, please let me know!
REQUESTS FROM THE CITY PARKS BOARD!
At a recent meeting between the FoLCP and the City, David
Schmitz made several requests from us.
Website
We can help provide content for a website that the City will
maintain. The site will highlight the
Nature Center but what’s needed is content about how great the park is. We’re the ones using it for walks, birding,
teaching classes, etc… This actually
ties into David’s second point…
Signage at the park
The City is planning signage around and in the Nature
Center. We were asked to help provide
content for that. We requested, through Duncan MacKenzie, that
the City tells us how big the signs will be and how many. Topics that we felt should be highlighted
were the history of the park, what can be found here currently (birds, plants,
animals that might be seen), and current issues in the park (watershed areas,
drought, etc…). The signs will not just
be around the Nature Center but all throughout the park to highlight different
eco-regions. If you have a special place
in the park that you feel needs to be showcased, let me know!
Staffing/Volunteers
David also wanted some information about staffing and
operations. Between the three groups we
felt that volunteers could be found to provide service at the park. For example, if we want hummingbird feeders
around the Center they would need to be monitored and filled, or volunteers to
lead nature walks, etc… I think this
shouldn’t be a problem since there are TMNers going regularly to the park and
others that would be willing to earn volunteer hours. Staffing isn’t something that will be left to
volunteers. The park is supposedly
hiring someone either part or full time to be at the Center every day.
 |
| Indoor Teaching Building |
NOW FOR OUR REQUESTS!
Footprint of Construction/Critter Survey
We are requesting from the City that we can go out before
any construction starts and do a survey of plants, insects, and other critters
that are located in the building foot print.
We’d like to make sure that construction will not remove or destroy any
critical microhabitat. Mark McDermott
noted that the site proposed for construction is currently home to several
American Woodcocks and that grassy area is also a location noted for Henslow’s
Sparrows (although they haven’t been seen recently). We’ll need volunteers with plant and insect
knowledge so I’ll keep you updated on when the survey will occur.
Support for Current RBAS Butterfly Garden
The current RBAS butterfly garden and chimney swift tower
are wonderful features of the park and will not be moved, changed, or destroyed
according to the construction plans.
However, if water is being brought to the building, can we have some,
too? We’d like either drip irrigation
for the current butterfly garden or at least a water spigot nearby and access
to a really long hose (not joking). For
the volunteers who have been hauling water out to maintain the gardens during
the long, hot summers, a nearby water source will be greatly appreciated!
Restoration of (part of) the Native Prairie
We’d like to restore a portion of the native prairie along
Iron Bridge Trial (as you head down the hill after Post Oak Trail but before
Deer Run Trail). This location was
historically a prairie and was used as a staging area for heavy machinery when
the water treatment facilities were built in the early days of the park. Monique Reed was given permission to remove
invasive species from this area and we are asking permission to remove native
invasives. FoLCPer and TMNer Dwight
Bohlmeyer is organizing an invasive species removal in conjunction with the Big
Event held on March 29th (if you’d like to help supervise students,
please contact me or Dwight!) Restoration of the prairie along this section
of Iron Bridge Trail will hopefully be enough to balance out the prairie that
will be lost when construction of the Nature Center occurs. More restoration
could be possible as well.
Construction of the Center is planned tentatively for Fall
of 2014 and early 2015. Final plans need
to be given the ok by the City Council.
 |
| Outdoor Teaching Building |
PROJECTS WE COULD HELP WITH!
Building a bird blind and drip with Rio Brazos Audubon
Native plant garden/plantings around the Nature Center… like
a monarch garden? Dry-lands garden? Any other ideas?!?!?
This is the time to get our voices heard with what we’d like
to see happen in the park. If we wait
too long, things will be decided for us and we might not be happy with the
results. If you have ideas or experience
with these types of projects, we’re counting on you to step up and volunteer!
Questions?
Comments? Concerns? Leave a comment below or send an email to bvtxmn@gmail.com
