We have some great
news to report - Austin Parks Foundation has once again stepped up and
awarded us a grant for 2014. This grant will allow us to continue our
efforts to push back the remaining invasives in the tract. The grant will
also allow us to plant a significant amount of new native wildflower
and grass seeds in the prairie in 2014. We will be discussing the
new seed mix (which may include some of the more unique natives) in the next
few weeks.
We engaged Native
American Seed Company to conduct a spot herbicide treatment recently to combat some of the invasive species that have persisted despite previous efforts. We
will continue to monitor the impact of that treatment as well as other aspects
of the project and we will make an assessment shortly after the first of the
year regarding next steps and timing.
In another week or so,
we will be scheduling our winter prairie bird surveys. These
survey results should be very interesting given that we are only a few
months out from the burn. We will be looking for volunteers - if you are interested in assisting us with these important surveys please contact us at commonsfordpro@gmail.com.
Given the burn and the decent rains over the past few months, the prairie looks like it is setting up very well for a vibrant spring growth. Late-spring should be a great time to visit the park for both birds and wildflowers!
