Impact. Many of us want to have a positive impact on the world, on other people, on the environment, and on future generations. At times we feel powerless, discouraged, or that our ability to control the way things are moving is limited.  So, it helps to stop and take stock of how you have and how you will impact the world around you, in ways that are unique to you, with your specific set of talents, passions, and influence. As Sharon McMahon (aka America’s Government Teacher) points out in her book, The Small and Mighty, everyday people who are not in the history books have helped shape the course of history and they can serve as inspiration to us all.

At Pease Park Conservancy, our sphere of influence as a team is on a beautiful 84-acre urban green space. It’s easy to imagine the amount of development that would be in Pease Park’s place if it weren’t protected and cared for. We want to share the recent impacts that our team of 12 has had on this park and the community around it, by using our unique talents, knowledge, and drive.

Sustaining the trees and urban forest
Central to our work at the Conservancy is enhancing and maintaining the urban forest within the park in partnership with the City of Austin. Hundreds of trees have been planted on the Kingsbury Hillside, in Kingsbury Commons, and in Live Oak Meadow over the last three years, and 50 more trees will be planted this month in partnership with Livelihood. Ensuring the health of young trees is no small feat, particularly over the last couple of dry months. Alicia, our Horticulture Coordinator, and Bret, our Park Operations Director, have guided the team and volunteers through a systematic watering effort in the summer and fall to help the youngest of Pease Park’s trees become established. 

In terms of impact, this work is slow and pays off over many years, but it is significant. Oak trees are a keystone species, meaning they support more than their fair share of wildlife; they have a large impact on their ecosystems relative to their abundance. Along with other keystone plants like Aster, Milkweed, Sunflower, and Black-eyed Susan, these trees hold Central Texas ecosystems together by providing crucial resources and habitats for a plethora of insects and birds. Oaks support more life forms than any other North American tree genus, and our Pease Park Conservancy team is helping them – and many other tree species in the park – do their thing.

Making space
Giant cane, Johnson grass, Catclaw, Ligustrum, Nandina, Chinese tallow, Chinaberry, Chinese photinia, and Hedge parsley—these are the bully weeds that our Conservancy team, in partnership with the Texas Conservation Corps and hundreds of volunteers have worked to remove in the last few months to make space for plants that are most valuable to our local ecosystem.

Filling In
Getting seeds in the ground is an exciting phase of the team’s recent work in the park. Seeds consisting of native grasses and annual and perennial flowers have been spread along the Kingsbury hillside and the riparian area, where the bully weeds once dominated. It will be fun to see these seeds pop up after they germinate during the winter and spring brings on new growth.

Educating
Education is how we work to spread our influence and impact beyond the boundaries of Pease Park. At events like our Roots & Wings Festival event – the Pocket Prairie Workshop – we shared with folks the process for sheet mulching and growing native plants from seed. At our Birding events in partnership with Travis Audubon, visitors learn about the 120 common and notable bird species in Central Texas and how to look up and listen to enjoy their beauty, and how important it is not to take them for granted. A friend of Pease Park, Dr. Curtis Eckerman, shared his knowledge of moths with our Pease Park community as he and his Austin Community College students continued their mothing studies in the park this fall. At our Peasecology School Field Trips, Luis, our Park Programming Coordinator is leading kids in kindergarten through sixth grade as they gain an appreciation for the natural world around them during their visits each week this fall. And, at our volunteer events and tree ID walks, community members are learning how they can plant for pollinators at their homes, where they have their own sphere of influence.

This is how we will give our local habitats their best shot at long-term survival; by continuing to learn, sharing knowledge with others, and collectively working together for the betterment of the world around us.

Welcoming
At the Conservancy, we recently surveyed the Austin community about their experiences at Pease Park and what they want from their local parks and green spaces. We appreciate all of the feedback– the good and the constructive. We were thrilled to see that two of the most common responses from people who had visited Pease Park were that their recent visits made them feel “connected to the community” and “connected to nature”. We hope for Pease Park to be a welcoming place for all, without barriers to visit.

We hope you find inspiration, connection, and peace during your visits to Pease Park, to recharge you and fuel your unique impact on the world.