Friends of Woodland Park Update / February 27, 2021 by Lori Bigler

Friends of Woodland Park would like to thank everyone who helped to clean up our park in November and December. We had over 100 people participate, including local Heights Girl Scout troops 122195, 122229, 122202, 122036, 122333, 122007, 122251, 122285, 122286, 125076 and 25001. Troop 122286 had the largest group with a total of 26 participants and won a cupcake party from Friends of Woodland Park. We were also grateful to have a group from the Friends of PJ Library come and do a family cleanup in January. We welcome any groups who are interested in helping us keep the park clean and maintained. If you have any additional photos, please send to photos@friendsofwoodlandpark.org so that we can recognize you and your team.

Upcoming events include:

March 20, 2021: Monthly Bird Survey - Join a representative from the local Audubon Society on a bird walk. Meet at the community center (212 Parkview) at 7:30am. Long pants and closed toe shoes are advisable; please bring binoculars if you have them. No experience required.

March 25-28, 2021: Trash Bash -Trash Bash® is the largest, single-day waterway cleanup in Texas, and we are excited to include Little White Oak Bayou in Woodland Park. Trash Bash® 2021 has been reimagined, but we hope you will join us to "Clean It Like You Mean It!"®. The event will include educational videos, small personal cleanups, and more. Go to http://www.trashbash.org/2021-trash-bashreg.html to learn more and sign up!

We are also interested in hearing from our younger birders and would love to post any bird or wildlife photos taken by any park visitors 18 and under. We are happy to help identify any plants or wildlife you see in the park, and also recommend the iNaturalist app. Please send pictures to photos@friendsofwoodlandpark.org with your name and any questions you have.

Did you know that Moody Park and Woodland Park are connected by trail? On February 1st, the FWP board hiked from Woodland Park to Moody Park along banks of Little White Oak Bayou (LOWB), and then back through Hollywood Cemetery. This hike took several hours at a leisurely pace, with time for discussing some of the landmarks and concerns about the park. We also observed multitudes of birds, including hawks, cormorants, woodpeckers, egrets, herons, and kingfishers to name a few. FWP continues to lobby for a maintained trail connection between Woodland Park and Moody Park. Connectivity and clean-up between our public green spaces is key to preservation, community feel, and public access. A map of our journey is posted now on our Facebook page.

If you have not checked out our kiosk in the park lately, you will find a list of the most recent birds spotted at the park, as well as a little history of the park. You can also find the most recent bird list on the ebird app at https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1995953

Looking to stay up to date on Woodland Park? Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfWoodlandPark/ or visit our website: https://www.friendsofwoodlandpark.org/

If you have concerns about the park, please raise them on the City of Houston 311 or you can contact social@friendsofwoodlandpark.org . The community center is managed by Julia Soto of the Houston Parks Department, and you can contact her at julia.soto@houstontx.gov .

-Friends of Woodland Park Board

Yard of the Month: 605 Omar / February 27, 2021 by Lori Bigler

What a month this is for yard of the month! While most of the neighborhood hovers in a monotony of various shades of brown, the Guyres at 605 Omar were able to have color survive through snowmegeddon! A couple of these photos are pre-Uri but the cheerful pansies along the front fence made it through. The Guyres will have the rest of the yard whipped back into shape quickly as you can find the entire family doing yard work most weekends. The color on the porch in those handsome chairs is the adorable Guyre family. They are long-term residents of Woodland Heights and have been active in the neighborhood, especially with the Learn Local program at Hogg and community service.

-Allison Hartzell, Director of Beautification

WHCA SECURITY REPORT - JANUARY / February 27, 2021 by Lori Bigler

Thank you neighbors who are current subscribers to our constable program. We've had two successful weekends of Constable Patrol sign and sticker pick-ups. We know a few of you were inconvenienced after we cancelled the first date due to the impending storm because we "didn't want to freeze" and man, if we had only known what was coming! Then we changed the location up on you guys and, I'll be honest, I didn't do the very best job getting the word out. We're trying to make sure everyone can get their stickers and I think we did a littler bit better on our second try. We're planning future pop-ups with new merchandise that we have on order and can't wait to see who we see next!

Our success with these pop-ups has really been tri-fold! We've enjoyed being able to get out and see our neighbors. Having been in pseudo-lockdown for a year has been trying and just getting to talk to folks about the neighborhood, the 100 year home program, neighbor's four-legged friends and life has reminded us of everything we have to look forward to in the coming months and year. Additionally, membership in the program is UP! Big thanks to our volunteers for setting up these events and to our neighbors for coming out and saying hello! As always, if you have any questions about the program, email our Director of Security, Margaux Poizat, at security@woodland-heights.