Will You Be There?

Wednesday May 29, 2013

On our May 13 entry “Get Some Fresh Air” we provided information on the 100 Acre Woods event on Jun 1.   If you plan to attend, along with others of us, will you please provide your name to ABCS.Park@att.net.  We will then pass the informationa along.

The organizers of the event have asked for this information for their planning purposes.  If you would like a refresher on that info click HERE or just click on that entry under May in the archives on the right. 

We hope to see you there.

Memorial Day Weekend

A beautiful Memorial Day weekend in Houston... a day to remember what is important, to honor the service of others, and to consider how to become a more effective force in the battle of  hanging on to all of our liberties.

As today's pictures show, the Norchester subdivision is "dressed" for the occasion and the backyard is ready for guests and BBQ tomorrow. Many thanks to the master gardener who constantly fights our battles of "unwanted weeds and necessary water."

A "thank you" to the Cypress Creek Band for their excellent holiday curbside flag program. 

The small garden at the end of the pond on the patio that we enjoy daily from the family room.

 

Looking Good

We stopped by the Matzke Park Butterfly Garden this morning.  It is looking just great.  The ladies are doing a good job with their beds.  Installing the new fence and removing the old roses has made a major positive difference.

As usual, there was a mom and young child enjoying the gazebo and the many blooms.  We saw no butterflies, however.

These were taken while we were there.

Get Some Fresh Air

A Free Fresh Air Event:

 

 

Matzke park is a great place for fresh air.. AND .. there are alternatives very close by.

 

National Trails Day is June 1st.  It celebrates the thousands of miles of great public

trails our country has to offer. On June 1^st In honor of this day, Bayou Land Conservancy looks forward to residents of the Norchester Subdivision joining us and Harris County Pct. 4 Parks Department for a light work session at the new 100-Acre Wood Preserve.

 

When:Saturday, June 1st  9 am-11:30 am
Where:  100-Acre Wood Preserve (see map picture below)

Where to Meet: Intersection of Balcrest and Normont in Norchester

Wear and Bring:   Long pants, closed-toed shoes, bug spray, your own water,
                            shovels, clippers, and work gloves.

RSVP requires at 281-576-1634 or email to info@bayouland.org 

 

 Your "Bloggers,"  Luv2Plant and Helper #1,  walked the trails of this area from the start, at Jones and Cypress Creek all the way to behind the YMCA and back.  About a mile each way.  It was a very pleasant and interesting hike with just a few moderate short hills.  There were no bugs at all when we were there 3 weeks ago.

“The 100 Acre Wood Preserve” is situated on 98 acres in northwest Harris County. It is bordered by Jones Road to the west, a Northwest Harris County Municipal Utility District 230 water treatment facility to the east, Cypress Creek to the north, and the Norchester Subdivision to the south. Bayou Land Conservancy facilitated the donation of the property to Harris County, and has ensured that the property will be forever protected by placing a conservation easement over it. The conservation easement ensures that the property will never be cleared, developed, or otherwise damaged. This future Harris County nature preserve will be mostly left in its natural state. Currently there are approximately two miles of trail that will continue to be maintained. The county will be constructing an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible “trunkline” trail through a portion of the preserve.

 

Four unique forest communities are present on the preserve, which is also dotted with small patches of pocket prairie. The forests here are mature second growth, and are inhabited by trees that may be in excess of half a century. Mixed pine hardwood uplands occur on well-drained soils and are dominated by a healthy population of mature post oaks and loblolly pine. American beautyberry and yaupon can be found in the understory. Moist transitional forests are highly diverse communities with overstory species such as water oak, water hickory, loblolly pine, sweetgum, and American holly. A variety of hawthorn species as well as deciduous holly and dwarf palmetto can be found in the understories. The preserve also harbors a number of forested wetlands, which occur on poorly drained soils and hold water mainly in the winter months or following large rain events. Tree species here include water oak and water hickory. There is a large nearly pure stand of overcup oak, which occurs here at the southwestern edge of its range. Species such as river birch and American sycamore thrive in riparian forests along Cypress Creek. The conservation easement held by Bayou Land Conservancy will ensure that these forests remain intact for the enjoyment of future generations. For more information about Bayou Land Conservancy please visit it HERE

Bayou Land Conservancy is pleased to have raised the funds to purchase this land, donate it to Harris County Parks Dept., and then permanently protect it with a conservation easement. This special green space with post oaks is now an important part of the growing Cypress Creek Greenway.  

Please make plans to join them and their main sponsor, Houston Endowment, and other partners including: REI, GHORBA, and the Cypress Creek Flood Control Coalition. Houston History magazine will also be there with copies of their latest edition – with the cover story on the Spring Creek and Cypress Creek Greenway history (photos and articles by Bayou Land Conservancy!)  

Bring your family, friends and neighbors to introduce yourself to, and work on this new two-mile trail system that is free and open to the public!