FWP is asking you, our most enthusiastic park supporters, to vote every day until September 18! But we are getting ahead of ourselves. First the fantastic news: Woodland Park has been chosen as one of 9 parks, nationwide, to be a finalist in a contest to win $75,000.

HPARD submitted Woodland Park to the Niagara Perk Your Park contest where 3 of 9 finalists will each be awarded $75,000. In Woodland Park that money will be earmarked for forest restoration, and for education regarding riparian forest ecosystems on the Gulf Coast.

Should Woodland Park win the grant, HPARD will plan and supervise the work.

To win the grant we must be one of the top 3 vote-getters in the contest sponsored by Niagra. Park supporters can vote every day until September 18. (And, for those with more than one email account and more than one platform from which to submit votes, voters can vote 2 or 3 times per day!). We recommend leaving a browser open with the website to facilitate casting your daily vote.

A short list of what we have to gain if we win this $75,000 grant:

In the summer months parts of the trails are impassable due to invasive grasses and weeds.
More native plants directly equates to more native insects, birds and other animals.
An opportunity to look back into our natural history with a view to what a Gulf Coastal bayou ecosystem looked like before our city was developed.
Opportunities for young urban park users to experience a pristine natural habitat, and to learn how that habitat works from the soil to the skies above (birds!).

Please help Friends of Woodland Park campaign for this grant. In a world of social media, it is all about getting the word out and keeping the fires lit for one month! FWP, with help from many of you, has raised much smaller amounts in the past, and it was hard work. This is such a rare opportunity for us, and the grant would make such a difference in our park, we cannot afford to let this chance slide by!

We thank all you for your support and help in this endeavor!