Celebrating a Year of Dedication: FWP Annual Meeting

On a bright October 10th evening, FWP members and community supporters of Woodland Park gathered in the Community Center for the Friends of Woodland Park annual meeting, a time to reflect on the past year’s achievements, honor our community of volunteers, and look ahead to the future. This year’s event was especially memorable, featuring a wonderful and informative keynote speech by HPARD Ranger Superintendent Keaton Woodard.

A Year in Review: Video Recap

After a welcome by FWP President Kelli Fereday and Board introductions, the evening kicked off with a moving video recap of the past year’s highlights. From tree planting to large-scale cleanup efforts following multiple severe storms, the video showcased the transformative power of collective action. Scenes of volunteers from all walks of life working together illustrated the impact that Friends of Woodland Park has had on restoring and beautifying the park. The video was a fitting tribute to everyone who contributed their time and energy over the past year.

Best Friend of Woodland Park Award

At each Annual Meeting, FWP presents the “Best Friend of Woodland Park Award”, a recognition of exceptional dedication and service to the park. This year, the award went to Jacob Prochaska, who attends St. Thomas High School and Andrea Garza, a Senior at Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, who have both demonstrated tireless commitment and an unwavering love for the park. You can read more about their contributions and the award history here.

Keynote Address by Ranger Superintendent Keaton Woodard

The highlight of the evening was the keynote address by HPARD Ranger Superintendent Keaton Woodard.

With a career dedicated to public service, Superintendent Woodard inspired the audience with his passion for working with the public to insure enjoyment and protection of Houston’s parks.

He explained that unlike state or national park rangers, who often focus on wildlife management and conservation, urban park rangers concentrate on ensuring public safety, education, and enforcement within city parks. However, Superintendent Woodard emphasized that their work is about more than just enforcing rules. HPARD Rangers are crucial in educating the public, monitoring trails, pavilions, and facilities, guiding visitors, and ensuring safety. They serve as the guardians of our parks, tirelessly working to keep Houston’s green spaces enjoyable and safe for all.

With a city as large as Houston, their efforts are essential in maintaining the balance between urban life and nature. He expressed gratitude to organizations like Friends of Woodland Park, whose volunteer work supports the rangers’ efforts in ways that impact everyone who visits.

Looking Ahead

As we wrapped up the evening, it was clear that the Friends of Woodland Park and HPARD share a common goal: to nurture a green space that enriches lives, preserves biodiversity, and builds community. Superintendent Woodard’s keynote, the year-in-review video, and the Best Friends award all served as reminders of the impact that dedicated individuals and collective action can have on preserving Houston’s natural heritage.

The meeting was not just a celebration but a call to action. As we head into another year, we encourage everyone to join us in protecting and cherishing Woodland Park. Whether through volunteer work, membership or donations, or simply spreading the word in person or on Facebook or Instagram, there are countless ways to be part of this meaningful journey.

Here’s to another successful year ahead, working together to keep Woodland Park thriving for generations to come!

Fall Concert a "Spooktacular" Succces

Friends of Woodland Park with the support of HPARD and the incredible talents of “Jo Bird - The Fiddle Witch of Galveston” hosted a standing-room only crowd for an incredibly fun concert on October 17th. Jo plays an electric viola and filled the room with music both eerie and fun!

Friends enjoyed Halloween-themed popcorn and drinks, and every child in costume got a special treat! Costume winners were announced and the kids enjoyed dancing and coloring. Thanks to the community for coming out, and thanks especially to our FWP Music Director - Loreta Kovacic, Community Center Manager - Rob Messa, and of course, Jo Bird! Show your gratitude and follow her on Instagram at @jobirdviolamusic.

There’s more to come in Spring 2025 in the Woodland Community Center Concert Series! Rumor has it we might be travelling to Cajun country! Contact FWP Music Director - Loreta Kovacic if you would like to perform or help out.

2024 Best Friends of Woodland Park Award

At each FWP Annual Meeting, we present the Best Friend of Woodland Park Award, to someone in our community who generously dedicates their time and labor for the Woodland Park.  The Best Friend of Woodland Park Award, is given by the board to an individual or group to show our appreciation for contributions that greatly advance our mission:

“. . .Preserving the park's natural habitat along with its unique historical significance to the City of Houston, and to providing for the enjoyment and education of all who visit.”

For 2024 we chose two high school Seniors as our recipients.  Jacob Prochaska, who attends St. Thomas High School and Andrea Garza, a Senior at Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart.

 Jacob Prochaska is a lifelong resident of Woodland Heights and was “volun-told” to help out with park cleanups when he was in middle school.  He continued to attend our cleanups and was asked to lead groups of younger students who hadn’t visited the park.  He now helped with all of the jobs we have at the cleanups including set up, check in and break down, which is a huge help to our volunteers.  He also volunteers annually at our Happy Trails and Hot Dogs event, again doing anything we ask of him. He never says no and executes it all with a smile and a tremendous work ethic.

Andrea Garza is a Senior at Duchesne and reached out to FWP in the Summer of 2023 as she started an Environmental Club at her school.  She arrived with a plan and a maturity level not seen in many adults and we took advantage of the manpower and willingness she brought to us.  She formed a coalition with the president of other environmental clubs at local schools and organized cleanups and trail maintenance projects about every other month since then, and also helped out with any other events we needed assistance with.  She has helped us to reach a whole new group of volunteers by coordinating with Strake, St. Pius, St. Agnes, Regis, Hogg and other area schools.   She creates social media content to advertise these events and many of the students who have come, continue to return to help clean the bayou, and bring their friends.

Two years ago, both Jacob and Andrea volunteered to work at our Happy Trails and Hot Dogs event, which was cut short by a violent

rainstorm.  Unlike many others, they stayed in the terrible weather and helped load all of the tents and equipment until every piece was cleaned up.

Dedication under adverse conditions is when you see true character!

Earlier this fall, they both organized and executed a cleanup at the park with about 50 attendees.  This group of students and parents removed approximately 1600 pound of trash in 3 hours, including 18 tires and 4 shopping carts.  The power of the next generation is evident in their leadership and we are so grateful for the legacy they will leave when they graduate next Spring. 

Thank you, Andrea and Jacob, for all of your hard work and sharing your gifts, and for connecting us to the next generation of Friends of Woodland Park

In 2022, our first year of awarding this, we chose Mary Goldsby who is still leading monthly birding hikes to share the beauty of our park with other birdwatchers and anyone else interested in joining in.  Last year we celebrated the work of Christina DeHaven, a local videographer who has helped us show the beauty of the park in videos which have been viewed thousands of times.  She recently filmed more footage of the devastation of the Bayou since Beryl to show how impacted the landscape was. We shared this footage at our Annual Meeting and she also joined Lauren Lindsay in presenting the 2024 awards. 

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Bird Survey Spots Bird Migrations Starting

Happy Birding from our Birding Director, Mary Goldsby! Here is her report from the September Bird Survey - as a reminder, all sightings are captured in eBird which is a great resource for aspiring twitchers and pros alike.

“ It was a warm and humid morning, but we did manage to see a few migrating birds.

Birders: 7

Species: 27

Next survey: October 19, 2024 7:30am 

Also, I want to congratulate the Girl Scout troops on their pollinator planting bed at the community center, (including replanting after the summer storms). It looks really nice with a variety of native plants and it's doing a great job with attracting pollinators. We saw 2 Ruby-throated hummingbirds (up close) on the pink Turks cap that morning along with several other pollinators including a bumble bee and honey bees. Thank you! “

Septembers birds:

White-winged Dove  10
Mourning Dove  5
Chimney Swift  1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  2
hummingbird sp.  2
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Neotropic Cormorant  1
Yellow-crowned Night Heron  4
Snowy Egret  1
Great Blue Heron  1
White-faced Ibis  43     2 separate flyover groups (25 in first group and 18 in second group)
Red-shouldered Hawk  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  3
Downy Woodpecker  3
Eastern Wood-Pewee  1
Great Crested Flycatcher  1
Blue Jay  13
Carolina Chickadee  2
Red-vented Bulbul  6
Carolina Wren  7
Scaly-breasted Munia  18
House Finch  1
Baltimore Oriole  3
Great-tailed Grackle  2
Nashville Warbler  1
Blackburnian Warbler  1
Black-throated Green Warbler  2
new world warbler sp.  1
Northern Cardinal  5

October Events are a Fun-Fest not a Fright-Fest!

Just click away to add these not-so-spooky spectacles to your calendar! And, did you miss the summer Membership Drive? Join now to get in on the end-of-year fun for members only!

• October 8th: Board Meeting: Contact the board if there is anything you would like for the board to consider adding to the agenda. This month will cover bylaws, vision, and events thru the rest of 2024.

• Oct 10th: FWP Annual Meeting! Did you know that Woodland Park has a Park Ranger? Come by the Community Center to meet Ranger Supt Keaton Woodard and other representatives from HPARD and FWP! Hear about FWP’s vision for the future and vote for your favorites! Mingle at 6pm for a 6:30pm program start. Click here to download to YOUR calendar: Google Calendar or ICS

• Oct 14th: Private Clean-up - Plastics Industry Association. FWP is excited and honored to host PIA as part of their annual conference and engage in conversation about how to meet consumer needs while protecting our natural areas.

• Oct 17th! Spooktacular Fall Concert: FWP Music Director Loreta Kovacic has lined up an amazing performance for all, featuring a special Halloween Show with Jo Bird - The Fiddle Witch from Galveston. FWP promises this to be a spooktacular evening of music and fun! Click here to download to YOUR calendar: Google Calendar or ICS.

• Oct 19th: Monthly Bird Survey! No experience required other than the ability to get up early on Saturday and meet at the Woodland Comminity Center at 7:30am! Click here to download to YOUR calendar: Google Calendar or ICS.

Spooktacular Fall Concert! Thursday Oct 17th!

The Woodland Community Center Concert Series continues with its Fall Concert , featuring a special Halloween Show with Jo Bird - The Fiddle Witch from Galveston. FWP promises this to be a spooktacular evening of music and fun! On October 17th, join us for a night of hauntingly good musical performances, all set against the backdrop of our charming community center. Click here to add to your calender for google calendar or ICS files.

Did you know that the Woodland Community Center was a hub of weekend concerts and dances through the years, including performances by Kenny Rogers and his first band, The Scholars, who attended Northside High School! In 2022, FWP worked with HPARD to launch the Woodland Community Center Concert Series to “bring music back to the park” with a concert by our very own - now FWP Music Director - Loreta Kovacic!

JPMC and HPARD Blaze a New Trail!

The triangle adjoining Little White Oak Bayou between Wrightwood and White Oak streets - between “Woodland” and “Freed” Parks - has suffered longtime neglect, in part because no one was sure who it belonged to (hence its nickname, "no man's land").  But earlier this year, Houston Parks and Recreation (HPARD) clarified that that "no man's land" and Freed Park were now, in fact, part of Woodland Park. FWP sprung into action to clean it up and upgrade the existing "goat trail" running through it, connecting Freed Park and the main section of Woodland Park north of Wrightwood.  

More than four dozen energetic volunteers from JP Morgan Chase, HPARD, and local community volunteers came out on a warm September 28th Saturday morning to pick up trash, remove hurricane debris, clear vegetation, line a new trail between Woodland Park and Freed Park, then move and smooth over eight cubic yards of mulch. All in less than three hours! By lunchtime, “No Man's Land” was transformed, with a broad, smooth and welcoming path connecting the two parks.  Thank you JPMC!

None of this would have happened without a great deal of preplanning and skillful execution by the tireless Cindy and Serin from #BreakADifference, HPARD’s Oneika Peters, and FWP’s Pat Rutledge, Amanda Brown, and Taylor Chapman. The HPARD effort was part of the city-wide Park Recovery and Restoration project, and the city even worked throughout the week prior to insure that the park trails were cleared and safe for the workday to take place.

Maggie Holsten, Sr Manager at BreakADifference, said “It was such a pleasure working with each of you, and I'm thrilled to hear you are pleased with the results of the volunteers' efforts. It's a privilege to be able to partner with orgs like FWP that work year-round to support the communities you live in.”

Taylor Chapman, FWP Bayou Director, noted the very next day. “I drove past the trail this morning and saw someone walking his dog on the new trail that your volunteers built less than a week ago!  It's already attracting new foot traffic, which should make a positive impact in the neighborhood.”

So, check out the new trail! We are excited to have this new area and Freed Park officially recognized as extensions to Woodland Park.