Install gaga-ball pit near playground

Install an HPARD-approved, volunteer-built gaga ball pit near playground

• Status: Completed in March 2023!

• Volunteer Partner(s): Charles Delongchamp plus Troop 30 Boy Scouts

• Board Lead: Pat Rutledge

Trail maintenance and improvements

Clear overgrown areas and bring in mulch to keep growth down and define path. Reroute trail entrances to minimize erosion during heavy rains. Reroute path near Houston Ave farther away from edge of bank. (Mulch and trim tree limbs for new path, place brush over old path).

• Status: Ongoing

• Volunteer Partner(s): Anyone!

• Board Lead: Pat Rutledge

WILDLIFE CAMERAS and cataloging

Project installing wildlife cameras and periodically cataloging over a defined time period, perhaps in partnership with Houston Wilderness (see Regional Wildlife Assessment for their project)

• Status: DONE! and ongoing too. . .Houston Wilderness has provided the camera. Volunteer(s) needed to install camera, monitor and download pictures, and if possible, sort pictures to save those that have captured wildlife. Time commitment, approx 1-4 hours monthly.

• Volunteer Partner(s): Volunteer(s) needed! Houston Wilderness is the partnering organization. Perfect for a scout or school group or project.

• Board Lead: Lauren Lindsay

TENNIS COURT RESURFACING/PICKLE BALL MARKINGS

Surface renewal needed on the outdoor court surface - may supplement with regulation markings for pickleball play, and/or may add pickleball markings to basketball court

• Status: Complete!

• Volunteer Partner(s): City of Houston: HPARD and District H

• Board Lead: Pat Rutledge

Water Conservation/Butterfly Gardens

Design and install community center gardens as a monarch waystation and water conservation garden using a cistern irrigation system (installed in partnership with CoH Public Works) and xeriscape concepts. Include educational signage thru HPARD and Public Works.

• Status: Pollinator Garden Complete in March 2023! Xeriscape garden approved but needs volunteers.

• Volunteer Partner(s): Girl Scout Troops 122288 and 122231 completed the Butterfly Garden. More volunteers needed for Gardens 2 and 3 (Xeriscape Gardens)

• Board Lead: Beth Fischer

Replace Steps at Nutria Hill

Replace and/or relocate steps on south side of park near Wrightwood on the west side of Little White Oak Bayou. Offsite work required: Cut lumber to match size of old steps, drill holes for rebar.

• Status: DONE!

• Volunteer Partner(s): Many!

• Board Lead: Pat Rutledge

Park Clean-Ups

Woodland Park and Little White Oak Bayou (LWOB) are always in need of volunteers to pick up and remove trash from the recreational and natural areas, but most critically near the bayou. Water flow patterns bring extensive rubbish into LWOB during heavy rains from areas both upstream and downstream as water backs up into the area. FWP can provide gloves, garbage bags, and pick-up tools. Volunteers can leave bags near any of the park garbage bins and the city will remove them.

Groups and individuals are responsible for their own personal safety. All volunteers must complete the online waiver. Please send photos of your group to photos@friendsofwoodlandpark.org so that we can recognize you!

• Status: Volunteers Always Needed - Groups always welcome

• Volunteer Partner(s):

  • Emerald Oaks Girl Scouts

  • American Rivers/JP Morgan Chase

  • St Thomas, Duschene, and Incarnate Word High Schools

  • Hogg Middle School

  • Boy Scout Troop 30

  • More needed!

• Board Lead: Pat Rutledge

Tire/Heavy Refuse Removal from Little white oak Bayou

Little White Oak Bayou has long been an illegal dumping ground for heavy waste, especially tires. Although hundreds of tires have been removed, the problem still remains. Other waste such as mattresses and even refrigerators can be found - these items are too difficult for our regular park clean-up volunteers to handle. This work is best done at low water levels. All volunteers must complete the online waiver. For ideas on a long-term solution, click here.

• Status: In Planning

• Volunteer Partner(s): Boy Scout Troop 30

• Board Lead: Pat Rutledge

Pickle Ball at Woodland Park Community Center

Let’s bring pickle ball to Woodland Park, rain or shine! Court markings and equipment will be available at the community center with regular play on Saturdays from 10am-Noon.

• Status: Complete in December ‘22! Indoor Play occurs every Saturday at 10am at the community center; FWP has purchased nets and paddles for 3 courts.

• Volunteer Partner(s): Seeking a coordinator with some Pickleball experience.

• Board Lead: Kelli Fereday

Repair Fencing/Trail/Sidewalk along Eastern Edge

The current path on the eastern edge of Woodland Park (ie along the I-45 feeder) is completely unsafe and unusable due to deteriorated sidewalk and fencing conditions. Additionally, the area near the outfall requires repair.

• Status: On Hold

• Volunteer Partner(s): TBD

• Board Lead: Kelli Fereday

Remediate Grafitti on trees

Work with the City of Houston to remove graffiti from trees in the least harmful way possible Update: Graffiti removed via Magic Eraser and painting over (approved per City of Houston Forestry).

• Status: Complete!

• Volunteer Partner(s): St Thomas, Duschene, and Incarnate Word High Schools

• Board Lead: Lauren Lindsay

informational signage on PARK history and nature

Design and install permanent informational signage on history of Woodland Park and significance as a natural area. Signs would be procured through HPARD or other approved vendor at their direction. Project also includes HPARD signage at park entrance at Houston Avenue and Wrightwood

• Status: Not yet started

• Volunteer Partner(s): TBD

• Board Lead: Jen Chapple

STATE OF TEXAS HISTORIC MARKER

Seek historical marker process designation for Woodland Park. The marker application process begins at the county historic commission providing review and comment for all applications. Once approved, CHCs submit completed marker applications to the Texas Historical Commission for consideration at the state level. The most important section of a historical marker application is the narrative history documenting the significance of the property or topic. The entire process can take 12-24 months.

• Status: Not yet started

• Volunteer Partner(s): TBD

• Board Lead: Louise Moss

Monitor Little White Oak Bayou as a Citizen Scientist

Clean water is fundamental to the health of the bayous and other streams, for fish and wildlife and for human recreation. Most of the streams in the Houston area have been identified as impaired for contact recreation, due to high levels of the kinds of bacteria that are indicators of human health risk. Many streams have other water quality impairments affecting fish and wildlife, such as low dissolved oxygen and/or high levels of nutrients. The primary goal of Bayou Preservation Association’s Bayou Citizen Science Program is to improve bayou water quality by engaging citizens in providing valuable quantitative data and qualitative information, both to inform the public and to support actions by the local and regional authorities that have the responsibility and authority to improve water quality. This project requires dedicated trainers and volunteers willing to monitor LWOB health over a period of time. FWP will fund the purchase of needed equipment, which will remain the property of FWP.

• Status: DONE! More Volunteers Needed!

• Volunteer Partner(s): Bayou Preservation Association, Taylor Chapman - FWP Bayou Director

• Board Lead: Beth Fischer

Historical Information Display at Kiosk

Create a display of the history of Woodland Park and the surrounding area. Utilize the community-center-facing side of the kiosk for the display. FWP has access keys and can pay for materials needed.

• Status: DONE! But now needs to be re-created as HPARD has taken over use of the west side or kiosk.

• Volunteer Partner(s): TBD

• Board Lead: Louise Moss

Improve Pedestrian Access at Houston & Parkview

For years, community members have sought improvements to park safety, especially crossing Houston Avenue at Parkview Street. Houston Avenue is a very busy thoroughfare, increasingly used as a cut-thru between I-10 and I-45. Additionally, the park is heavily accessed by children from nearby Travis Elementary School coming to after-school programs, by teens joining activities at the community center, by dog-walkers and birdwatchers, and by others coming to enjoy the peace and fun of the park. While we are seeking a pedestrian stop-light at this intersection, at a minimum we want a crosswalk and lighted flashing signs.

• Status: Made request to City of Houston

• Volunteer Partner(s): TBD

• Board Lead: Lauren Lindsay

Complete Loop around southern/Eastern end of park

Install a gravel (or other HPARD-approved permeable material) loop connecting the existing concrete walkways to provide a complete loop around the area of the park near the baseball fields.

• Status: Not Yet Started

• Volunteer Partner(s): TBD

• Board Lead: TBD

Relocate Picnic Tables/Grills on West Lawn

Picnic tables, grills, and trash bins have been placed randomly in an area heavily used by children playing. This project seeks to relocate these to the periphery of the play areas - still nearby but under shade - creating a more open and intentional “west lawn” for activities.

• Status: Not Yet Started

• Volunteer Partner(s): TBD

• Board Lead: TBD

Bring Recycling to Woodland Park

Add recycling bins in addition to standard bins around the park. Requests were previously made to the city of Houston, but so far this project has not progressed.

• Status: Not Yet re-Started

• Volunteer Partner(s): TBD

• Board Lead: TBD