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Project Underway - Pardon the Temporary Fences!
Silt fences and tree protection at Between the Bridges
Thanks to the outstanding pro bono design work of TBG Partners, work is underway at the Trail's Between the Bridges section on the south side of the Lake between the Pfluger Bridge and the railroad trestle.
Intended to screen the parking lot and street and maintain the peaceful Trail experience, the serpentine wall that will weave along the Trail will be unlike anything you've seen in Austin. The meandering wall will gracefully emerge as you approach from the east or west, offering a unique trailside meeting place and rest point. A lake overlook and informal seating walls among the new native plants will make this a natural gathering place for Trail-goers.
The Trail will be narrowed during installation but will remain open.
Thank you to our sponsors:
Title Underwriter: 
Lakefront Sponsors: TBG Partners, the Austin City Limits Fund of the Austin Parks Foundation, and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.
Woodland Sponsors: Texas Gas Service, Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, Sheridan Lorenz, Bonnie Mills, and the South Coast Foundation.
Path Sponsors: Frost Bank, Vinson & Elkins, the Good Life Team, the Pape Foundation, Pam and Michael Reese, Mary Margaret Farabee, and Heather and Griffin Davis and Duke.
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Boardwalk Coalition Press Conference:
Sabino Renteria, East Cesar Chavez Planning Team; Mayor Will Wynn, Charlie McCabe, Austin Parks Foundation; Susan Rankin, TTF; Robin Stallings, BikeTexas
We are one step closer to completing our Trail. On March 5th, the City Council voted 7-0 to approve the preliminary route of the Riverside Boardwalk as presented by the Parks and Recreation and Public Works Departments. The Trail Foundation supported the Council resolution and encouraged members to share their views with Council members.
The approved lake front route is roughly half on land and half over water. The over water segments were deemed necessary because of steep topography, environmental or private property considerations. With the Council's approval of the route, city staff and engineering firm Jacobs are able to commence the development of specific engineering and design recommendations. Those recommendations will be presented to Parks and Recreation and Environmental boards for review over the next four months.
The Trail Foundation remains committed to participating in the public process as the Boardwalk Trail moves forward. We believe a safer trail that improves public access to Lady Bird Lake and better connects East and West Austin is a good idea whose time has come. We will keep working to complete the Trail and keep you informed along the way. Please email us at [email protected] with any questions or suggestions.
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Join us on Facebook!
Are you on Facebook? If so, please join us!
TTF has created a presence on Facebook to share information and tools with the Facebook community. Join the TTF Facebook group today, chat with other Trail friends, post images and videos or tell us about how you use the Trail every day. Take a sneak peek at our Facebook page.
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Tee It Up for Summer, People!
Join TTF at the $100 level and get your very own TTF membership tech tee
Triathlete James Bonney puts in a rapid 4 miles at the Trail in his TTF tech shirt
By now you've been seeing the new TTF logo and our authentic Trail Foundation tees around Austin. Trail Foundation members who join at the $100 premium level can get their hands on our latest, all new design on a tech shirt -- fresh from the screen-printers and generously donated by RunTex!
Our appreciation and special thanks go out to Paul Carrozza and RunTex for this gift, which should make TTF members some of the coolest runners, walkers, and bikers to be found anywhere on the trail during the summer heat -- and thanks to RunTex for all they do to promote the health and fitness of the Austin community. |
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Brick by Brick
at Lou Neff Point
Patrick & Jennifer Killion and Walter locate their TTF brick at Lou Neff Point.
Strengthen a special connection to the Trail! Consider a gift that will make a lasting impression. Order a brick for yourself, your graduate, your parents on Mother's or Father's Day, or in memory of a loved one. We'll schedule the next installation of new donor bricks as soon as the next block of 250 bricks have been purchased.
Click here to read the personal story of brick donors Katie Weber and Paul Crowley | |
Mark the Calendar for 2009 Moonlight Margarita Run
Thursday, August 6th at 8pm! This is TTF's annual fundraiser and race. Stay tuned for details!
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Update; TTF Plants Healthy Trees for the Trail
On April 5, TTF planted 29 trees at the 1869 Tree Grove located below the west end of the Cesar Chavez Esplanade. The new bald cypresses and escarpment live oak trees will grow to shade the Trail. And the Mexican buckeyes, desert willows, anacacho orchid trees, and Texas mountain laurels will beautify and diversify our woodlands. Buttonbushes planted along the Lake's edge will attract clouds of nectar-seeking butterflies throughout the summers.
Griffin and Heather Davis (and Duke, the Trail dog) have adopted a cypress tree at the Tree Steward level. Would you like to adopt a tree or trees? Email us at [email protected] for more information.
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Thank You, Austin Runners Club!
ARC Gifts TTF $6,000 from Decker Challenge
The Trail Foundation wishes to extend heartfelt thanks to our friends at The Austin Runners Club for its generous gift of $6,000 from Decker Challenge proceeds. ARC supports us because TTF maintains the health of the running community through preserving and enhancing the Trail that is vital to the training of so many runners and walkers. ARC is also the official sponsor of our zero mile marker. Many say that "people who heavily use the Trail should pay for it," and ARC walks the talk (or rather, runs the talk). ARC members have been our friends and supporters since 2004.
ARC president Angelica Kelley presents TTF Executive Director Susan Rankin proceeds from The Decker Challenge.
photo by Melissa Keller
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Check It Out: Adopt-a-Garden Successes
Thanks to Clean Scapes for the generous donation of plants to the Trail Foundation. Look for these beautiful native perennials in the Motion garden at the south side of the Crenshaw pedestrian bridge under MoPac. This garden is tended as part of our Lady Bird Johnson Adopt-a-Garden program. Don't miss the other 33 adopted gardens along the Trails!
Chris Jackson and Nadia Zakariya planting their Motion garden.
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Charlotte and Dennis Tonsor take a moment to enjoy the wildflowers
Spring has sprung and the wildflowers that we seeded last fall are up and making their welcome debut at the Vista Point diversification project. Even though it has been a tough year for wildflowers with the dry fall, the Trail's newest flowers are now prolific at the hillside at the west end of the Cesar Chavez Esplanade. Be sure and take a look while they are in full flower! |
Thanks!!!
On behalf of the entire Trail Foundation, we would like to extend these special recognitions:
- KUDOS, to Miro Rivera Architects! TTF's award-winning Miro Rivera Trail restroom is still winning design awards. Miro Rivera has won the Merit award in the Structures category in the 2009 Small Projects Award Program of the American Institute of Architects. Their work will be recognized during the Best Practices in Small Project Design session, which will be held during the 2009 AIA National Convention in San Francisco. To see all the design awards that Miro Rivera has garnered here, please visit the restroom on our website.
- OUR GRATITUDE, for the help of Jane Tillman with Travis Audubon for helping us with the Healthy Trees for the Trail program by selecting trees that will benefit birds and other wildlife.
- OUR PRAISE, to TTF Board member Peter Huff, who raised more than $11,000 for the Trail by getting friends' sponsorships for his personal record-breaking Austin Marathon. Way to go, Peter!
- OUR APPRECIATION, for receipt of an Organization Citation from the National Recreation and Park Association, Southwest Regional Council. This competitive regional award recognizes TTF's contributions to the City's parks system.
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Volunteer opportunities:
Calling all photographers!
Show off your favorite shots of the Trail by adding them to our Facebook page. All FB fans are welcome to contribute their scenic, stirring or even silly images of the Trail and the people who use it.
April 18, 9 am. Clean-up on the Roberta Crenshaw Pedestrian Bridge. Register to volunteer with TTF at the Green Apple Festival, "America's Largest Earth Day Action" over Earth Day Weekend. Join civic and environmentally-minded Americans in a simultaneous nationwide weekend of action that will focus on environmental volunteerism. On Monday, April 20th volunteers can go to a free "Thank You Concert" with Travis Tritt & Friends at Antone's.
Volunteer Will Myers gets mucky picking up trash with TTF during the April 4 CleanSweep of The Trail and Lady Bird Lake.  |
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Board of Directors | The Trail Foundation
Bill Kerr, President, Kelly Hart and Hallman
Colin Wallis, Vice President, Lance Armstrong Foundation
Jack Collins, Treasurer, Frost Bank
Peter Huff, Secretary, Blue Sage Capital
Dave Andreas, Silicon Laboratories
Corey Blahuta, vcfo
Bill Curra, P.E., KBR
Lynn Currie, Mercury Mambo
Griffin Davis, MarketHardware.com
Mike Elhaj, Simple Power
Asher Flynn, Asher Flynn, Realtors
Lisa E. Huddleson, The Dell Foundation
Christopher Kennedy, LCRA
John Loudamy, Pluck Corporation
Brian Ott, TBG Partners
Stephanie Shoemaker, Maxwell Locke & Ritter
Jim Sud, Whole Foods Market
Margot K. Thomas, Community Activist
Jesse Weiss, Greenberg Traurig
Susan Plettman Rankin, Executive Director | |
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| Quick Links...
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We are now accepting donations for our Endowment Fund at the Austin Community Foundation. Endowment funds will assure the long-term maintenance of our projects at the Trail. Donate to the Trail Foundation |
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PO Box 5195
Austin, Texas 78763 512.733.3989
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