January 18-19, 2015: 17 River Watchers had a Young Men’s Sleepover – biggest sleepover yet! Students from six AISD schools begin their sleepover at the EcoHouse with a ‘circle up’ for introductions. River Watchers cooked dinner and then joined teams to test out the recently donated foosball table and ping pong table. Before heading out for a night hike to the River Crossing, a few of the River Watchers set up a tent in the front yard. Our Program Coordinator, Tamara Sevier, brought recordings of screech owls to play during the hike. The recordings attracted larger owls and we could see silhouettes of several. We had a great time trying to communicate with them. As part of the MLK Day of Service, River Watchers volunteered at Buttermilk Creek in the St. John’s neighborhood. 27 volunteers joined the River Watchers to give back to the St. John community. 80 grass plugs of Eastern Gamagrass and Bushy Bluestem, which were sourced locally, were planted along the riparian corridors. A significant effort was also put into cleaning up debris and trash along the creek. We look forward to monitoring this site as the deep rooted native grasses grow. We will be watching to see if our efforts help the site function better. Will the grass roots help hold the banks together preventing erosion? Will the grass roots help water get into the soil instead of running off and come out at the creek more slowly over time as seeps and springs? Will there be more and better quality water more of the time? Keep up with this story here on our website or visit Buttermilk Creek near the St. John’s Library and see the work for yourself.
Photos from MLK Day of Service at Buttermilk Creek
