We all awoke to colder temperatures outside and ice on the ground this week! We hope you are able to stay warm and safe under these conditions. We’ll see you outside after the sun does its thing in the next few days and we look forward to safely gathering in the park with you very soon.

The Blue Trees by Konstantin Dimopoulos

This spring, Pease Park Conservancy and H-E-B are bringing The Blue Trees by Konstantin Dimopoulos to Pease Park - an environmental art installation that helps us visualize and learn about the impacts of deforestation on our world. The Austin community will be able to participate in creating the art installation by helping to apply the colorant to the trunks of a designated canvas of trees in Pease Park, creating a visual that is surreal and feels out of this world.

The Tree Colorant

What is applied to the trees is not a paint; the colorant is a water based formula that does not harm the trees or the surrounding environment and washes away over several months, reflecting environmental changes that happen over time.

Encampments & Safety In Pease Park

Pease Park is an accessible and safe space for Austinites to play, exercise, and connect with one another. The Conservancy is connected with the Austin Police Department, the Austin City Council, Austin Parks & Recreation Department, and other local organizations to ensure the safety of visitors to the park. YOU can also play a key role in making sure Pease Park continues to be a safe space for all. If you see something at the park that might be a safety concern, please help us address it by contacting info@peasepark.org and the City of Austin using the 311 app.

Please be assured that the Conservancy is committed to working with the City of Austin and the Homeless Outreach Street Team (HOST) to ensure that existing laws prohibiting camping on parkland are enforced. We believe our city’s public green spaces MUST remain clean and safe and healthy. Pease Park Conservancy continues to work with city leaders to advocate for enforcement of the camping ban in public parks as part of the overall matrix for dealing with this complex citywide problem.

If you see a violation of the camping ban at Pease Park, please report it using the 311 app (choose “Homelessness in City Parks”) and let us know as well by sending the information (including images) to info@peasepark.org. We encourage you to reach out to the City Council about the issue. You can identify your City Council member’s contact information here.

Also, the Pease Park Conservancy team is sympathetic to the plight of people experiencing homelessness and our incredible Park Operations Team does what they can to make sure people find the services and shelter they need. For example, on nights where the weather will get below freezing temperatures, we will provide bus passes and warming center information to people who have nowhere else to go.

Organizations in the Austin area that serve people experiencing homelessness are following the housing-first model and are expanding capacity as quickly as possible to provide rapid housing and then wrap people with services they need to help them become self-sufficient. Adults of any age who are sleeping outside, in a car, or other places not meant for human habitation, or in an emergency shelter should complete the Coordinated Assessment for housing and services. Please see this page for details on where these individuals should go to complete the assessment. Several organizations in Austin are leaders in the area of homelessness and have pages on their websites that provide guidance for people in need of housing or services. Visit the pages of these organizations for more information.

Storm Drains & Waterways

Did you know? Our storm drains are connected to our waterways, and we recently saw the evidence of this firsthand. Recently, when firefighters responded to the fire at Texas French Bread, discharge from the firefighting effort washed into the storm drains and ended up in Shoal Creek. Sadly, these chemicals resulted in the death of some fish in the creek. We certainly understand that our firefighters needed to take action to put out the fire, but it’s a good reminder to care for our beloved creeks and waterways by being careful about what we let wash into the drains in our city and in our neighborhoods.

For this reason, the City of Austin did not pre-treat the streets for the recent freeze in an effort to mitigate toxic runoff into our creeks.

Upcoming Pease Park Events

Find these events and more at peasepark.org/upcoming-events

Amplify Austin Is Around The Corner

You live here and we encourage you to give here! I Live Here, I Give Here’s Amplify Austin is coming up on March 2-3 and Pease Park Conservancy’s Amplify Austin effort this year will help fund our programming plan for 2022 which includes incredible events such as The Blue Trees and Squirrel Fest! You can pre-schedule your Amplify Austin donation now here or stay tuned for more to come!