Tag: Williamson County

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Progressive Field Trip, July 12 (Murphy Park & more)

— by Kathy Galloway

Join us as we visit special projects supported by our chapter and see how hours of dedicated volunteer work have created visible improvements for the community.

  • What:  Progressive Field Trip — starts in Hutto; ends in Taylor
  • When: Sunday, July 12, 2026, 9:00am-12:00pm
  • Where:  Williamson County Landfill (Hutto), Murphy Park (Taylor). Location details below.
  • Optional Lunch: Plowman’s Kitchen (Taylor)

Our field trips are free and open to the public. Reservations are not required.

Dress for the weather.  We will be on paths or grass so there is no need for protection except from the sun, heat, and maybe the chiggers. We recommend a hat, and sunscreen, and bring water.

Stop #1 Meet Here @ 9 AM – Williamson County Landfill, 600 Landfill Rd, Hutto, TX.  This long-standing project began at the request of the landfill to help beautify the entrance. Our chapter continues this work in partnership with the Good Water Master Naturalist program.  Gary Bowers is the leader for refreshing and maintenance and has worked with Waste Management staff to achieve WHC Certification for the site.  Join him and other wacky weeders on the third Sunday of each month to help.

After Stop #1, continue 11 miles to …

Stop #2 – Murphy Park – 1600 Veterans Dr, Taylor.  Originally started as a butterfly garden by a former member, this project was later left untended when no one took it over. It has now been revived—much like the butterflies it was created to support.  Leland Haefner with the help of  other Taylor residents pitch in to keep the garden looking its best. 

Continue 2 miles to …

Stop #3 – Optional Lunch – After the tour, you are invited to join the group for a Dutch-treat lunch at Plowman’s Kitchen, 305 West 9th Street, Taylor. The restaurant is located in the former Taylor ISD Band Hall, now refurbished as a dining space.

Hope to see you there! If you have questions, contact the Field Trip Committee here. 

image of field trip route on screenshot of map

————–
See photos from some past field trips.

Field Trip Photo Album
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Announcing Regular Landfill Pollinator Garden Workdays

We’re going to have regular workdays at the landfill pollinator garden each month, on the third Sunday of the month. The first of these will take place on Sunday, October 20, 2024, 8:30am to 11:30am.

  • No NPSOT sign up required! Join us at the garden when you can. Bring a hat, boots, gloves and water. Bring your favorite tools.
  • We’ll have the workday dates on NPSOT-Wilco’s website calendar. If NPSOT plans change for a particular date for some reason, we’ll update the specific date’s calendar entry so be sure to check there for news.

The Pollinator Garden is a collaboration of the NPSOT-Wilco chapter, Good Water Master Naturalists, Williamson County Master Gardeners, and Williamson County Waste Management. The garden includes a Monarch Waystation and is a Certified Texas Wildscape.

Volunteers help maintain the garden when the collaborating organizations announce a maintenance work day.  Anyone interested is invited to help!

image of large native plant garden
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Call for Volunteers!  NPSOT @ H-E-B on Oct 16 & 19

[Post updates: 9/15-form closed. 9/11- one store removed from list.]

News on Sept 15 – Thank you! We have enough volunteers to cover the two stores. The signup sheet is now closed. If you have any questions, contact Nancy Pumphrey via the contact form at this link. (Choose Projects/Community Gardens.)

For October’s Texas Native Plant Week, H-E-B will be selling NPSOT-recommended native plants, and at some stores across the state, NPSOT volunteers will be on-hand to distribute native plant seed mix packets. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation’s Pollinators and Prairies program is donating the seed packets containing NPSOT-recommended mixes from Native American Seed.

On October 16 and 19, the Williamson County Chapter will host tables at one to three up to two local H-E-B stores in Georgetown and Hutto, depending on the number of people who volunteer.  The stores were selected by H-E-B. Though the event is in mid-October, we need to line up our volunteers asap so State NPSOT can confirm all tabling activities across all the stores with H-E-B by the middle of September.

Details:

  • Wednesday, October 16, 11am–2pm, and Saturday, October 19, 11am–2pm.
    • For each day, we need 2 volunteers per shift.  Volunteers can sign up for 1 or more hours, whatever works for you.   Volunteers will give away the seed packets and answer questions.  
  • The Society will provide table signage to us with info about NPSOT, the native plants currently on sale at H-E-B (including QR codes) and TPWF Pollinators and Prairies program information.  

How to Signup:

Nancy Pumphrey will have a signup sheet at the chapter meeting on September 12, or you can fill out the volunteer form at this link.