The Texas Panhandle Audubon Society Project

Funded by Audubon Texas

This grant funded an effort to highlight the ongoing development of an urban native garden and a pioneer orchard at St. George’s Episcopal Church. A large sign was constructed to increase community awareness of the project and generate volunteers willing to donate plants, time and funds. In addition, four native trees were planted alongside 4th Avenue to bring attention to this project at this high-profile location.

The signage and trees are a small part of a much larger project that will eventually turn the equivalent of three urban lots adjacent to West Texas A&M University into a demonstration native gardens and pioneer orchard. The land for the proposed gardens and orchard is owned by the St. George’s Episcopal Church. Besides demonstrating the use of native plants for gardening it will provide habitat and food for birds, pollinators, and a relaxation area for people.

The Texas Panhandle Audubon Society is partnering with St. George’s to help raise money for the project, provide technical expertise, contribute funding and manpower, and involve other community groups (including students) to help with this project. The project was started in fall 2013, TPAS purchased and volunteered time to plant the first native plants that initiated this high-profile project.

The sign was designed by TPAS in rustic wooden style and is approximately 5 feet x 8 feet. Materials were purchased and transported from Albuquerque, NM and the sign constructed on site. It will initially be used to advertise the impending changes coming to the site as the garden is planted and developed. This in turn will generate volunteers willing to donate plants, time and funds to the project. The back side of the sign would eventually have a glass bulletin board to allow educational materials about the plants, flowers, birds or insects in the garden.

In addition 4 medium sized trees – Two 7 foot pinyon pines, a 10 foot red oak, and a smaller redbud tree were purchased and planted. These trees will provide shelter for perennial pollinator plants from the winds and the harsh sunlight of the High Plains. Transportation and labor to put these trees in the ground was donated by TPAS and St. George’s Episcopal Church volunteers.

Results are the beginnings of a high-profile Native Plant Garden- and increased public awareness about the importance of other species and how people and bird and insect species can support each other in mutually beneficial ways. TPAS members have already received numerous unsolicited comments and questions about the changes that have already taken place at the project site. When the 4 native trees were put into the ground, these empty lots were finally beginning to look like a garden.