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It was an awesome weekend seeing plans come to life. From the conception of the plan to build a Monarch Waystation at Forest Park Pool in Fort Worth to completion of the project took five and a half weeks. Whew! During the work more than one Boy Scout was overheard saying how much fun they were having.
It WAS fun! Was it the camaraderie that adults and kids were experiencing, or was it the actual digging in the dirt that was so fun? Probably both. There was also a lot of reminiscing by adults, including the city mayor, about the times they had at the pool when young. The pool was a very different place back then. It seems the good feelings were in part because people were connecting to both the past and the future in a healthy and hope-filled way. The waystation gives beauty to the grounds, adding eye appeal for humans and life-sustaining food in the form of leaves and nectar for pollinators who find this oasis.
City maintenance crews will be mentored over the course of a year or more in the care of the garden by North Central Chapter members. The Master Naturalists will also be checking in to make sure proper care is being taken. Great teamwork! The lifeguards even pitched in and are taking pride in the new surroundings and loving the industrial water hoses bought by the same generous spirit who donated the bricks. Half the plants were purchased by the City Pool and the other half donated by members of North Central Chapter.
Working over a two day period, four hours a day, volunteers from seven different organizations completed the installation of well over 250 plants in this 1,250 square feet of native garden happiness! The weather was perfect and continues to favor the garden through its first week. We would not have been able to finish this in one weekend without the help of almost forty volunteers! Volunteers came from: The Boy Scouts of America, Cross Timbers Master Naturalists, Fort Worth Pollinator Ambassadors, Greater Fort Worth Sierra Club, Master Gardeners of Tarrant County, the Native Prairie Association of Texas, and of course the Native Plant Society of Texas. Special recognition to those who came and worked both days.
We made a video to show off our work.
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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: kimconrow
