Lakewood - December 2011

Copyright © 2011 Peel, Inc. The Lakewood Leader - December 2011 1

THE LAKEWOOD LEADER

December 2011 Volume 5, Issue 12

LAKEWOOD LEADERNews for The Residents of Lakewood

(Continued on Page 3)

Bull Creek Watershed Revitalization PlanFRANK’S PIPE LINE DREAM

This dream is about repairing the damage to Bull Creek. The damage that has been done in the name of progress. Some have told me, I should title this the death of a creek, but I believe we can repair Bull Creek.

First you need to have a little background about Bull Creek to know why it is in the shape it is. I have lived on Bull Creek since 1957, and have seen many changes. I have gone swimming, fishing, camping, and exploring the creek all my life, and am very sad to see what “progress” has done to Bull Creek. Bull Creek was formally known as Crystal Falls Creek up to the 1800’s. It had several hundred springs that kept the creek flowing the year around, and up until the 1970’s I had never seen the creek go dry. Many of the springs had names like Turtle Springs, Rock Springs, Kelly Springs, Mudock Springs, and Sylas Jones Springs to name a few. These springs were named for the homesteaders that lived there, and those were just a few of the hundreds of springs that fed Bull Creek, keeping the creek full of cool clean water. The downfall of Bull Creek started in the very late 1960’s when in the

name of “progress” Capitol of Texas highway (loop-

360) was built cutting through the middle

of Bull Creek watershed. I was a young teenager at this time and I still remember the dynamiting and the damage caused by the shaking from the explosion as they cleared for the road. My parent’s water well collapsed and a glass serving platter I gave my mom as a Christmas present broke. But we fared better than others in the neighborhood some of which had cracked house foundations. Shortly after that the springs that made Bull Creek what it was all stopped, and in the summers Bull Creek would go dry when the rains from urban run off didn’t quench its thirst. I feel very sad that my son will never know what it is like to inner tube down Bull Creek on a hundred-degree day in the cool spring fed creek, but that is “progress.”

Another problem I heard many years ago from a contractor who put in the city sewer pipes. He was so proud that his pipes were the newest in technology. He also said these pipes would only leak 1000 gallons per mile per year. There is more than 20 miles of sewer pipes in Bull Creek, and for 30 years they have been seeping into Bull Creek Watershed. My next door neighbor told me he found what he thought was a new spring this August, and followed to its source only to find a sewer pipe man hole cover over flowing which was flowing into Bull Creek. So if you find a new

spring in Bull Creek I would think about it before letting your dog take a drink. I have heard news reports of several raw sewage spills that have happened in Bull Creek some 110,000 gallons plus, and this will not be the last of them.

NOW HOW ARE WE GOINGTO REPAIR BULL CREEK?

As I said before I have a dream, and the only way to repair Bull Creek is to replace the water. One way would be to open a couple of fire hydrants in the creek around Spicewood Spgs. Rd. and 360, but that would be using a lot of treated water, not an economical solution. The second solution would be to put two, six inch water pipes starting with a pump, possibly solar, at the Pennybacker Bridge and have the pipes run north straight up 360 discharging water into Bull Creek at Spicewood Spgs. Rd. and 360. This would recharge Bull Creek, diluting the sewer leaks, and giving wildlife and people a beautiful creek back. There have been many news reports of children swimming in Bull Creek Park, and becoming sick from the polluted water. The city blames the dogs in the parks, but the dogs are gone, and the polluted water is still there! I know the city

HAPPY HOLIDAYS LAKEWOOD!

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THE LAKEWOOD LEADER

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Dr. Michael S. LifshenBoard Certified Family Physician

Lakewood Homeowner

912 Capital of Texas Highway, South(between Bee Cave Rd. & Lost Creek Blvd.)

Call 306-8360 for an appointment

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Evening & SaturdayAppointments

Secret Santa Gift ProgramSecret Santa is a special holiday gift program of the Adoption

Coalition of Texas helping Child Protective Services and Foster Families provide gifts and spread holiday cheer to Central Texas foster children through the generosity of community donors.

If you would like to be a Secret Santa and purchase Christmas gifts for a Central Texas foster child, please email your name, email address and contact phone number to [email protected]. The gift drop-off days at four Austin-area locations are Wednesday-Saturday, December 7th-10th, and caseworkers will be picking up the gifts the following week. Once you sign up to be a donor, we’ll send you all the details.Thank you for helping make the holidays brighter for Central

Texas foster children! The Adoption Coalition of Texas is a partnership of nonprofit adoption agencies and Child Protective Services working together to find forever families for older children, sibling groups and children with special needs.

For more information, visit www.adoptioncoalitiontx.org.


THE LAKEWOOD LEADERBull Creek Watershed Revitalization Plan...(Continued from Cover Page)

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has spent $200,000 on replacing native plants, but without water these plants will die.

Now we need to find how to fund this project. TX.DOT is going to eventually place concrete dividers between north/south bound lanes on Loop 360 to prevent crossover head on accidents, and if they could place the water pips instead of concrete barricades this could work. Since TX.DOT in the name of “progress” is the main reason the Bull Creek Spring system was destroyed in the first place. Maybe they should feel a little guilty and could pay for the pipe line, which may even be cheaper than the concrete barricades, and would still stop crossover head on accidents.

This may sound far fetched but if we continued this pipe up to Hwy. 183 and Austin has an emergency that shut down our city water system which could make fire hydrants in the area inoperable, we could use this water pipe to fill fire trucks or a portable filter system to provide drinking water for people. We are spending $200,000 on plants, spending a little on survival is not a bad idea. Hopefully we would never have to use it, but if an emergency happened it could save many lives.

The next problem would be to convince LCRA that their water would not be lost, but would be channeled back to Lake Austin with only a negligible amount of water lost to evaporation.

I believe the only expense to the city would be the pump which could be a combination of wind and solar power, which would make long term operating cost low, and Austin loves being green. If the city continues to spend $200,000 on replacing plants this project cost would be very cost effective. My complaint to the City of Austin is as a steward of Bull Creek Park, and Bull Creek Park we have done a very poor job. I remember Lakewood Park in its hay-day renamed Bull Creek Park in its glory days, you would have to agree with me. I noticed about a year or so after the city bought Bull Creek Park, several dump trucks were dumping gravel into the main swimming pool must have been 50 loads. I talked with a supervisor watching the work, and asked him why the city was doing this. He said “a city attorney stated that there has to be better egress out of the swimming pool or the city could be held liable if someone drowned.” I guess replacing the ladders that were there was too much. In the future Austin has a unique situation with Bull Creek in which we can accomplish flood control and provide swimming areas as the population out grows our current park systems. With only a few dams correctly engineered placed in the correct areas our citizens could enjoy swimming areas and flood control for years to come.

Frank Eidelbach Jr.

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THE LAKEWOOD LEADERNews Update from

Mount BonnellThe West Point Society has had a steady stream of projects this fall

at Mount Bonnell. Here are just a few brief highlights: A new kiosk up at the summit is planned and is getting closer to installation every day. This will be a great way to keep visitors informed about the park, its history, and planned events. Workdays occurred in October and November. These involved trash pickup and even included repelling down the cliff where trash collects in large amounts. Painting the metal railing was the big workday project in November.

The granite marker replacement and pavilion changes have been presented to the City Historic Landmark Commission to ensure what changes are made have the official stamp of “Certificate of Appropriateness”. Information about this project can be found at http://www.west-point.org/joseph_bonnell/pavilion.

Those who wish to make a contribution toward planned Mount Bonnell improvements such as the new kiosk, pavilion enhancements, and additional view restoration, may make a tax-deductible donation to the Friends of Mount Bonnell by going to the Austin Parks Foundation web site at http://connect.austinparks.org/specialfunds and selecting “West” under “Choose a Type” then “Mount Bonnell Covert Park” under “Choose a Program”. Or they can write a personal check made out to Austin Parks Foundation with “Friends of Mt. Bonnell” indicated on the memo line, and sent to Austin Parks Foundation, 816 Congress Ave., Ste. 1680, Austin, TX 78701.

We greatly appreciate all the determination and hard work of members of the West Point Society in the stewardship of Mount Bonnell. Questions are

welcomed by Stan Bacon at [email protected]

NatureWatch - Silent Flightby Jim and Lynne Weber

One of the most unique adaptations in the natural world is the silent flight of owls. Their primary flight feathers have comb-like leading edges, which break down the turbulence created by air flowing over their wings and allow these birds to fly with great stealth.

The Barred Owl (Strix varia) goes by many other common names, but is probably best known as the ‘hoot owl’, due to its call (‘who cooks for you, who cooks for you all’). This owl prefers to live in large blocks of forest, especially near water, and in our area is most often found near the Colorado River and its associated lakes and streams. The only typical owl in the eastern United States with brown eyes instead of yellow, the Barred Owl has a pale face, dark rings around its eyes, and a yellow beak. Its head is round and lacks any ear tufts, and its body is a light gray-brown mottled by horizontal barring on its chest and lengthwise streaks on its belly.

A medium-sized owl at 17 to 19 inches tall with a 40-plus inch wingspan, the Barred Owl has been expanding its range westward in the last century. Like the Eastern Screech Owl, its main predator is the Great Horned Owl, and although they often live in the same area, they will avoid overlapping territories. They eat small mammals, birds, and invertebrates, as well as amphibians and reptiles, and often wade into water to catch crayfish, fish, and turtles. In fact, the belly feathers of some barred owls are tinged pink, most likely due to the amount of crayfish in their diet.

Barred Owls typically nest in cavities of deciduous trees, use open nests made by larger animals such as hawks, crows, or squirrels, and even man-made nest boxes. Although they are permanent residents, they may wander after the nesting season, often coming back the following year to reuse the same nesting site. In Central Texas, 2 to 4 eggs are laid in January, with hatching occurring in 4 weeks and the young fledging 4 to 5 weeks later. Hunting occurs largely at dusk and dawn, by waiting on a perch and swooping down on prey. Of all the owls in Texas, however, the Barred Owl is the one most likely to be active during the day, especially when hunting for food to feed hungry chicks.

The most widely distributed owl in the world and the most widespread of all birds is the Barn Owl (Tyto alba). With a white or mostly white underside, lightly spotted breast, dark eyes and a heart-shaped, white face surrounded by a tawny halo, its scientific name literally means ‘white owl’, but it is also known as ghost owl, death owl, and demon owl due to its appearance and eerily silent flight. Long legs, a round head with no ear tufts, and drawn-out, hissing scream for a call add to the image conjured up by its common names.

Found in open habitats such as grasslands, marshes, and agricultural fields, this owl hunts at night by flying low over the ground, looked for small mammals. While it has excellent low-light vision, it is its ability to locate prey by sound alone that sets it apart from any other animal species. With a 12-15 inch length and a 40-50 inch wingspan, the Barn Owl is one of the few bird species where the female is showier than the male. Having a reddish chest marked by

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Barn owl

Barred owl

more numerous spots, those females that are heavily spotted appear to be more successful at mating, raising chicks, and resisting typical parasites and diseases. Barn Owls can breed up to few times per year, depending on the food supply. During courtship, both the male and the female screech, and the male will then conduct what is known as a ‘moth flight’, where he hovers in front of the perched female with his long legs dangling, for several seconds. Barn Owl pairs typically remain together as long as both are alive. Their clutch size can vary widely from 2-18 eggs, which are laid in nest cups made from shredded owl pellets. These owls use both man-made structures such as nest boxes and buildings, or natural cavities in trees and cliffs, for locating their nests.

Send your nature-related questions to [email protected] and we’ll do our best to answer them.

Nature Watch- (Continued from Page 4)ADOPTION COALITION

adoptioncoalitiontx.org

Conner is a 10 year old energetic child who enjoys skateboarding, karate and playing basketball. He also likes to play with puzzles, action figures and lego’s. Conner is very creative and loves to draw and paint. Conner needs a patient, committed adoptive family that will provide him with unconditional love and support. He will benefit most by being the youngest child in the home or the only child. For more information, please contact Stephanie Berka, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Recruiter at Adoption Coalition of Texas 512-450-8750 or [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]




THE LAKEWOOD LEADER

Wishing everyone aHappy Holiday

Season!

Thank You TO ALL OUR

2011ADVERTISERS!

PEEL, INC.www.peelinc.com

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Keeping Children Safe on Holiday Road TripsAs millions of families prepare

for their annual holiday road trips, Texans In Motion at Scott & White Healthcare would l ike to encourage parents and caregivers to keep safety in mind as they travel. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that three out of four car seats are improperly installed.Following are some tips to ensure

that your child is riding safe:

• ALWAYS Buckle Up no matter if the trip is long or just a quick ride into town.

• Keep your child in the back seat at least through age 12.

• The best car seat is the one that fits your child, vehicle & budget.

• Read car seat and vehicle instruction manuals to ensure proper installation.

• Safety seats should move no more than 1” from the car seat’s belt path.

• Harnesses should be snug with the retainer clip at chest level.

• Booster seats are highly recommended for fourth to seventh graders who are under 4’9 tall and may not fit the adult seat belt.

Keeping these simple tips in mind may not reduce backseat sibling squabbles, but will help increase peace of mind when it comes to your child’s safety. Texans In Motion is an injury prevention program sponsored by the Trauma Center at Scott & White Healthcare, in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation. The program serves 11 Central Texas counties and focuses on child passenger safety.

Our mission is to increase child passenger safety restraint use and reduce the number of deaths and injuries to children in motor vehicle crashes through educational programs, activities

and check-up events. Staff is certified under part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrat ion’s National Standardized Child Passenger Safety Training Program. All services provided by Texans In Motion at Scott & White Healthcare are FREE.

For more informationabout car seats or to find

a car seat inspection event in your area, please contact Texans In Motion at Scott

& White Healthcare at (512)336-3423/509-0200

or visit sw.org.


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Lakewood - December 2011

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