Highland Park - March 2022

Highland Park West Balcones Area

HIGHLAND PARK WEST BALCONES AREA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION VOLUME 18, NUMBER 03 • MARCH 2022 • WWW.HPWBANA.ORG

JOIN THE FUN! PERRY PARK SPRING EGG HUNT Saturday, April 16 9:30 AM Don't be Late!

South Side of Highland Park Elementary School Participants Up to 12 Years Old

FIND THE GOLDEN EGG! Guess the number of Jelly Beans and win a prize!

SEE THE EASTER BUNNY!

The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - March 2022

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Highland Park West Balcones Area

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The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News March 2022

Highland Park West Balcones Area

IMPORTANT NUMBERS Austin Citywide Information Center... 974-2000 or 311 Emergency Police, Fire and EMS.............................. 911 Non-emergency Police (coyote sighting, etc.)......... 311 Social Services (during work hours)........................ 211 APD REP. - Officer Darrell Grayson........ 512-974-5242

BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Jason Lindenschmidt................ president@hpwbana.org VICE PRESIDENT Bill McMillin.........................................vp@hpwbana.org TREASURER George Zwicker........................ treasurer@hpwbana.org SECRETARY Dawn Lewis.............................. secretary@hpwbana.org NEWSLETTER EDITOR Carolyn Heath........................ newsletter@hpwbana.org WEBMASTER Henry Tang.............................webmaster@hpwbana.org BOARD MEMBERS Bill Hyland...................................... board@hpwbana.org Rebecca Spratlin............................. board@hpwbana.org Shannon McNeil............................. board@hpwbana.org

The HPWBANA Board meets on the fourth Monday of each month except December. Please go to HPWBANA. org for our current meeting location or contact president@ hpwbana.org.

HWPBANA is bordered on the north by 2222, on the south by 35th Street, on the west by Mt. Bonnell Road, and on the east by MoPac and by Bull Creek Road between Hancock Drive and 45th Street. Mail your membership dues to HPWBANA, P.O. Box 26101, Austin, Texas 78755.

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Highland Park West Balcones Area

Wildfire Risk Mitigation Clearing the Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) Due to contiguous boundary with Bright Leaf Preserve, drought, and the recent fires in Bastrop, wildfire safety is an especially relevant issue for HPWBANA residents.

climb into the trees are ladder fuels. Remove them. When considering how to trim, remember that bushes can flame up to three times their height.

Residents can eliminate a wildfire’s potential to engage with their house by interrupting the natural path a fire takes. The key to this is clearing items from the home ignition zone (HIZ), the area immediately surrounding the house, including the house itself. A house is more likely to ignite when it has an interrelationship with everything surrounding it. Maintain a defensible space around your home and structures by clearing or trimming vegetation. This space also provides a safety zone for firefighters. This is an easy-to-accomplish task that can result in avoiding home ignition and/or reducing wildfire damage.

• Consider replacing wooden sheds, decks, and privacy fences with fire-resistant alternatives.

Here are some inexpensive ways to create and maintain a defensible space around your home to protect against wildfire damage.

• Be sure to comply with Austin tree ordinance regulations. Https:// www.austintexas.gov/page/tree-reviews-and-permitting

• Within 30 feet of your home:

OTHER DO’S AND DON’TS

o Remove dead shrubs, dried grass, fallen branches and dried leave on all sides of any structure. o Keep trees and shrubs properly thinned and pruned. Dead branches in a live oak tree aren't going to burn unless the tree is already on fire. Remember that excessive pruning leads to the spread of oak wilt in neighborhoods.

• Within 5 feet of your home, be especially focused. o Use fire-resistant plants, with ground cover such as rocks or gravel, that is non-flammable. o Maintain a space of at least 18 inches between the sides of the house and the nearest plantings.

• Be sure there are no entries for embers into attic vents or under roofing materials; no place for embers to land in debris (litter in the gutter, stacks of wood, etc.); and no wood fencing that adjoins the house. Wind-blown embers are the biggest threat to homes.

• Plants, low branches, and firewood that allow a fire on the ground to

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• Keep roof and gutters clear of debris and remove overhanging branches.

• Keep grass and weeds mowed at a low height. Green grass will usually dry out in Texas, and grass fires move fast, posing risks to dwellings.

• When planting trees and shrubs, use native shrubs and hardwoods.

Healthy live plants are generally not a problem in wildfire.

• Follow the rules of the HOA or POA entity, as well as the City Ordinances.

• Never work outside your own property without specific permission.

• Before removing wildfire fuels from a Conservation Easement on homeowner property, ensure removal is allowed. https://www. traviscountytx.gov/tnr/nr/conservation-easement • For more information, contact Austin Fire Department Wildfire Division (AFDWD). ATXWildfire.com • Set up an appointment for a Home Ignition Zone Assessment by contacting Bill McMillin (billymac57@mac.com), HPWBANA Vice President and Austin Fire Department Wildfire Division (AFDWD) approved Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) Home Assessor. Assessments are free and take 60-75 minutes.¬¬¬Look for more additional information on preparing your home for wildfires, in the April newsletter.

The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News March 2022

Highland Park West Balcones Area

PERRY PARK SPRING EGG HUNT Saturday, April 16 9:30 AM

WE NEED A FEW GOOD EGGS TO SUPPORT THIS EVENT

DONATE CANDY Individually wrapped. Small enough to fit inside 2.5" plastic eggs NEED BY SATURDAY, APRIL 2 Contact Rebecca@RebeccaRealtyLLC.com

VOLUNTEER TO HELP 9:00 9:15 - 10:15 9:15 - 10:30

Help Set UP Arrange Kids into Age Groups Take photos (phone camera fine!)

NEED TO KNOW BY SATURDAY, APRIL 2 Contact Rebecca@RebeccaRealtyLLC.com

BECOME A MEMBER OF HPWBANA Contact Carolyn at Membership @ HPWBANA.org OR go to HPWBANA.org, click 'Get Involved,' then 'HPWBANA Membership,' fill in short form. You can pay via PayPal. Or pay via Venmo at Hpwbana Treasurer @Hpwbana, indicating "What For"

DONATE MONEY Contact George Zwicker at Treasure@Hpwbana.org Or go to Hpwbana.org, Click 'Get Involved,' then 'Hpwbana Membership,' Select 'Donation Only' and type in 'Events.' You can pay via PayPal, or pay with Venmo at Hpwbana Treasurer @Hpwbana, indicating "What For"

HPWBANA March Meeting Monday, March 28th, 6:30 p.m.

Open to the public Location: TBD Meet the HPWBANA Board and your neighbors @HPWBANA on Facebook or Instagram for updates The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - March 2022

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The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News March 2022

Highland Park West Balcones Area

The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - March 2022

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Highland Park West Balcones Area

LETTUCE RECYCLE

by Dena Houston

what are your recycling questions?

Every week, I receive questions from my Lettuce Recycle readers about composting and recycling. I learn something new from many of the questions and I welcome them.

• Amazon packaging consisting of padding material between two layers of brown paper

Please send your questions to recycling@hpwbana.org. I will research the answer and email it to you. I will also add the questions and answers to my Lettuce Recycle articles.

• Snack foods, cookies, and chip bags

I received two inquiries this week. Here are the questions and the answers.

• My Colgate toothpaste tube has the recycling symbol on it and it says “recyclable tube”. Can I recycle it? In Austin, the answer is NO. I checked with the Balcones recycling facility. They confirmed that, because the tube is made of layers of materials that cannot be separated, these “mixed material” items cannot be recycled in the Austin market.

• Can cash register receipts and carbonless paper receipts go into the recycling or compost bins? I usually put them and other small pieces of paper into one envelope and put it into the bin. These receipts must go into the trash cart. Most of today’s cash register receipts are printed on thermal paper. This paper is treated with BPA, making the paper neither recyclable nor compostable. Also, please don’t put pieces of paper in an envelope or bag to put into the bins. These need to be left separate for proper recycling sorting.

WHAT ARE MIXED MATERIALS AND WHY CAN’T THEY BE RECYCLED? Mixed materials present a special challenge to the recycling industry.

In the Austin market, these items are not recyclable and must go into the trash cart. The reason they cannot be recycled is that these items consist of layers of material that cannot be separated in order to recycle the various parts. Tetra packs are the most common material.

They are layers of plastic, cardboard, and foil. The following items are examples of Tetra packs and other mixed materials that cannot be recycled in Austin:

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• Bread crumb containers (e.g., Progresso bread crumbs) • Single use food pouches – baby food, tuna fish, etc.

• Juice boxes (single serving) • Mailing envelopes consisting of stiff paper lined with bubble wrap or other insulation • Cardboard box containers (Tetra packs) – Orange juice, milk • Toothpaste tubes

THINGS TO REMEMBER! NOTHING SMALLER THAN A CREDIT CARD IN THE BLUE BIN WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT! Recycling contamination is a huge problem. If you are unsure about whether an item can be recycled, even after exploring all reuse and recycling options, put the item in the trash cart rather than the blue bin to avoid any possibility of contaminating materials to be recycled.

Here is a very informative City of Austin recycling website: www.austintexas.gov/what-do-i-do Stay tuned for future tips that will include creative ways to recycle or reuse. If you have any questions or recycling ideas, please send them to: recycling@hpwbana.org

The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News March 2022

Highland Park West Balcones Area

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Highland Park West Balcones Area

MARCH Garden Checklist The first week of March is the average last day of frost, but remain diligent and listen to the weather forecast. Warm season vegetables can start to be transplanted and roses will begin to bloom profusely this month. See below for other things that should be on your March gardening to-dos.

Your March Outdoor Gardening Checklist

TRANSPLANT

FERTILIZE

Apply 1/2 inch of compost to all areas, including the lawn, water in well to establish good soil contact. Work compost into the first few inches of the vegetable beds. Hold off mulching vegetable beds until the soil has warmed to 70°F.

Apply fertilizer recommendations from your soil test to blooming shrubs, annuals, and the vegetable garden. Pull back mulch before applying, water in well, then replace mulch to help protect from freeze. Hold off on fertilizing the lawn until April.

WATER You may need to irrigate this month if rains don’t arrive. Monitor new seedbeds and transplants and water them as needed. Make sure to water transplants deeply if frost is predicted. Water helps protect the roots from cold. Reconnect hoses and timers and check for leaks. Soaker hoses and drip irrigation are recommended for vegetable gardens because they direct water to the roots and avoid wetting the leaves.

Add perennial flower transplants. Plant annual flower seeds like zinnias when danger of frost has passed. Hold off on warm season tubers like caladiums unless the soil has warmed up to 70°F.

SOIL

LAWNS Lay sod for warm-season turfgrasses like Zoysiagrass. Hold off with planting turgrass by seed until April. Mow the lawn if needed. Spot treat for weeds.

DISEASES/PESTS TO LOOK FOR Aphids and caterpillars start to appear, and flea beetles may be eating the cole crops. Use blasts of water to control, or investigate other less toxic solutions like insecticidal soap. Monitor new seedlings Continued on Page 11

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The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News March 2022

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for cutworms and wrap stems with a 2-inch strip of newspaper to prevent further damage. Destroy soil grubs as you find them. Use horticultural oil to spot treat for scale, taking care to completely coat the infestations. Do not spray oil on new leaves or blossoms. Spray peach and plum trees for curculio weevils when 3/4 of the petals have fallen. You’ll need to repeat three times at two-week intervals.

MAINTENANCE

Evaluate and audit your irrigation systems. Check for misaligned or broken spray heads or emitters, misaligned spray heads, improper pressure, and poor overlap. Prune spring blooming shrubs when blooms have faded. Deadhead annual flowers as needed.

Train vines as they emerge from dormancy. Don’t let weeds go to seed, pull or chop before they start to flower.

IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN

Weeding and watering are critical, especially during the first 30-40 days of growth when plants are putting down roots. Transplants should be watered in their pots before transplanting and watered again after planting in the ground.

Choose planting beds that provide at least six to eight hours of full sun for optimum growth and production. Strong spring winds can quickly desiccate young seedlings, so monitor water needs of new plantings. Plant seeds of peas and greens early in the month, bush and pole beans, cucumbers, summer squash and winter squash later in the month. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants should go in the garden as transplants so that flowering and fruit set can occur before temperatures get too hot. Wrap tomato cage with row cover and place over transplants to protect them from wind and cold. Transplant herbs like oregano and thyme late in the month. Mound soil around potatoes leaving the top 6-8” of leaves exposed. Hold off on melons, okra, sweet potatoes, peppers and southern peas until the very end of the month or the first of April once the soil has warmed up to 65° F and the air temperature is between 70° and 85° F. Continue harvesting cool season crops and monitor for pests; as temperatures rise the cool season crops become stressed and attract pests. Pull up and compost cool season crops as soon as they start exhibiting stress.

Plant flowers in and around the vegetable garden to attract beneficial insects.

Daphne Richards, MS is a County Extension Agent-Horticulture with Texas A&M AgriLife, Travis County and contributor to Central Texas Gardener.

A unique education agency, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service teaches Texans wherever they live, extending research-based knowledge to benefit their families and communities. Get answers to your gardening questions at https://travis-tx.tamu.edu/about-2/ horticulture/ .Or reach out to their remote Master Gardeners for assistance: 512.710.7098, travismg@ag.tamu.edu

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Highland Park West Balcones Area PO Box 1148 Round Rock, Texas 78680

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The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News March 2022