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It’s encouraging those who don’t frequent the park to see how nice it is and enjoying the amenities that are available to the entire community.  

When I first heard about Houston Parks Board’s plan to create miles of continuous bayou pathways, my first thought was, “How will that impact my community, and will my community get their share of those dollars and trails?” When Lisa of Houston Parks Board came to our civic association, she showed us a grand plan that was inclusive of our community, and we still weren’t sure if it would happen. But they followed through. They delivered. There were places where trails were put years ago that were in disrepair, and they put maintenance on it to make sure that, 6 months later, there aren’t overgrown weeds and a trail no one will use again. It gave everybody in the community a sense that they were serious about connecting citizens to the Bayou Greenways projects.

We’ve seen a big difference since the trails were put in. My grandkids are 7 and 9. These trails are clean, safe and wide—there’s so much space for them to ride around in. Our community has gotten the sense that this is a project that is inclusive of everyone. They said what they were gonna do, they did it, they delivered it, and it was as good as they said it was going to be. And they’re going to continue with that work with this new resting area at Martin Luther King Boulevard. It’s going to be a nook park with trees and benches. They bought the land there and took the initiative to enhance the trail and put this little park in. We’re really excited about it. 

Thank you to Charles for sharing his story!

This story is a part of a new initiative by Houston Parks Board to share stories about Houstonians' most meaningful park moments across our city. Because parks are a place for all of us. Parks are where we celebrate the things that matter. This is just the start—we will be showcasing the experiences of as many people in as many neighborhoods through as many winding pathways as possible. 

This effort is in celebration of Bayou Greenways 2020 which is bringing together neighborhoods like never before–connecting 150 miles of trails and 3,000 acres of green space. Houston Parks Board is proud to share the experiences of individuals in neighborhoods across our city. These are #ParksByYou. 

The trails and parks with new trees and benches are impacting our Houston communily. My grandkids are able to ride these clean and safe green spaces nearby.

Creating a Trail that's Nearby for Everyone

He had a pickup truck, and we wore that thing out pulling the water trailer around. If it hadn’t been for him, we never could have done it, but we did. We’ve planted trees in all four Alief parks. And well, we’ve planted about six thousand trees, all through volunteering and little, if any, money. The whole park has changed—we’ve added picnic tables, barbecue pits, and even softball bleachers.

When I first started planting, there was a kid whose parents would bring him to the park every day for fresh air. He had cerebral palsy. I remember him looking at what I was doing and saying to me, “Hurry up with those trees because it’s too hot out here!” Now he’s graduated from high school and still goes to the park. When I see him now, we joke with each other. I say, “How do you like those trees?” And we just laugh because now so many areas of the park are completely shaded. I know it sounds like a small thing, but when you’re not able to get around quickly, and it gets to a hundred degrees, it’s nice to have some shade. It makes the experience something everyone can enjoy. 

The thing is, this is our home and we can take care of it. We can take a handful of milkweed seeds and toss them onto the ground and grow something beautiful. We can meet people and our lives can change before we know it. In the next 18 months, we’ll have trails here. I couldn’t be more excited. Somehow we went from nothing to all of this. 

Thank you to Barbara for sharing her story!

I wanted trees for our Alief parks to have some shade. So the volunteers and I reached out to the city and now we've planted about 6,000 trees.

Planting Trees with A Handful of Milkweed Seeds

We started this program because we had been hearing stories from families about how our largest park in Gulfton, Burnett Bayland Park, wasn’t clean or safe. We knew we had to do something. This is our home. We can take ownership of it. So we went through a leadership training with the BakerRipley Community Engineers program, gathered volunteers, and started cleaning up the park. We contacted Keep Houston Beautiful and they helped us with materials. Our work caught the attention of the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and they added some lights to make the park safer and more visible. 

As we were working, we noticed an unused community garden right at the entrance to the park. We had a vision of turning it into a butterfly garden, but we didn’t know exactly how to make it happen. I had been involved in Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Complete Communities meetings, and that’s where I met Lisa from Houston Parks Board. I told her about our idea, and she helped us make it happen by connecting us with the staff at Houston Parks Board, and through them, a garden designer.  

Now, whenever we go out and tend the garden, we ask people what they think of the changes. They say, “It’s looking cleaner and beautiful. We feel safer now.” And that’s really what we wanted. Kids will come up to us with their parents and ask what we’re doing. They’ll say, “I want to pick up trash, too. I want to water the plants.” And for the last 3 months, we’ve noticed our recycling cans are being used. It wasn’t easy at first. Gulfton is a diverse community with different cultures from all over. When you’re not from here, it’s hard to understand why recycling is important. I learned about it when I came here. 

Thank you to Maria for sharing her story!

Our park in Gulfton, Burnett Bayland Park, wasn't clean or safe. Now with help from the city and volunteers, we've cleaned it up, planted a garden, and started recycling.

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READ THEIR STORIES & HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE

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A Handful of Milkweed Seeds

The Earth Is for all of us