Friends of the West 11^th Street Park is a 501(c)(3) Texas corporation that was formed to assist in the acquisition and long-term management of the West 11^th Street Park, located at 2400 West 11^th Street in Houston, Texas. We have been in existence since 1998.  

Our vision:

“This land shall be preserved forever as a natural habitat.
Future amenities and improvements will be designed to promote
conservation and the appreciation and enjoyment of nature.”

Our accomplishments in 2007:

·                 Submitted major grants to large local foundations in support of the fundraising effort to acquire the West 11^th Street Park. Two of these grants were approved by the funding agencies.

·                 Held quarterly Board of Directors meetings and reported regularly at all Timbergrove Manor Civic Club general meetings and board meetings and in the newsletters published by Timbergrove Manor, other surrounding neighborhood associations, and environmental organizations throughout the area.

·                 Gave formal presentations to local civic clubs and nature organizations about the park and our fundraising drive.

·                 Were recognized by the “Adopt-a-Park” program of the Houston Parks and Recreation Department as caretakers for the West 11^th Street Park.

·                 Held a community-wide meeting of park supporters and conducted an email survey to get input on what people would like to see at the park. The overwhelming majority of responders wanted: (1) improvement of the trails; (2) optimization of the park as a natural habitat; and (3) additional benches in the park.

·                 Worked with project managers from the Houston Parks Board to lay the groundwork for the “Friends of West 11^th Street Park Trail Remediation Project.”

·                 Performed routine maintenance in the park, including spraying for poison ivy, treating for fire ants, and stocking dog waste bag dispensers in the park.

·                 Planted a 1/3 acre field on the south side of the park with wild flower seeds.

·                 Submitted a grant to Keep Houston Beautiful to purchase a park bench to provide a rest area for one of the inner trails. The grant was funded.

·                 Held our annual fall educational and fundraising event entitled “Green Day in the Park” to raise awareness about the park and our trail remediation project. The event included nature walks, a plant sale, silent auction, entertainment by legendary Texas folk singer Shake Russell, and educational displays from local environmental groups. It attracted nearly 400 visitors to the park, including State Senator John Whitmire and Council Member Toni Lawrence, and netted $2,611.28 towards the trail remediation project.

·                 Received a donation of an original oil painting of the park from a local artist. We have had posters made of the painting, which are available as gifts to donors to the park trail remediation fund and other park projects. (The painting, scheduled to be auctioned in early 2008, was in fact sold in February 2008 for a winning bid of $5,101.)   

·                 Facilitated regular third Thursday bird counts in the park by the Citizen’s Coalition of the Audubon Society.

·                 Received a Synergy award from the Citizen’s Environmental Coalition in recognition for our work in preserving the park.

·                 Received a Proud Partners award from Keep Houston Beautiful in recognistion for our work in preserving the park..

·                 Most importantly, built and maintained good relationships with the City of Houston, Houston Parks and Recreation Department, Houston Parks Board, HISD, Texas Forest Service, and Texas State Senator John Whitmire, ensuring that everyone was aware of our wonderful park and our long-term commitment to preserve and maintain it.

Our Board of Directors for 2007

Financial Information for 2007