For a bit of motivation to explore nature in your immediate surroundings, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Nature Trackers program encourage people to document their local biodiversity April 26-29 as part of the City Nature Challenge. It’s a chance to get outside – just out your front door, in your yard or anywhere nature is found and can be safely and responsibly explored – and enter your observations of plants, animals and fungi on the free mobile app iNaturalist. This global, community-based, scientific effort is co-organized by San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Texas Nature Trackers encourages use of the hashtag #CityNatureChallenge on social media or as a tag in iNaturalist. In 2023, Texas metropolitan areas joined more than 400 other cities in a worldwide celebration of the resilience of urban nature that logged more than 1.8 million observations of more than 58,000 species by nearly 70,000 people. In Texas, 93 counties logged more than 174,000 observations, with 7,500 species recorded by more than 6,000 observers. Check out the City Nature Challenge online to find links to Texas projects and learn more. Free training can be viewed online. Participants can also contact TNT biologists Craig Hensley and Wendy Anderson with the Texas Nature Trackers program at tracker@tpwd.texas.gov.

The city’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is hosting a preparedness pop-up today at the Little Walnut Creek Branch Library. The event, which will take place from 4 to 7 p.m., will educate attendees about preparing for severe weather and flooding, among other things, with tips from Public Safety and HSEM representatives. In addition, the first 25 households will receive an emergency supply kit. Austin is currently in a season when severe weather and flooding is a distinct risk. To learn more about regional emergency preparedness outside of today’s event, visit ReadyCentralTexas.org.

Volunteers are needed for Travis County Parks and the Colorado River Alliance’s inaugural Spring Cleanup from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, April 20. You can help remove and recycle litter across seven parks in eastern Travis County: Northeast Metro Park, East Metro Park, Webberville Park, Barkley Meadows Park, Richard Moya Park, Onion Creek Greenway and Southeast Metro Park. “These waterways are our source of drinking water and it’s essential that we all pitch in to keep them clean,” said Travis County Commissioner for Precinct 2 Brigid Shea. “It’s especially important for our downstream neighbors.” This event helps raise awareness that litter travels, emphasizing the importance of keeping our parks, river and creeks healthy and clean. Reserve your spot to help keep our vital drinking water source clean and flowing for generations to come.

A new round of $5,000 Nexus Grants is open to local artists and art programs. The city’s Economic Development Department announced the newest round of funding for artists, which can be used to cover expenses for area-based applicants who have a one-year (or more) history of arts programming in the area. More information and application details are available online, and more information about the grants is available through a number of outreach events and workshops, detailed here. Applications are open now and will remain open through 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 14.

On April 16 and 17, the city will host a Fair Housing Conference that is free and open to the public. Anyone is welcome to join a host of experts in the field to share ideas and learn more about fair housing issues. The conference will feature panel discussions, housing resources and a tour of the Colony Park Sustainable Community. The 1968 Fair Housing Act, which was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, made discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability and familial status illegal. This is the second year for the city’s conference, which is put on as a cooperative effort between the city’s Office of Civil Rights, Housing Department and Economic Development Department. It will take place at Norris Conference Center and registration to attend can be done online here. “The 2024 Fair Housing Conference hosted by the City of Austin will span two full days, offering insightful discussions on legal updates, current fair housing issues, and strategies for fostering inclusive communities of opportunity,” Tamela Saldana, interim director of the Office of Civil Rights, said in a statement to the press.  “It’s an invaluable opportunity to reflect on our progress in advancing fair housing principles.”

Save Austin’s Cemeteries is an organization dedicated to preserving city-owned historic cemeteries through documentation, preservation and education and promoting them as local and state cultural resources. Its Spring Tour is a chance to learn about the cemeteries with drop-in history tours. Join in from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at the Oakwood Cemetery, 1601 Navasota St. The event is free and open to the public and has ample free parking. The Oakwood Cemetery was established in 1839 and is a City of Austin Historic Landmark, a Historic Texas Cemetery and on the National Register of Historic Places. The Spring Tour coincides with a new digital exhibit by the Oakwood Cemetery Chapel, “To Fight Fires,” which details the history of the Austin Fire Department from the early 1800s to the present day. An Austin Fire Department truck will be on-site from 10 to 11 a.m.

Austin’s Earl J. Pomerleau Pocket Park will be officially welcomed into the world today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its completion. Austin Parks Foundation, Austin Parks and Recreation Department and Windsor Park Neighborhood Association have teamed up to officially open the Earl J. Pomerleau Pocket Park with a free, open-to-the-public celebration at 1906 Patton Lane at 4 p.m. today. The 2-acre park project began in 2018 and has been open to the public since July. This March, with the help of a donor, its pavilion was completed. The project is the result of a joint effort between the host organizations and funded through ACL Board Designated Funds, an Urban Forestry Grant and city parkland dedication fees. The new park includes a playground, picnic areas and a loop trail in addition to the pavilion.

This Thursday at 9 a.m., City Council and the Planning Commission will hold a joint meeting to consider changes to the Land Development Code. The changes, which are detailed here, are part of an update aimed at creating more housing by revising compatibility standards and reducing minimum lot size for single-unit developments, among other things. Thursday’s meeting will feature an overview of the changes as well as a public hearing, with additional public hearings at the April 23 Planning Commission meeting and the May 16 meeting of City Council. In addition, the city will hold two open houses. The first will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 17 at Austin Central Library. The second meeting will be virtual, from 10 a.m. until noon. Speaker registration for Thursday’s joint meeting can be found here.

This Thursday, April 11, the city will host its annual Career Expo at the Palmer Events Center. The event is designed to provide opportunities for anyone seeking a job, and to offer a chance to network with employers and other work resources. According to a press release about the event, “The Career Expo will include several City departments, private employers, state agencies, higher education and technical schools, temporary staffing agencies, and many smaller businesses with skilled, customer service and labor job openings. There is no cost for job seekers to attend, and a professional photographer will be onsite taking headshots of attendees at no charge.” For reference, last year’s expo had about 100 employers present, with more than 4,000 jobs available. Registration is online at AustinTexas.gov/CareerExpo.

Waterloo Greenway will unveil a new vision for Sir Swante Palm Neighborhood Park at a pair of community feedback sessions on April 25 and 27. The design is a culmination of more than six months of outreach that involved feedback from more than 2,000 community members who shared input on future amenities, natural areas and an identity for the park. April’s events mark the final official chance for community input before the anticipated groundbreaking in 2026. The sessions will take place on:

• Thursday, April 25
  Martin Middle School (1601 Haskell St., Austin, TX 78702) from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, April 27
  Eastside Early College High School (900 Thompson St., Austin, TX 78702) from 10 a.m. to noon

Both events are free and open to the public, with snacks and refreshments provided.

For the 13th year, the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center is hosting La Mujer: A Celebration of Women, this time at the women-owned Cathedral Art Gallery at 2403 E. 16th St. from 1-6 p.m. Sunday, April 21. The annual event aims for women in Austin’s Mexican American and Latina/o/x/e community to be seen, heard and empowered, with mental health and wellness programming from organizations such as Contigo Wellness and Austin Public Health, a BIPOC-centered marketplace by Frida Friday ATX, and visual art exhibits curated by Monica Ceniceros of the Cathedral. Indoor activities include a sound healing workshop with Andrea Cortez from the Mind, Body and Music Center, a rebozo (shawl) workshop with Irasema Reza-Bailey from Manos Magicas and a somatic writing workshop with poet and author Leticia Urieta. Outdoors, there will be food trucks and aguas frescas; an all-day artisan marketplace; free hands-on children’s activities; an “open pitch” for Austinites to speak about their business, craft or organization; and an open mic for music and poetry. Workshops and keynote require pre-registration; all other activities will be open to all attendees with no RSVP or ticket required. There will also be sound and movement and weaving family activities with Creative Action. Pre-register for indoor workshops at AustinTexas.gov/MACCLaMujer or on Eventbrite.