For 25 years, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s CO-OP grants have helped community groups connect Texans with the outdoors so they can enjoy activities like camping, hiking, archery, fishing and nature education. The grants are designed to help reduce the barriers that many underrepresented groups can face in the form of transportation, meals, training, outdoor gear and supplies. CO-OP, which has awarded more than $22 million in outdoor exploration grants since its founding, is funded from a portion of state sales tax collected on sporting goods. Grant awards range between $5,000 and $60,000 and are distributed to Texas nonprofits via a competitive grant process each year. This year’s deadline is Nov. 1. Listen to a recorded grant writing workshop that tells you “everything you need to know to apply for a CO-OP grant, no matter if you’re a first-time grant writer or a seasoned grant pro.” Learn more about CO-OP grants here.

Almost no one in Austin doesn’t have an opinion about the homelessness crisis. Here’s a place to air those opinions and ideas – at one of two virtual public meetings hosted by the city’s Homeless Strategy Officer, Dianna Grey. Grey and her team will “share an overview of the city’s role in homelessness response and plans for expanding it by investing $106.7 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.” Grey said in the news release, “As a community, we have an exciting opportunity to dramatically expand our homelessness response and make significant and sustainable change. As these plans are being formed, it’s important that we hear from community members and hear their feedback on the investments that will have the most impact.” Share your feedback on Thursday, Oct. 14, or Monday, Oct. 18. Both meetings start at 6:30 p.m. Register to attend on SpeakUp Austin.

This summer, the city’s Public Works Department launched the design phase of the effort to build a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge across Lady Bird Lake near Longhorn Dam. The wishbone-shaped bridge will connect to the shore at three points: Longhorn Shores, Holly Shores, and the peninsula near Holly Shores. It is expected to be completed by 2026. If you’d like to receive project updates about significant milestones along the way, subscribe here.

The city of Austin is launching an effort to plan for the future of the Montopolis Negro School. The Parks and Recreation Department will hold its first virtual meeting on Oct. 27 at 4 p.m., followed by an open house at the school on Nov. 6 from 10 a.m.-noon. The property has remained fenced off and unused since the city began the process of acquiring it in 2017. The city ultimately took possession of the land through eminent domain proceedings after negotiations with the property owner fell apart. The school has since gone through a hazardous material abatement, and the parks department aims to launch planning efforts this spring.

Citing moderate forecast fire danger, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department has issued a burn ban in city parks, effective today. Low levels of rainfall and consistently high temperatures mean the city is at greater risk of wildfire, according to an Oct. 6 memo from PARD Director Kimberly McNeeley. The memo points to an ordinance that allows the city to temporarily prohibit the building of fires and grilling in city parks, greenbelts and preserves when the threat of wildfire has increased. McNeeley notes that if conditions lessen, the department will terminate the restrictions.

Those who enjoy splashing around in the shallow end of Deep Eddy Pool may take this news hard: Due to a mechanical problem with a well pump, the shallow end of the pool will be closed for the remainder of the year. The pool will also need to be closed three days a week because, with a broken pump, it takes longer to fill the pool. The parks department’s Aquatics Division is working hard to repair the pump so that normal winter operating hours may resume. In the meantime, swimmers can still make a splash in the shallow ends of Barton Springs, Bartholomew, Big Stacy and Springwoods pools.

In honor of National Coming Out Day, which is today, the city is installing a colorful crosswalk at a downtown intersection. According to a news release from the Transportation Department, “The design is based on a previous design requested by the community and incorporates colors from the Progressive Pride Flag which includes black and brown stripes to represent people of color, and baby blue, pink and white, which represent the transgender community.” Mayor Steve Adler, City Manager Spencer Cronk, Austin City Council members, Transportation Director Rob Spillar, and Austin LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory commissioners will be on hand at 9 a.m. to watch the installation, which includes three nearby utility boxes. The intersection at 400 Colorado St., at the corner of Bettie Naylor (Fourth) will be closed from 3 a.m.-5 p.m.

Just a reminder, the Travis County mobile vaccine team will be at ACL Fest again this weekend, offering first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine as well as boosters to those who are eligible. Travis County now has 70.85 percent of its 12 and older population vaccinated, but as Travis County Constable George Morales points out, “We can’t stop here. Covid-19 vaccines continue to prove to be safe and effective. Vaccines can protect our community from severe illness, hospitalization and death.” The vaccine team will operate from noon-4 p.m. each day of the festival. If you’re getting the booster, bring your vaccination card so it can be updated. 

A variety of exhibits, presentations and virtual experiences taking place from Oct. 11-Nov. 16 fall under the umbrella of the Austin Veteran Arts Festival, or AVAFest. According to the city, which is hosting several of the events, the purpose of AVAFest “is to promote and support veterans in the arts. Many veterans struggle with mental health issues and/or seeking treatment. The Austin Veteran Arts Festival aims to help heal through art therapy, an approach that allows people to express themselves in a nonverbal and non-threatening way that potentially helps individuals to understand themselves and their issues better.” View a full calendar of festival events here.

Most people have strong feelings about spiders, and we’re no exception. But how much do we really know about the gangly critters? Not enough, it turns out. Joe Lapp, also known as Spider Joe, is a self-taught spider taxonomist and nature educator who develops software to support arthropod conservation at UT Austin. Joe loves to talk spiders – jumping spiders, crab spiders, orb weavers, what have you – and he’ll be talking up a spider storm on the next Wild Neighbors webinar, hosted by Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. Friday, Oct. 22, noon to 1 p.m. Register here.

Pandemic or no pandemic, traditions are important, and one enduring tradition is the annual Zilker Holiday Tree Art Contest, hosted by the Parks and Recreation Department. As in years past, Austinites between the ages of 5 and 10 are invited to enter their original drawings of the Zilker Holiday Tree. The young artists may use crayons, watercolors, ink, colored paper, pastels or paint, and the winners from each age category will get to help light the holiday tree. The Zilker holiday tree is, of course, not just any old tree: at 155 feet tall it’s festooned with 3,309 lights. Check out prize-winning renditions of the tree from years past; it’s pretty wonderful to see the many ways kids’ imaginations have captured the tree. Submit your entry online until Nov. 1. Make sure you read the rules carefully before submitting artwork.