As a follow-up to our recent program on the Waller Creek Conservancy, on October 10 we enjoyed a book-end presentation by Joanna Wolaver, Executive Director of the Shoal Creek Conservancy. She was accompanied by Alexa Loken, Marketing & Community Engagement Manager and Hannah Simon, Social Media & Communications Intern. Shoal Creek begins as springs in the Jake Pickle Research facility-Domain-183 area, measures 13 sq.mi. and empties into Lady Bird Lake at the new Austin City Library. The vision of the Conservancy is to provide a healthy, safe, and resilient creek—in spite of the challenges of flooding and water quality. After both the 1981 Flood famous for loss of businesses, homes, and lives and the 2015 Memorial Day Flood with its loss of businesses and severe erosion problems, improvements were made, but there is still much work to be done. The water quality has been red-flagged by the EPA for e.coli, mostly from dogs, and pesticides and herbicides from lawns along the creek. Other on-going problems are erosion and invasive species. In cooperation with the City of Austin and a grant from the EPA, the Conservancy is currently embarking on a program to 1)make the creek fishable and swimmable, 2)complete a hike and bike trail from origin to Lady Bird Lake that will have destination places along the way, and 3) restore the West 6th Street Bridge (near Hut’s Hamburgers), which is on the National Register of Historic Places, to its 1881 condition. Several times a year the Conservancy conducts tours on various portions of the Creek and on various topics. It also holds work days, one of which NxNE Austin will support on March 2, 2019. And finally, do explore their website for more interesting information vital to the beauty, health, and well-being of Austin -- shoalcreekconservancy.org