Travis County Commissioners on July 15 unanimously proclaimed July 2025 as Parks and Recreation Month and received the annual report from the Travis County Parks Foundation highlighting outreach, volunteer programs and plans for trail expansion.

The proclamation, read by Commissioner Shea, noted parksenefits for public health, the local economy and environmental resilience and recognized the U.S. House designation of July as Parks and Recreation Month. The court approved the proclamation without objection.

Joanna Wooliver, executive director of the Travis County Parks Foundation, presented the foundation
nnual update. Wooliver described a year of growth: a larger foundation team, expanded public programming and an expanding night-sky education program that includes new "night sky quality" monitors at several parks and a volunteer training and patch program. The foundation also said it is developing an online story map and outreach plan to support a 70-mile regional greenway vision along Eastern creeks and the Colorado River.

Parks staff and foundation leaders noted continued work on trail phases funded by the 2023 county bond. Construction for early phases of the Gilliland Creek Greenway and renovation of Benny Fisher Park are approaching final design with construction anticipated in late 2026; other greenway and trail phases are in design or land-acquisition stages.

The foundation reported growth in coordinated volunteer activities and corporate volunteer days and said it recently received a county contract to support volunteer programming and a pilot park stewardship program at two to three parks.

Ending: The court accepted the presentation and thanked parks staff and foundation volunteers for ongoing emergency and community work in the weeks since the July storms; Commissioners requested continued briefings as trail projects move toward construction.