Volunteers begin Heartwood Native Garden at Montgomery’s Memory Park to support pollinators, chapter marks 20th anniversary

The City Council meeting on July 15 included a presentation of a press release announcing the Heartwood Native Garden at Montgomery’s Memory Park, staff said. The release, presented by the mayor, credited local volunteers from the Heartwood chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist and the Rotary Club of Lake Conroe Foundation in partnership with the City of Montgomery for the project. The garden sits behind the Charles B. Stewart West Branch Library and adjacent to Fernland Historical Park and will include drainage improvements, native plantings and signage, the release said. Lisa Houston, president of the Heartwood chapter, was quoted in the release saying the chapter has 155 members volunteering across Montgomery and Walker counties as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. Charlie Pareda, treasurer of the Rotary Club of Lake Conroe Foundation, said Memory Park is a community effort since its inception in 2005 and that everyone is invited to participate. The press release described the role native plants play for pollinators (bees, butterflies, moths, bats and birds) and said native‑plant gardening raises awareness of pollinator conservation. Memory Park was created beginning in 2005 and dedicated in February 2008; the Rotary Club described the park as a five‑acre site at 202 Bessie Price Owen Drive, Montgomery, Texas, 77356. The release said donations to maintain and enhance the park are tax‑deductible and provided a contact for media requests. The council did not take formal action on the presentation; the item was informational.