Travis Country West - April 2016

Copyright 2016 Peel, Inc. Travis Country West Homeowners Association Newsletter - April 2016 1

Travis Country West

Official Publication of Travis Country West Community

Volume 11, Number 4 April 2016

TCW Neighborhood NeWsTCW Neighborhood NeWs

Save the DatesTravis Country West 2016 Meeting Dates

Board Meetings:Wednesdays: May 4, August 3, and November 2

All meetings are held at the pool cabana, and begin at 6pm.

Annual Meeting:Monday, May 16

Austin Pizza Garden6266 W. Hwy 290

Registration begins at 6:30Meeting begins at 7pm

We can make our neighborhood even better with your participation!

HAPPY SPRING, TWC RESIDENTS!!

Honey bees are beneficial by producing honey, wax and pollinating crops. With warmer temperatures, honey bees are becoming more active

and may soon begin to swarm.Honey bee swarms look like a large clump of bees clustered

together. The swarm may stay in a location from a few hours to a week. Swarms are produced as a part of the colonys reproductive process. An established colony produces a new queen, causing the old queen and half the worker bees to leave the colony to search for a new nesting location. Swarming honey bees are usually gentle and unlikely to sting. Swarms are not protecting their home, food or offspring. Scout bees are sent out from the swarm to search for a nesting site. Colonies produce comb and honey and are defensive. Bees from a colony are more likely to sting as they are guarding their home, food and offspring.

Sometimes, honey bee colonies can be found in wall voids, chimneys, attics or sheds. If bees are in a wall void, DO NOT block their entrance; this makes them search for another way to exit and could lead bees into the structure. To keep bees from entering a home, seal any holes found in walls where pipes enter the home, cracks in window framing, knotholes, weep holes, or cracks between wood and brick junctures.

While many enjoy hav ing honey bee s around, some people are severely allergic to their venom. This, along with other situations, such as bees located near

Honey Bee Swarms

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2 Travis Country West Homeowners Association Newsletter - April 2016 Copyright 2016 Peel, Inc.

Travis Country West

sensitive areas (such as playgrounds) may require removal or even extermination of the bees.

People should NOT try remove or exterminate bees on their own. Beekeepers and pest control companies have equipment to carry out these jobs in a safe manner. The city or county does not provide bee removal services.

For more information or help with identification, contact Wizzie Brown, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Specialist at 512.854.9600. Check out my blog at www.urban-ipm.blogspot.com

The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Texas AgriLife Extension Service or the Texas AgriLife Research is implied.

Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.

(Continued from Cover)

Do you have old paint that youve been meaning to recycle? Used motor oil or batteries stacking up in the garage? On Saturday, April 23 from 8am12pm,

local Girl Scout troops are offering opportunities to recycle this waste in southwest Austin safely and responsibly.

Troops will accept sealed containers of paint, used motor oil and antifreeze, along with donations of used batteries, including car batteries. The waste will be transported from three drop off locations to the Austin Recycling Center for disposal.

Girl Scout Troop 1825 will be collecting at Clayton Elementary. Troop 2514 will be at Patton Elementary and Troop 2502 will be collecting at Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church on West William Cannon Lane. This location will also be accepting donations of gently used stuffed animals to donate to a childrens shelter.

The communitywide collection is the Gold Award project of Girl Scout Ambassador, Madeleine Reinhardt, a junior at LASA high school. Reinhardts own troop has held a similar collection for four years. My troop has been able to help recycle hundreds of gallons of used paint and oil for the City of Austin. I want to inspire other girls to continue this effort but also to show them that

they can have a positive impact in our community.To learn more information about the collection, visit

earthdaycleanup2016.weebly.com .

Recycle Old Paint, Batteries

With the continuation of good weather and the springtime plant growth, a reminder that Oak Wilt continues to be in the area. It is recommended that NO Pruning of Oak Trees occur from February 1 through June 30.

For more information: http://texasoakwilt.org/oakwilt/ and https://www.austintexas.gov/page/oak-wilt-suppression.

OAK WILT

In today's world almost every family is touched by Alzheimer's. Someone in the family falls prey to this dreaded disease and it eventually impacts immediate and often extended family. The person with the greatest responsibility is the primary caregiver. Alzheimer sufferers often reach a stage of the disease that demands that someone be with them twenty-four hours every day. This places the caregiver in an extremely stressful position. If family does not live in the same city or if family is unavailable to help, the burden on the caregiver can become overwhelming. Accomplishing the simplest tasks becomes sometimes impossible because of the pressing needs of the person they are caring for.

A public, on-campus Alzheimer's respite center was established in Austin, TX several years ago. The center provides four hours of weekly care for people with Alzheimer's so that their caregivers can have a few hours of respite to do whatever they need to do. Great Hills follows the guidelines of the Alzheimer's Association Capital of Texas Chapter, and works closely with their Executive VP and Program Director to be sure that their Alzheimer's respite center meets all required standards.

The Great Hills Baptist Church Radiant Friends Alzheimers Respite Center is located at 10500 Jollyville Road, Building A, Austin, TX 78759. Alzheimers patients are welcomed with skilled c a reg i ve r s , en joyab l e activities, a nutritious meal, and safe exercise free of charge every Tuesday from 9:30 am until 1:30 pm. If you have a need in this area, contact Barbara Cross at 512-250-0826 for more information, and/or to apply for services.

Alzheimers Respite Center in Austin


Travis Country West

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY

Ascension Property ManagementPaul & Melissa Yehl

[email protected]

Ph: 512-255-1671Fax: 512-777-4905

BOARD OF DIRECTORSPresident ....................................................................Julie SaftVice-President ........................................................ Gary JonesSecretary .......................................................... Tim ShelhamerTreasurer ................................................... Jonathan GallmeierMember At Large ..............................................Dave ChastainEmail ....................................... [email protected]

CITY OF AUSTIN CONTACT NUMBERSDead Animal Pick up ............................................... 947-9400Abandoned Vehicle ................................................... 280-0075Pothole Repair .......................................................... 974-8750Street Light Outage .................................................. 505-7617

NEWSLETTER PUBLISHERPeel, Inc. ...........................www.PEELinc.com, 512-263-9181Editor - Pat Muntz ................................ [email protected] [email protected], 512-263-9181

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Please support the businesses that advertise in the Travis Country West Community Newsletter. Their advertising dollars make it possible for all Travis Country West residents to receive the monthly newsletter at no charge. No homeowners association funds are used to produce or mail the newsletters. If you would like to support the newsletter by advertising, please contact our sales office at 512-263-9181 or [email protected]. The advertising deadline is the 8th of each month for the following month's newsletter.

ADVERTISING INFO

AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT:

Topics covered will include:Evacuation Readiness: Key to Surviving

WildfireProtect your home So it can protect you

Insuring for wildfire: Knowing whats at stakeFire-Adapted Families: Protecting what

matters most

Wildfires are a fact of life in Central Texas. But that doesnt mean we are powerless against

them.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center4801 La Crosse Avenue

Austin, TX 787399:00 a.m.3:00 p.m.

Lunch and beverages provideThis event is free, but seating is limited!

Register now at: Wildfire Survival Symposium Questions?

Contact Justice Jones at (512) 974-0199 or via e-mail at [email protected].

Saturday, May 7, 2016Wildfire Community Preparedness Day


Travis Country West

EVERY SUMMERHAS A STORY

REGISTRATION NOW OPENFOR SWIM LESSONS

YMCA Summer Camps offer children & teens, ages 4-14, a safe, exciting, and memorable day camp experience. Kids have the opportunity to build self-confidence, independence, and creativity, and parents have peace of mind knowing your kids are in a safe and enriching place. At YMCA day camps, kids make friends and create stories

theyll share for a lifetime. What will your childs summer story be?

Register today at AustinYMCA.orgor call Program Services at 512.236.9622

Camps fill up fast!

SOUTHWEST FAMILY YMCA6219 Oakclaire Dr & Hwy 290

512.891.9622 AustinYMCA.org

Stunning centerpieces, gorgeous hats and special costumes filled the Hills Country Club for the Annual Lakeway Tea benefiting Help Our Wounded on Saturday, March 5, 2016. The amount raised from tea ticket sales and donations is a record setting $4,800. This money will benefit so many wounded veterans, who have valiantly served our country.

Almost 200 women attended the high tea with proceeds benefitting Help Our Wounded. Many participants competed for prizes by decorating tables with many different and creative concepts. After every guest had voted for their favorite tables, high tea was served.

Help Our Wounded (HOW) was founded in 2009 by Rosie Babin after their son was severely injured. The mission of HOW is to help wounded veterans and their families with necessary financial assistance to ensure the assistance is a hand-up not a hand out. HOW is unique in its ability to respond quickly to the veterans

needs. What a stunning group of ladies, surrounded by beautiful tables settings and all for a worthy cause to help our wounded veterans and their caregivers. Thank you for being a part of healing American heroes, said Rosie Babin. To learn more about HOW go to helpourwounded.org.

Nancy Clayton and Ann Neighbors, tea co-chairs, thanked everyone for their contributions to HOW and for making the tea such a success. The table designers were recognized, door prizes given out after which Clayton and Neighbors announced the table prize winners.

First Place On Broadway designed by Linda KephartSecond Place Peacock Paradise designed by Leanne DuPayThird Place American Strong

ANNUAL LAKEWAY TEA BENEFITING HELP OUR WOUNDED NETS RECORD $4,800

ReallyBigColorfulAdvertisingIdeas

Contact a Sales RepresentativeToday to Get Started!

peelinc.com512.263.9181


Travis Country West

NatureWatch: Mud HensSpend any amount of time observing wildlife around freshwater

wetlands, swamps, marshes, suburban lakes, and sewage ponds, and youll no doubt see a Mud Hen or American Coot (Fulica americana). Commonly mistaken to be ducks, coots belong to a distinct scientific order and differ significantly from other species of marsh birds.

An overall blackish, plump, chicken-like bird with a rounded head, red eyes, a sloping whitish bill with a dark band near the tip, and a small reddish brown forehead shield, coots swim like ducks but do not have webbed feet like ducks. Their yellow-green legs end in long toes with broad lobes of skin on either side that help them kick through the water. Each time the bird lifts its feet, the lobes fold back to facilitate walking on dry land. Their tiny tails and short wings make them awkward and clumsy fliers, and they often require many wing beats and long running takeoffs to get airborne. Coots mainly eat aquatic plants and can dive in search of food, but they can also forage and scavenge on land for terrestrial plants, arthropods, fish, insects, and mollusks. Mating season occurs in May and June, with coots requiring heavy stands of aquatic vegetation along a shoreline with some standing water within those stands. It is here that they make their nests, which consist of multiple structures used as display platforms, egg nests, and brood nests. Egg nest material is woven into a shallow basket and lined with finer grasses to hold the eggs. The entire nest is anchored to upright plant stalks and is generally a floating structure. Females deposit eggs between sunset and midnight, one per day, until the average clutch of 9 eggs is complete. Both males and females share the 21-day incubation responsibility.

Being persistent re-nesters, coots will replace lost clutches within 2 days during the deposition period. Additionally, once hatching begins and a certain number of chicks are present, coots will abandon the remaining eggs. Unlike the drab color of the adults, coot chicks are quite colorful, having conspicuous, orange-tipped, ornamental

by Jim and Lynne Weber

American Coots are commonly called Mud Hens.

plumes covering the front half of their bodies, often referred to as chick ornaments. While these plumes get bleached out after about 6 days, experiments have shown that chicks with more of this ornamentation are given preferential treatment by their parents. The oldest known coot lived to be more than 22 years old.

In winter, coots can be founds in large groups or rafts of mixed waterfowl and in groups numbering thousands of individuals. They can consume very large amounts of aquatic vegetation, but because they live in wetlands, they can accumulate toxins from pollution sources including agricultural runoff, industrial waste, and nuclear facilities. As such, scientists monitor coots as a way of measuring the effect these toxins have on the health of the environment at large.

Send your nature-related questions to [email protected] and well do our best to answer them. Check out our book, Nature Watch Austin, published by Texas A&M University Press, and our blog at naturewatchaustin.blogspot.com if you enjoy reading these articles!

An American Coot showing its lobed feet.


Travis Country West

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DISCLAIMER: Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser.* The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising.* Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/correction.* Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above.

512.263.9181Call today for more info

From design to print to mail, Quality Printing can help you with all of your printing needs!

QualityPrintingOfAustin.com


Travis Country West

Attention KIDS: Send Us Your Masterpiece!

TC

Color the drawing below and mail the finished artwork to us at:Peel, Inc. - Kids Club308 Meadowlark St

Lakeway, TX 78734-4717We will select the top few and post their artwork on our Facebook Page - Facebook.com/PeelInc.

DUE: April 30th

Be sure to include the following so we can let you know!

Name: _______________________________(first name, last initial)

Age:________________


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Travis Country West - April 2016