Travis Audubon

It is our goal to ensure that every person, regardless of ability, has access and feels safe to experience nature in a welcoming and inclusive environment. Help us raise $6,000 to support Travis Audubon's Accessible Trails Project at Blair Woods Nature Preserve in East Austin!

Travis Audubon owns a ten-acre nature preserve on Austin’s East Side—Blair Woods—that is open free to the public daily. Blair Woods was gifted to Travis Audubon in 1985 as part of the estate of Dr. Frank Blair, a renowned zoologist at The University of Texas at Austin.  Over the last 15 years, Travis Audubon Staff and Volunteers have worked to restore the habitat of Blair Woods by removing invasive plants and establishing the growth of natives. Through these revitalization efforts, we have seen increased biodiversity and have recorded more than 140 bird species on the property.

We are now excited to realize Blair Woods' immense potential as one of East Austin's premier green spaces and have plans to improve accessibility so every visitor can enjoy their surroundings with ease and comfort. With your support, we will build an Accessible Trails network, laying 1,800 linear feet of trails that are wheelchair-friendly. In January 2022, we began phase one of the project, completing accessible trails at the entrance to the property and adding accessible parking at the trailhead and we are looking forward to kicking off phase two in 2023. There are six destinations that will connect with this system, including a pollinator garden, a pond, a bird blind and water feature, a geological outcropping, an archaeological site related to El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail, and a 100-year-old Dairy Barn.  

This fundraiser is a part of The USA TODAY NETWORK and the Gannett Foundation's 2022 A Community Thrives program, a $2 million dollar initiative. The program supports community-building initiatives across the country, with a focus on historically under-served individuals and groups, and awards grants to worthy causes and organizations aiming to improve their communities. If Travis Audubon meets the program’s fundraising minimum through crowdfunding efforts, we will be eligible for a National Project Grant, ranging from $25,000 to $100,000.