The Wimberley Birding Society and the Wimberley Parks and Recreation Department invite the community to visit the Patsy Glenn Refuge on March 25 to celebrate the dedication of enhanced wetlands at the PGR, a city of Wimberley public park.
The organizations will recognize key supporters of the project: the Burdine Johnson Foundation, the Hays County Master Naturalists and the Cypress Creek Project Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University. They will also name the Enhanced Wetlands after its volunteer creator and driving force to completion, renowned local parklands architect, Jerry Lunow.
Lunow is a local resident who moved to the Wimberley Valley from Houston several years ago. He is an award-winning architect and landscape designer who worked on the creation of numerous state and municipal parks and wetlands projects over the years. As a member of the Wimberley Birding Society, he volunteered to design and manage construction of the PGR Enhanced Wetlands area.
Lunow drew up the plans for the water feature almost three years ago after witnessing the damage caused by increased stormwater runoff through the PGR as a result of new development adjacent to the refuge. Construction of the project began in the latter part of 2021 under Lunow’s supervision. In addition to funds from grants provided by the Burdine Johnson Foundation and from the WBS Patsy Glenn Fund, many local organizations provided volunteer labor. Much of that time and labor came from Lunow himself.
The Enhanced Wetlands at PGR provide buffering from storm water to protect a historic dry stacked wall, convert increased runoff into a resource to expand and enhance refuge wetlands and improve erosion control and water quality in the Cypress Creek watershed. Since its completion, the wetlands have attracted more birds and other wildlife to the park. This has contributed to the realization of the mission of the PGR which, according to the refuge’s namesake, Patsy Glenn, is to provide access to “nature in the heart of Wimberley.”
