When Austin ISD closed several campuses in 2021, the community was left with strong emotions and uncertainty about the future of these spaces. Colleen Garland, an Outdoor Learning Specialist with Austin ISD, saw an opportunity through the Bright Green Future Grants Program to transform one of these sites into a space that reconnects children, community, and nature.
Colleen expressed her appreciation for the program’s mission: “I really appreciate the mission of Bright Green Future Grants to create a network of sustainability projects throughout the city,” she said. She believed their project for the Austin ISD Outdoor Wonder and Learning Center (OWL) would fit well because it connects students, community, and nearby nature.
The OWL Center is located at the former Metz Elementary School site and aims to provide experiential learning opportunities for students of all ages. With support from a Bright Green Future Grant, Colleen and her team are converting a standard Bermuda grass patch into a pollination station to support local wildlife.
“We will convert a boring mono-crop lawn into a lively pollination station to provide respite and habitat for bees, butterflies, birds, and bats flying by,” Colleen explained. The garden will feature native plants as host species and nectar sources along with pollinator-safe water trays made from recycled glass and a solar-powered birdbath.
Colleen also engaged with nearby neighbors about the transformation. An older neighbor across from the old Metz playground shared his feelings since the school’s closure: “He told me it was like going outside and no longer birds chirping. He just wanted us to bring the kids back.”
The OWL Center is scheduled to open this fall, with students already using it for field trips. Colleen sees this as part of a larger vision: “All children and grown-ups deserve to experience the wonder of the natural world, even in the city!”
With backing from Bright Green Future Grants, this vision is becoming reality across Austin.
