Great Hills Park, our beloved and well-used treasure, is run almost entirely by volunteers, as it has been for its 30+ years of existence. The city empties the trash cans near the trailheads and mows near the trailheads occasionally. Everything else is done by YOU and me, and if no one steps up to lead and/or do the work, nothing is done.
There are several ways to volunteer. Most of the work is done by individuals, as listed on the About Great Hills Park web page, who collectively form the Great Hills Park Committee. There isn’t much formality to the park committee – people self-select into areas that interest them and just start working. I list below some of the ways people volunteer.
Trail Maintenance (~monthly)
- Invasives removal
- Pruning to keep trails clear
- Clear deadfalls that interfere with the trails
- Repair washouts and other erosion
Gardening at the Sierra Oaks Playscape (most weeks)
- Fridays 7:30 – 9:00am
- Typically, 2-6 people; meet at the flagpole
- Weed, water, and maintain the native plant areas around the playscape
- Gardening skills not required
It’s My Park Day
- First Saturday in March and November
- Sponsored by Austin Parks Foundation
- Typically, 40-50 people
- Miscellaneous small projects
Wildfire Mitigation Workdays (~3 hours)
- Clear piles of dead and down brush that are a wildfire hazard (largely from the 2021-2023 ice storms)
- Haul the brush and pile up at trailheads
- Paid contractor hauls the piles away afterwards
- Three completed so far (May 2025, December 2025, April 2026)
- Workdays drew 50-75 volunteers
- Great Hills Park served as a pilot for the City of Austin
- Coordinated with Austin Parks Department Land Management
- Sponsored by Austin Parks Foundation
Help at annual events
- Easter Egg Hunt
- July 4th Parade
- Halloween Carnival
Treasurer position is open
- Voting board member
- May sound like a lot of work, but it is not
- Ideal candidate is familiar with the park and would like to influence its direction
On-going parks committee roles
- See list on the About Great Hills Park web page
If you are interested or would like to discuss, please reach out to me or send email to [email protected] (which has been recently configured to forward to me).
Mark Johnson
Chair, Great Hills Park Committee