02 Nov 2026 5 min read

November 2, 2026

What a great weekend! The GNOME Society Nature Festival, presented by the Anderson Mill Neighborhood Association (AMNA), was a tremendous success! On October 24, Harper Park came alive with neighbors, families, nature enthusiasts, and community partners coming together to celebrate the natural world and discover ways to make our community a greener, more welcoming place.

From engaging presentations on gardening for pollinators, attracting backyard birds, composting and recycling, to hands-on activities like making seed balls, creating nature crowns, and exploring the park through our Nature Scavenger Hunt, there was something for everyone. Visitors had opportunities to learn, get creative, connect with local environmental organizations, and enjoy a beautiful day outdoors.

But the real success of this festival goes beyond the activities. It was a wonderful example of what happens when neighbors, volunteers, local businesses, and community organizations come together with a shared purpose. We made new connections, shared knowledge, inspired environmental stewardship, and created memories along the way!

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors, Speakers & Community Partners!

The GNOME Society Nature Festival would not have been possible without the generosity, expertise, and support of our sponsors, local businesses, speakers, and community partners. We are grateful to everyone who helped bring this event to life!

Our Sponsors

A special thank-you to the businesses that supported our festival and helped make this a fun and memorable day for Anderson Mill families:

Wild Birds Unlimited

Gelatoro Gelato Shop

Duff's Famous Wings

Thank you for investing in our community and helping make this free family event possible!

Our Session Speakers

We are grateful to our four wonderful speakers for sharing their knowledge, experience, and passion for the natural world:

Yvonne Schneider – Gardening for Pollinators
MaryG Zell – Put Out the Welcome Mat for Backyard Birds
Noelle Espiritu Bugaj – Composting Made Easy: From Kitchen Scraps to Garden Gold
Dena Houston – Recycling Basics: What, Where and How

Your presentations gave residents practical ideas and inspiration to make a difference in their own backyards and throughout our community.

Our Community Partners

We couldn't have done it without the organizations that shared their expertise, resources, educational materials, and enthusiasm:

Thank you for helping us connect residents with valuable resources and opportunities to learn more about our environment and the natural world around us.

And Finally, Our Amazing Volunteers!

To every AMNA/GNOME Society volunteer who planned, organized, set up, welcomed visitors, led activities, helped vendors and speakers, and stayed to clean up: THANK YOU! Your countless hours of hard work, creativity, and willingness to jump in wherever needed made this festival possible.

It truly takes a village to put on an event like this, and we are fortunate to have such a wonderful community behind us.

Together, we're growing friendships, growing community, and growing a greener Anderson Mill!

The GNOME Society is where good neighbors grow!

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Phase Two of the Urban Forest Grant Gets Underway in November!

Our community’s commitment to growing a greener Anderson Mill continues! Phase Two of the Urban Forest Grant kicks off in early November 2026, bringing more than 60 trees to North Park, Millrun Park, and along El Salido Parkway, along with 110 saplings to trails and natural areas throughout the subdivision.

If you’ve driven along Pecan Creek Parkway and noticed several circles of flags near the trail, you’ve spotted the locations of some of these natural areas. These spaces will be enhanced with new saplings and wildflowers, helping create greener, more natural habitats for our neighborhood.

A look back at Phase One: We planted 45 trees, primarily in El Salido Park, Old Stage Dog Park, and along El Salido Parkway. But planting the trees is just the beginning! Each group of newly planted trees requires years of care, including regular watering, mulching, and visual inspections to help ensure they become healthy, thriving additions to our community.

Want to help our trees grow? We welcome volunteers to join our Tree Brigade and help care for our growing urban forest. Contact us to get involved!

Help Keep Our Urban Forest Growing! While the Urban Forest Grant covers many of the planting costs, there are ongoing expenses the grant does not cover. These include additional mulch, supplies, and replacing trees that unfortunately don't survive. If you would like to help support the long-term care and success of our newly planted trees, please consider making a donation. Every contribution helps us protect this investment in a greener Anderson Mill.

Donations to @John-Hall-1550 will go directly to AMNA and used to fulfill our 501(c)3 non-profit mission:

Donate on Venmo

And yes, Phase Three is already in the works! Greenspace Chair Heather Podlipny has submitted the 2027 Phase Three grant application. Keep your fingers crossed as we look ahead to even more opportunities to grow our urban forest!

A huge thank-you to Heather and her Greenspace Committee members, Katina Bohrer, Mandy Henke, and Carol Feist, for their tireless work securing these grants and their continued dedication to planting, protecting, and caring for Anderson Mill’s trees. Their efforts are helping ensure a greener, healthier neighborhood for years to come!

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Save the Date - Garden Club

🗓️Sunday November 15th,

🕓4PM

Texas Master Naturalist Balcones Canyonland Chapter is giving the Senior Center landscape a makeover, and they want you to be part of the excitement!

This summer, the site was evaluated, and planning and design work began to envision a refreshed landscape that welcomes people while providing valuable habitat for local pollinators.

Local Texas Master Naturalists will join us this month as special guests to share their vision for a new pollinator garden at the Senior Center. They’ll present their ideas, discuss the project, and, most importantly, connect with Garden Club members to build enthusiasm and invite members to take part in bringing this vision to life.

The project is moving into its next phase this fall, with site preparation and propagation workshops getting underway. These hands-on opportunities will give members a chance to learn, participate, and help lay the groundwork for the new garden.

The meeting is free and open to all Anderson Mill residents. You don't have to be a Garden Club member to attend! Come learn about the project, share your ideas, and discover how you can help our new pollinator garden grow! Contact Katina to RSVP.

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Grisham Middle School Needs Turkeys!

Grisham Middle School is currently 10 turkeys short for their upcoming Grizzgiving dinner for the community. If you can donate a turkey, any size, any brand, please drop it off at the GMS front office by this Friday, November 6th with our warm thanks!

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New Monthly Column

Lettuce Recycle with Dena Houston

Dena Houston is the self-proclaimed "Queen of Recycling.” Dena publishes a monthly newsletter titled “Lettuce Recycle” that she shares with many neighborhood associations. We hope you enjoy and learn from her contribution.

WISHCYCLING – RECYCLING’S BIGGEST ENEMY

“Wishcycling” is hoping that what you place in the recycling or compost cart is really recyclable or compostable. The hope is that, once these items get to the recycling or composting facility, non-recyclable or non-compostable items can be removed there. This is not so! Click here to read more.