Austin Pets Alive! is hosting a slew of events and offering adoption specials over the next week as part of the Clear the Shelter initiative. Visit the link to see a full schedule of events taking place at locations across the city. Those who bond with a furry friend can “pay what you can” for adoption fees through Sept. 19. Clear the Shelters is a partnership with NBC Universal Local, which is partnering with hundreds of shelters nationwide to find animals forever homes. The program has rehomed more than 550,000 pets since 2015. The Austin Animal Center is also participating.

If you see smoke around South State Highway 45 and MoPac Expressway on Thursday, don’t be alarmed. It’s just Austin Water’s Wildland Conservation Division conducting a prescribed burn on up to 80 acres of Water Quality Protection Lands. It’s a strategy the department, which manages 30,000 acres in order to benefit the Edwards Aquifer, uses to protect Central Texas groundwater. Planned burns “improve the resiliency of our land when they are used as a planned seasonal management tool,” Austin Water said. The burns reduce area brush, promote grasslands and increases biodiversity. Austin Water staff will be joined by county fire departments, as well as federal, state and local land management agencies to ensure everyone remains safe.

On the next Wild Neighbors webinar, the staff of Balcones Canyonlands Preserve have invited Andreina Alexatos of TreeFolks to talk about the benefits of native trees and offer some tips for selecting the right trees for your yard. Trees provide endless ecosystem values, from habitat and food for wildlife and shade, to beauty and lower energy bills for humans, to cleaner air and water for all. Tree planting season is around the corner in Central Texas and there’s no time like the present to start making your fall planting plans. Friday, Sept. 24, noon to 1 p.m. Register for the webinar here.

The city of Austin sensibly combines Arbor Day and Monarch Appreciation Day into a two-week festival of nature dubbed Roots & Wings, offering the community a chance to learn all about pollinators and other wild creatures and the native trees and plants that support them. This year, Roots & Wings, which spans Oct. 24-Nov. 6, is launching a new, big-tent initiative offering microgrants of up to $1,500 in an effort to give more nonprofits and educational organizations an opportunity to participate in the festival and “host their own goal-aligned events.” The deadline to apply for a microgrant is Sept. 13. Learn more about eligibility requirements here.

Mayor Steve Adler, Mayor Pro Tem Natasha Harper-Madison, and Council members Greg Casar, Pio Renteria, Vanessa Fuentes, Ann Kitchen, Leslie Pool, Paige Ellis and Kathie Tovo lined up outside City Hall during a break from Thursday’s Council meeting to reiterate their commitment to women’s reproductive health. Council Member Alison Alter was absent and Council Member Mackenzie Kelly was probably feeling a little bit shy about expressing her opinion on this topic. The bandanas they are holding in the photo say, “Bans Off Our Bodies.” Casar <a “href=”https://twitter.com/GregCasar/status/1433517097422925826″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>tweeted: “Since 2019, this City Council has committed $500K+ to help Texans access abortion, especially those forced to travel. We need cities across the state to do the same!” #AbortionIsHealthCare.”

City administrative facilities will be closed Monday in observance of the Labor Day holiday. The closures include museums, community recreation centers, senior centers and libraries. However, don’t despair: All five of the city’s year-round pools will be open – Bartholomew, Barton Springs Pool, Big Stacy, Deep Eddy, and Springwoods – as well as Garrison, Mabel Davis and Walnut Creek and any splash pads that are operational. City golf courses will be open as well as Zilker Botanical Garden and the Austin Nature & Science Center, though the latter will not be taking reservations. The Monitor won’t be publishing Monday, but we’ll be back on Tuesday, bright and early!

Looking for a way to volunteer, but want to be outdoors and stay Covid-safe? The Watershed Protection Department and Keep Austin Beautiful are partnering on large-scale cleanups at Lady Bird Lake every other month. There are a couple dozen locations to choose from around the lake – some involve picking up litter at the shoreline while other opportunities have people skimming debris from the lake using kayaks, canoes or stand-up paddle boards. How fun is that! Group sizes are limited in order to ensure social distancing guidelines can be followed, and face masks are required. The next cleanup is Saturday, Sept. 11., 9-11 a.m. Find registration information here.

A “persistent staff shortage” is causing delays in operations and “affecting the quality” of Capital Metro bus service, according to a Wednesday announcement from the transit agency. An adjustment in schedules that starts Sunday, Sept. 19, will affect how frequently each route operates. If you’re a bus rider, visit Capital Metro’s website to find out if your route is involved. Capital Metro conveys apologies for its “recent inconsistency” and hopes the changes “will improve your riding experience.” On that theme, the agency is currently recruiting bus drivers. Find out more here.

The city’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is soliciting children’s artwork for its 2022 Emergency Preparedness Calendar. While it may seem a little creepy to ask kids to draw pictures of natural disasters, they probably really like doing it. Don’t all kids like to draw pictures of tornadoes and floods? (It’s the train derailments we’re worried about.) Anyway, the whole point is to help people be more prepared for emergencies, and that’s a good thing. The contest is open to first- through fifth-graders who attend school or live within the Austin city limits, and the deadline is Oct. 1. Read more about artwork guidelines and submitting art here. (BTW, no glitter is allowed – that’s going to break some little hearts.)

Labor Day is around the corner, and that means Travis County Covid-19 vaccine clinics will be closed for the holiday: Saturday, Sept. 4, through Monday, Sept. 6. But you still have plenty of time to pop in and get vaccinated before the holiday weekend. There will be multiple vaccine distribution events this week hosted by the county, Austin Public Health and their community partners. Check out the handy online calendar to see a complete listing of Covid vaccine clinics throughout the county. The calendar gives each event’s location, time, date and which vaccine is on offer. No appointments are required, and the whole thing takes less time than it does to get a cup of coffee at Starbucks – but it will potentially save your life.

Starting with its next meeting – Wednesday, Sept. 1, at 6 p.m. – the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission will resume meeting in person as the members shift their focus to drawing preliminary maps using state census data. The reason for the shift to in-person meetings? Gov. Abbott’s executive order allowing the Texas Open Meetings Act exemption for virtual meetings expires on Sept. 1. ICRC Vice Chair Luis Gonzalez said, “The ICRC has made quick progress to abide by the new order to continue our critical work. We have reserved in-person venue space for all future general meetings starting on Sept. 1. Quorum requires that commissioners be physically present at these meetings, including both the chair and the vice chair, while a few will still have the option to connect virtually.”

A new online resource from the Development Services Department aims to provide assistance and interpretations to those who find parts of the Land Development Code confusing – in other words, most of us. The new Code Interpretation Library will “offer access to a range of historic, current and future code interpretations in a centralized, easily accessible location. Initially, it will focus primarily on portions of the code that are managed by DSD and have the broadest impact among customers and stakeholders. Over time, more interpretations will be added, and the community will have an opportunity to request additions.” The DSD is hosting a virtual meeting for customers and stakeholders to preview and provide feedback on the code library. Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2 p.m. via Zoom. Register here.