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.

The Austin Transportation Department is celebrating the completion of a new 12-foot-wide shared-use path on the west side of South Pleasant Valley Road over the Longhorn Dam bridge. The project, which was finished last week, was funded by 2016 mobility bond dollars earmarked for a package of safety and mobility enhancements to South Pleasant Valley Road from Cesar Chavez Street to Elmont Drive. And there’s more to come: According to Transportation, “Future work will include the installation of new travel lane configurations, signal upgrades to better serve the Krieg Softball Complex and flex posts separating the north and southbound travel lanes to reduce motor vehicle crashes. Once complete, these changes will enhance safety for everyone on South Pleasant Valley Road, including the most vulnerable road users.”

Starting today, the Austin Center for Events will require an “enhanced version” of the Health and Safety Form from organizers applying for special event permits. The form “presents organizers with several Covid-19 mitigation efforts to consider and allows for applicants to provide information on how they intend to implement them.” The enhanced safety measures include “mask zones” in outdoor event areas where social distancing is not possible; strategies for maintaining 6 feet of social distancing; and screening at entrances to require attendees to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours. Beth Culver, assistant director of the Development Services Department, explained, “It goes without saying that we all recognize what incredibly challenging times we are in these days. Like many in our community, we are eager to plan and prepare for events. The challenge is that we are in an ever-evolving situation. The Austin Center for Events and Austin Public Health teams are committed to working with event organizers to provide as much information as available to help inform event planning efforts to keep our community safe.”

City Council unanimously approved a new strategy Thursday focused on equitable and efficient distribution of Covid-19 booster shots. The resolution, which comes from Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, asks the city manager to develop a comprehensive booster shot strategy by Sept. 21, for presentation at the Sept. 28 Council work session. “As recommended booster shots quickly approach, this policy ensures we have a targeted strategy in place that takes into account all of the lessons learned from the initial vaccine rollout,” Fuentes said. “This needs to go beyond fixing the technical issues. We need a plan that is readily available to Austinites, laying out how we’re going to get booster shots in arms while still addressing low vaccination rates, especially in our communities of color.” Currently, those with compromised immune systems are eligible for Moderna and Pfizer booster shots, and President Joe Biden has announced a plan to roll out boosters for the general public beginning the week of Sept. 20.