Driftwood Heritage Day, Pound House Festival Driftwood Heritage Day which was originally scheduled for September 24, has been postponed to Saturday, October 8. Plans for the celebration include a parade at 9:30 am, Dance Unlimited performing at 10:30 am, live auction at 11:30 am, Sahara Smith performing at 12:30 pm. Festivities will end with a raffle drawing for a glorious handmade quilt and a Browning 270 A-Bolt rifle at 2 pm.

There are also arts and crafts booths, an antique quilt show, home-baked goods, childrens’ games and a silent auction–plus sausage wraps and nachos to eat.

This Saturday, September 24, Dripping Springs will be hosting the Pound House Fall Festival. This event celebrates early Texas craftsmen demonstrating their skills in Founders Park. Call (512) 858-4740 for more information. • Editor and J. Marie Bassett

Neighborhood History: Screwworm Eradication

The screwworm must rank among the most insidious of animal parasites. Unlike other maggots (larvae), it eats the live flesh of animals. The female screwworm blow-fly, Cochliomyia hominiverox (Coquerel), mating once in its lifetime, lays its eggs in an open wound which the larvae then proceed to enlarge.

It was the scourge of ranchers in the Texas Hill Country until an eradication program was introduced. Syd Hall, an elderly Driftwood rancher, recalls that in the 1950s, he would lose at least 75 sheep and goats a year to screwworms. No cattle died, but he is sure the worm seriously undermined the ranch’s breeding program.

On a typical day, Syd would saddle up at daybreak and ride one pasture a day. He would drive the goats (or sheep or cattle) into a pen and come back after the sun was up to doctor those infected with screwworms. Most susceptible were newborn calves, followed by goats and sheep that had been nicked during shearing. After treatment, the animals would be let out and, in many cases, were immediately reinfected.

The USDA decided in the 1930s to look for ways to eradicate the screwworm, first in the southeastern states. It was decided to breed sterile flies and release them from the air. The first large scale experiment took place in 1954 on Curacao. Within four months, the island was free of the pest.

Work began in Texas in the 1960s, with the mass production of sterile flies at the inactive Moore AFB at Mission. Syd Hall, like many ranchers, was very skeptical about the success of the venture. He said that ranchers were invited to contribute $1 dollar per head of cattle they owned and “two bits” per goat or sheep. Asked if he thought it would work, he said, “I don’t think so, but if it does it will be a cheap price to pay.” But, it did work, and the screwworm was eradicated from the United States in 1966.

Unfortunately, Texas was reinfested every spring with flies migrated from Mexico. However, in 1972, the Mexican and US governments decided to cooperate on eradication of screwworms in Mexico. The scientists from Mission were sent to Tuxtla Gutierrez in Chiapas, Mexico, which now is the only site in the world breeding sterile screwworm flies. Although screwworms have now been eradicated as far south as Panama, vigilance is necessary. Isolated cases do still occur.
One animal that has definitely benefited from the program is the deer. Up to 80% of fawns were killed by screwworms in years of heavy infestation. Bucks were also susceptible when the velvet was peeling from their horns.
Cowboy poet, Joel Nelson, can have the last word on the subject–

“ Now usually gov’ment programs are a minimal success“But the one that stopped the screwworm has dang sure passed the test.“Cause it pushed the critter southward and I hope he’s there to stay.“Here’s to the Mission Fly Lab and the U.S.D. of A!”

• 2005 J. Marie Bassett

Landscape planting party Work on the new landscaping for the common area around the pavilion has already begun. The Landscape Committee has placed heavy sunblocking over the planting beds to kill weeds and insect larvae in anticipation of the planting party to be held on Sunday afternoon, October 9, at 2 pm. That afternoon we will till compost into the beds, plant the large shrubs/small trees, place landscaping rocks and mulch the beds. Music, iced tea, and baked goods will be provided.

Residents and friends of GWW are invited to come out and help plant on planting day, and possibly lend equipment. Anyone who can’t be there on Sunday but who can help provide refreshments for the volunteers would also be greatly appreciated.
The Committee will need the following equipment on planting day: large shovels, hand shovels, tillers (we need at least three), wheelbarrows, rakes, pitch forks, metal picks (for removing rocks), and extension cords.

We are also looking for folks to help us move large rocks from a donor resident’s site to the common area. For this part of the project we need any or all of the following on planting day: pickup trucks, trucks with trailers, and our pie-in-the-sky wish, a loader.

This is definitely a time when many hands will make the work lighter. Please consider joining your neighbors at the planting party, and remember to bring along gloves, hats and sunscreen. We’d like to know how many people we can count on, so volunteers for any of the three help areas are asked to contact Margaret Paine at 894-0903 or gww@zpgraphic.com. In the event of rain, the planting party will be moved to Sunday, October 16. • Editor

Aid to Katrina evacuees Over Labor Day weekend, neighborhood Administrator, Vanessa Kolar collected blankets, pillows and other bedding supplies from residents and delivered a carload of the items to the evacuee relief shelter at the Austin Convention Center.

The PAWS Shelter and Humane Society is seeking folks to temporarily foster a dog or cat that has fallen victim to Katrina. Please consider housing an animal until mid October. These animals have received all their shots, a medical exam and are micro chipped. They will be released to PAWS from the Houston SPCA, which is the Texas staging center for animals coming from Louisiana. They have asked PAWS to assist them in this effort to help the animals of the Hurricane. If they are not reclaimed by October 16th, PAWS will place them for adoption and find these animals a new “forever” home.

Please consider whether you have room in your heart and home to help with this effort. PAWS will also accept monetary donations to help them with this undertaking. If you can help, please contact Patti Rudick, Executive Director, Paws Shelter and Humane Society at (512) 268-1611. • Editor and Sandy Johnson

Outdoor lighting Many of our residents appreciate living here in GWW in part because of our wonderful, rural dark skies. Our good view of the stars and freedom from much of the light pollution of Austin is a genuine asset. Residents are asked to please check outdoor lighting to be sure that outdoor light fixtures shield neighbors from receiving direct light into their yards and windows. Spotlights should be adjusted to point at the ground, not into neighbors’ yards or the street. n Editor
Pet awareness Some residents have reported being repeatedly disturbed by barking dogs during the night and early morning hours. This is a serious problem for those with small children or ill family members. All pet owners are urged to take necessary measures to control barking dogs at night and not to permit excessive barking in daylight hours. Also, dogs owners should clean up after their pets while walking them through the neighborhood. • Editor

Board of Trustees News

The next BOT meeting will be held on November 2 at 7 pm at the pavilion. These meetings are open to the public, and residents with questions, comments, or simply interest in neighborhood activities are welcome to attend. Meetings begin with an open forum.

New Board member At its September meeting the BOT unanimously elected new resident Mark Ruthenbeck to temporarily fill the BOT position left vacant by the resignation of Tom Watson. Mark attended the last two BOT meetings, and has expressed an interest in serving the community in this capacity. At the general membership meeting in November residents will elect a permanent replacement for this position, to complete the last year of the term until its expiration in Fall 2006.

The Annual POA general membership meeting will take place this year on Saturday, November 16, at 8 pm. Postions held by Lisa Boyer and Margaret Paine will expire, and the temporary position held by Mark Ruthenbeck needs to be filled by election from the membership at this meeting. All members are urged to attend.

PEC seminar The BOT has invited PEC to present an informative seminar for residents on the topic of successful tree planting and tree care for our area on Saturday, October 15, at 10 am at the pavilion. Donuts will be provided, and all residents are encouraged to attend. Bring your coffee and come join your neighbors as we get inspired for the fall planting season.

Neighborhood Watch We are all familiar with the Neighborhood Watch sign near our entrance, however not many of our current residents were here when the program was initiated years ago, and currently the program is not active in the neighborhood. The BOT would like to know whether anyone would be interested in renewing this program.

The program is designed to reduce neighborhood crimes in two ways: (1) heightening resident awareness and response during and after the commission of a crime or suspicious activity, and (2) improving the security of individual homes. The sheriff’s department says “Emphasis should not be placed on the neighborhood signs themselves, it is the actual Neighborhood Watch program that makes this...effective.” To renew our Watch program we will need volunteers to be Block Captains, and someone to serve as Coordinator.

Residents in favor of getting this program started up again, and who would be willing to attend an informational meeting with a representative from the sheriff’s department, are asked to express their interest by contacting the editor, the Administrator, or any BOT member.

News from the APC

The APC has changed its regular meeting time to the third Wednesday of each month. The next APC meeting will be held on October 19 at 7 pm at the pavilion. The following APC meeting is scheduled for November 16.

News from the GWW Water Board

The next Water Board meeting will be held on November 15 at 7 pm at 16218 Crystal Hill Drive.