You’re listening to Centex Sustains. I’m your host Christine with the Cen-Tex Sustainable Communities Partnership.

Tomorrow kicks off Women’s History Month. It is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society and has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since 1987.

The National Women’s History Alliance designates a yearly theme for Women’s History Month. The 2022 theme is “Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope.” This theme is “both a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and front-line workers during this ongoing pandemic and also a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history.”

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we would like to recognize the contributions of Lady Bird Johnson who worked tirelessly for the conservation and the environment.

More than 200 laws related to the environment were passed during the Johnson Administration, many of which are credited to Mrs. Johnson’s work. Among the major legislative initiatives were the Wilderness Act of 1964, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Program, the 1965 Highway Beautification Act and many additions to the National Park system.

For 50 of those major initiatives related to conservation and beautification, President Johnson thanked his wife on July 26, 1968 for her dedication by presenting her with 50 pens used to sign these laws. She also received a plaque that read: “To Lady Bird, who has inspired me and millions of Americans to try to preserve our land and beautify our nation. With love from Lyndon.”

Here are a few highlights of her accomplishments.

• In 1971, inspired in her post-White House years by the beauty along the River Thames in London, Mrs. Johnson galvanized Ann and Roy Butler (then Mayor of Austin) and others to lead a campaign of adding plantings and removing trash along the banks of the river that runs through Austin’s downtown. Recognizing that people would go there for more than just a quick visit, she insisted that the trail extend the full 10 miles along what was later renamed Lady Bird Lake in her honor. The city also followed her suggestion of completing the Hike and Bike Trail in time for the city’s July 4, 1976, centennial so that the trail could become a celebratory gift to the nation.
• In 1978, at Lady Bird Johnson’s urging, Enchanted Rock was purchased by The Nature Conservancy to be set aside for posterity. The owners of the property were thinking of selling it, and a rock quarry developer was interested in the rock for its abundant granite. In 1984, it became an official State Natural Area.
• And on her 70th birthday in 1982, Lady Bird Johnson and actress Helen Hayes founded the National Wildflower Research Center to protect and preserve North America’s native plants and natural landscapes. Johnson donated funding and 60 acres of land in East Austin to establish the organization. It later moved to South Austin and was renamed the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in her honor. When Mrs. Johnson passed away a decade later, the center had just become part of The University of Texas at Austin, guaranteeing its permanent place in the national landscape. The center’s staff continue to be inspired by Mrs. Johnson’s visionary approaches as they work to conserve, restore and create healthy landscapes in Texas and beyond.

Consider an adventure to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin or visit wildflower.org to learn more about the center’s programs within include gardens, arboretum and natural areas; plant conservation; and ecological research and design.

The Center’s gardens, natural areas and arboretum display nearly 900 species of native plants from many of the major ecoregions of Texas, the most diverse collection of Texas native plants in North America. The Central Gardens include a pollinator habitat garden, a woodland, theme gardens, homeowner design examples and others. The 16-acre Texas Arboretum places an emphasis on the more than 50 species of oaks found in the state. The Luci and Ian Family Garden was developed as a model of sustainable design and provides opportunities for both structured education and informal play and exploration.

Reserve a spot to visit the center at wildflower.org and learn more about Mrs. Johnson’s impact by visiting Ladybirdjohnson.org.

Let’s be inspired by Mrs. Johnson’s words to make the world better – more beautiful – one plant at a time. As she said, “The environment is where we all meet, where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share. It is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become.”

To learn more about the Cen-Tex Sustainable Communities Partnership and for local event updates, check out our Facebook page Centex Sustains. Feel free to send questions and topic suggestions for this show to centexsustains@gmail.com. Join us next week on Monday at 6:15 pm on KNCT-FM 91.3 to learn more about environmental and sustainable practices.