Westlake’s Young Men’s Service League chapter completed its Ultimate Gift Project on Oct. 26, planting more than 375 plants along a section of Austin’s Butler Hike and Bike Trail at 1200 W. Cesar Chavez St. The goal of the annual Ultimate Gift Project is for the entire chapter to work together on a transformational project that would positively impact the community, the release stated. The mother-and-son volunteer group worked alongside Austin’s Trail Foundation to construction a 0.5-acre tree-planting project on one of the trail’s more underutilized lawn areas, according to a press release. The pilot project consisted of planting 350 trees native to Central Texas including native canopy, understory trees and woody shrubs.

“Planting close together is revolutionary and new for the city in terms of how trees get planted,” Leslie Lilly, the Trail Foundation’s urban ecologist, said in a press release. “It’s the first installation of an entire ecosystem in Austin.”

The YMSL project, which will be enjoyed by more than 4.4 million annual visitors, was completed in one day with members taking on various shifts beginning early Saturday morning, according to the release.

www.ymslwestlake.org