Walk the trail south of Barton Springs Pool in Zilker Park and you will pass a stretch of young native trees quietly doing some heavy lifting for Austin's water supply. The site is informally known as the Billie Eilish Grove, a roughly 6,000-square-foot woodland restoration planted with native species and designed to filter stormwater before it reaches Barton Creek.
The grove carries Eilish's name in recognition of a gift facilitated by the environmental nonprofit REVERB, according to Zilker 351, the nonprofit stewardship group that oversees restoration work across the park. Zilker 351 describes the planting as having established 140 native trees; its 90% survival rate refers to the separate Columbus Drive restoration.
Why This Patch of Trees Matters So Much
The grove sits over a section of the Edwards Aquifer. Its berms and vegetated swales are meant to filter runoff from Azie Morton Boulevard before it reaches Barton Creek, according to the same account from Zilker 351. Jacobs has discussed heavy rain and runoff near Barton Springs. The grove's raised soil berms and shallow channels are intended to slow and filter runoff before it reaches Barton Creek.
More than 60 volunteers planted 140 trees. The planting included representatives from REVERB, American Forests and Austin City Council Member Paige Ellis.
How a Pop Star's Tour Connected to a Texas Creek
Zilker 351 partnered with TreeFolks and American Forests on the restoration, and those two groups connected the project to REVERB, an environmental nonprofit that works with touring musicians. Eilish has partnered with REVERB, and her Changemaker Ticket Program raised $11.5 million during the Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour to support environmental and social causes. TreeFolks announced a Changemaker Program donation in January, saying the support would help expand the urban forest across Central Texas, particularly in areas hit hardest by extreme heat, flooding and historic underinvestment, according to TreeFolks.
Projects supported through REVERB's Climate Impact Fund with Eilish were estimated to have reduced or avoided roughly 20,200 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, according to REVERB.
The grove sits alongside a newly planted wildflower meadow intended to attract pollinators, part of a broader push described by Zilker 351 to expand native canopy and habitat across the park's 351 acres. Zilker 351 is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Zilker Metropolitan Park, which sits within the Colorado River corridor and is managed and operated by Austin Parks and Recreation. Zilker 351 plans volunteer stewardship and pollinator education through fall 2026.
Pollinator Habitat in Zilker Park
A separate 51,000-square-foot wildflower restoration aims to rebuild habitat for monarch butterflies, native bees and other species.
