It’s going to be tough going as we move deeper into autumn and then into winter, but one of Amarillo’s newest parks is getting a good bit of use.

McDonald Lake — at the corner of 45th and Coulter — is playing host to plenty of Canada geese as well as a lot of human beings who are, um, flocking to the park to enjoy the great outdoors.

The park took some time to develop. It changed incarnations in its planning stages. The City Parks and Recreation Department dredged the old playa lake, deepened it, refilled it and then landscaped the terrain around the lake. The trees scattered throughout the property are beginning to take root and the grounds turned green as spring and summer came and went.

It is gratifying, though, to see so many people strolling along the walkway around the lake — often with dogs on leashes — and to see clusters of folks gathered at the southern end of the lake for picnics and assorted activities.

I must admit to harboring some doubt as the park project progressed during its construction. But those doubts have been eased a good bit as folks from my neighborhood are putting the park to good use.

And the birds are welcome, too.