Coyotes and Critters…At the Spring Creek Preserve meeting Tuesday, Jan. 5, Bonnie Bradshaw will talk about the lives of wild animals in our neighborhoods and why they are roaming our housing areas. Get information about armadillos, raccoons, coyotes, bobcats and more. Bradshaw is the founder and president of a company called 911 Wildlife which specializes in humane removal and relocation of problem critters. Their mission is to prevent native wildlife from being orphaned, injured, relocated or euthanized. A native Texan and a Certified Master Naturalist, Bradshaw has more than 14 years of experience as a professional wildlife control operator. As a Texas Parks & Wildlife permitted wildlife rehabilitator, she saw that the majority of juvenile squirrels, raccoons and skunks brought to rehabilitators are orphaned by pest control companies that trap and relocate or kill their mothers. In 2006, she launched 911 Wildlife to give homeowners and property managers a truly humane way to solve urban wildlife problems. Instead of traps, 911 Wildlife uses science-based techniques to evict animals from attics, chimneys, vents and crawlspaces. Zoom in and watch at home. Meeting ID: 891 8700 2517 – Passcode: 212786 – Coyotes and Critter – Tuesday, Jan. 5 – 7 p.m.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89187002517?pwd=Ujc1UTEyVjNNbDhUUFJYMjFCV2lNdz09
The Saturday, Jan. 9, monthly work session and the Sunday, Jan. 24, Fourth Sunday Nature Walk have been canceled because of COVID-19.
Bird Walks with Reba Collins – Saturday, Jan. 16, and Sunday, Jan. 17 – 1787 Holford Road – 8 a.m. – 9:30 – Come for a walk to identify some of our wintering birds. Reservations required and limited to 10. Collins offers multiple walk dates to ensure a great birding experience. Contact her at rcollins20@verizon.net to reserve a spot. Face masks and social distancing required. Bring binoculars. Dress for the weather.
Robert Stern, professor of Biology at UTD – Geology of Spring Creek Tuesday, Feb. 2, 7 p.m. Zoom meeting – log on information to come…Dr. Stern is an expert on the geology of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. His primary research focus addresses how Earth’s continental crust formed and evolved. This requires studying both ongoing processes of crust formation (which mostly happens at convergent plate margins) and how the crust was generated in the past. His research areas are 1) the still-forming system in the Western Pacific and 2) the continental crust of NE Africa and Arabia, which formed in Neoproterozoic time, 900 to 600 million years ago. Stern is a fellow of the Geological Society of America and of the American Geophysical Union. He has studied complex geological systems from the Pacific Ocean to the African desert.
Monthly Work Session – Saturday, Feb. 6 –- 1770 Holford – 9 – 11 a.m. …This is still the season when we can aggressively attack invasive privet because privet is evergreen while most understory plants in our forest are deciduous. Therefore the privet is easy to identify.
- No problem staying 6 feet apart – there is plenty of space. Face masks are required, while you check-in. After that, if you have enough space, you can remove the mask.
- BRING WATER. Wear heavy work gloves, long pants, protective eyewear,and sturdy shoes (no sandals) for protection from poison ivy and thorns. If you can, bring loppers and small saws.
- All participants and the parents of minors must sign our Liability Waiver. All minors 16 yrs. and younger must be accompanied by an adult.
28th Trout Lily Walk – Sunday, Feb. 28 – Leader: Tom Frey – 1770 Holford.Road – 2 p.m. – 3 p.m….Tom Frey, acclaimed naturalist, will be there for the 28th year. Stroll the trails to find him at the Trout lily field. Trout lilies are one of the first plants to flower in spring. The tiny flowers are only 
in bloom from about mid-February through mid-March. Upon arrival. volunteers will welcome you then send you to the trout lily field where Frey will meet visitors. After you have seen the lilies, you will go to the next marked spot, where another naturalist will explain the significance of that area. Volunteer naturalists will be at stations along the trail from 2 until the last walkers go through. Hope to see you there, but all depends on COVID-19
Members Only Nature Walk – Saturday, Feb. 27 – Location: 1770 Holford – Time to be announced…Current members will walk through the Trout lily fields, down to the creek and up to the meadow. There is always new information about the preserve and its ecology. Check Facebook for updates regarding Covid restrictions or weather problems.
- Membership must be current. To be eligible for walk, we must receive a membership check and reservation before Feb. 24. Print membership form: org.
Reserve a spot. Notify Marvin Rogers: 214-460-8485, mwrkit@att.net or Barbara Baynham: 972-495-3569, barbara_baynham2005@yahoo.com.
- Join now or give a gift membership.
- To subscribe to the monthly newsletter, contact Barbara_Baynham2005@yahoo.com.
- Make a donation! Help the all-volunteer society offer public lectures, conduct habitat management workdays and offer public nature walks. Mail remittance to Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest, Attn: Treasurer, P.O. Box 450176, Garland, TX 75045-0176.