The Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest Preserve has announced its activities for April and May. Be sure to check Facebook or the website for updates or changes or if the weather is questionable.
Work Session – Saturday, April 10 – 1770 Holford – 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. – There is plenty of space for social distancing.
- Face masks required at check in. After that, if you have enough space, you can remove it.
- Bring water. Wear heavy work gloves, long pants, protective eyewear and sturdy shoes (no sandals) for your protection. If you have them, bring loppers and/or small tree saws.
- All participants and the parents of minors must sign a liability waiver. All minors 16 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.
- Master naturalists, this usually counts as volunteer hours but check MN chapter guidelines.
4th Sunday Nature Walk – April 25 – 1770 Holford – 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Walk Leader Kevin Rudy, will talk about snakes in the habitat.
May activities
May 1 and 2 – 1770 and 1787 Holford Road – Scheduled nature walks, plus any time on your own during the weekend, catalog and record your favorite flora and fauna in the iNaturalist app. If you need help with the app, a society representative will be at the pavilion at 1770 Holford from 10 a.m. – noon.
May 1 – Bird Walk – Reba Collins – 8 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. – 1787 Holford Road – Limited to 15
people, Must RSVP to rcollins20@verizon.net. Please specify Saturday or Sunday. Everyone must wear masks and social distance by at least 6 feet. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring binoculars. If there has been heavy rain, rain boots may be appropriate.
Butterfly Walk – David and Sharon Parrish = May 1 – noon – 1787 Holford Road – Learn about Texas Butterfly Monitoring Network (TBMN), while walking the trails of limestone prairie for an introduction to some of the common butterflies of North Texas. Includes an introduction to survey methods and the Limestone Loop Trails monitoring route. Everyone must wear masks and social distance by 6 feet.
Forest Systems Walk – Dana Wilson – May 1 – 2 p.m.-3 p.m. – 1770 Holford Road – Like animals, plants have strategies to survive within their ecosystem. We’ll discuss different layers and relationships that make up a healthy forest. Everyone must wear masks and social distance by at least 6 feet.
Frogs at Night – Jessica Crowley – May 1 – 6:30 p.m. – 1787 Holford Road – Join us for an evening hike listening and looking for frogs along Spring Creek, one of the cleanest creeks in the metroplex. This means that we have an excellent population of creek creatures, including frogs. Will be on dirt trails, so wear appropriate footwear. Everyone must wear masks and social distance by at least 6 feet.
Bird Walk – Reba Collins – May 2 – 9:30 a.m. – 1787 Holford Road – Spring Migration Bird Walk with Reba Collins, Master Birder/Master Naturalist. Limited to 15 people, Must RSVP to rcollins20@verizon.net. Please specify Saturday or Sunday. Wear comfortable shoes and bring binoculars. If there has been heavy rain, boots may be appropriate. Everyone must wear masks and social distance by at least 6 feet.
Invasive Plant ID and Removal – Robert Kaaa – May 2 – 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. – 1770 Holford Road – Invasive Plant ID and Removal Strategies with Rob Kaaa, Master Naturalist. We will identify invasive plant species and their impact. Everyone must wear masks and social distance by at least 6 feet.
Citizen Science is the practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase the reach of scientific knowledge. Volunteers and enthusiasts contribute information to data monitoring and collection programs. iNaturalist is a joint initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society. Information sent by volunteers can be
accumulated and analyzed.
This project, City Nature Challenge 2021, is a global project. https://citynaturechallenge.org/. Last year, San Francisco had the most participants with 1,947, and Cape Town, South Africa recorded the most species with a whopping 4,588 species. Download the iNaturalist app from the Apple App Store for iPhone or Google Play for Android phones or create an account at www.iNaturalist.org and use your computer. Must be 13 or older to have an account. More info: email Barbara Baynham, barbara_baynham2005@yahoo.com.
BioBlitz – Celebrate the worldwide City Nature Challenge – the Society is hosting nature walks plus a BioBlitz at Spring Creek Preserve May 1 and 2. A BioBlitz focuses on finding and identifying as many plant, insect and animal species as possible in a specific area during a set timeframe. You are invited to help catalog flora and fauna that weekend. This Citizen Science
activity helps identify not only organisms which are essential to our ecosystem but also invasive species which present potential harm. To date, 266 naturalists have collected 6,800 observations featuring over 980 species in our Preserve. The goal is to record a large variety of species, so find organisms that look interesting to you, take several photos from different angles and turn the photos in to iNaturalist.
Judy Aschner, a Society board member and North Texas Master Naturalist will be available at the pavilion at 1770 North Holford between 10 a.m. and noon on both May 1 and 2. To learn about the iNaturalist App and get tips, stop by the pavilion. Everyone must wear masks and social distance by at least 6 feet.
Monthly Work Session and Picnic – May 8 – Bring Your Own Picnic – 1787 Holford – 9 a.m. to noon – We will attack invasive plants in the prairie and privet in the forest. Invasive plants are not native species which grow aggressively and crowd out native plants. At 11 a.m., we will gather at the picnic tables for a lunch. It is a fun way to end our year and start the summer break. Bring sack lunch and drink. (No alcohol allowed in park.)
We will break into teams and each team will have a knowledgeable volunteer so you know what to do. There is plenty of space for social distancing.
- Face masks required at check-in. After that, if you have enough space, you can remove mask.
- Bring Water. Wear heavy work gloves, long pants, protective eyewear and sturdy shoes (no sandals) for your protection. If you have them, bring loppers and/or small tree saws.
- All participants and the parents of minors must sign our liability waiver. All minors 16 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.
- For Master Naturalists, this usually counts as volunteer hours but check MN chapter guidelines.
4th Sunday Nature Walk – May 23 – Location: TBA – 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Walk leader Judy Aschner will take us into the preserve and talk about insects and their habitat. Judy is a Master Naturalist and a certified entomology specialist.
Download membership form: https://springcreekforest.org/join/
Make a donation! Mail tax-deductible remittance to: Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest, Attn: Treasurer, P.O. Box 450176, Garland, TX 75045-0176