Monthly Work Sessions: Regular work sessions in the forest are suspended in August because of the heat. Dana Wilson will lead Work Sessions on various dates. To be on Dana’s work team, email danawilson59@yahoo.com.
Service Projects: Need a project for your organization, Gold Award or Eagle Scout rank? Contact David Parrish, dparrish1953@yahoo.com.
4th Sunday Nature Walks: There are no walks in June, July or August. It is too hot to be out in the middle of the prairie. However, for a fun walk on your own, try the Self-Guided Interpretive Trail at 1787 Holford Road. Follow markers and read about the significance of the area on your iPhone or on the downloadable flyer. https://springcreekforest.org/interpretive-1787-holford-rd/.
Become a member: The society’s only means of support is through memberships. Join or give a gift membership. Download membership form: https://springcreekforest.org/join/.
Donations: Your support helps the volunteer Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest offer public lectures, nature walks and to conduct habitat management workdays. Mail tax-deductible remittance to: Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest, Attn: Treasurer, P.O. Box 450176, Garland, TX 75045-0176.
Dog Policy: On-leash dogs are welcome in the preserve. However, it is illegal to have off-leash pets in Garland parks. Call 972-205-3570, option 1, to report off-leash animals. Also, deposit pet waste bags in trash bins in each parking lot. Do not leave bagged pet waste beside trails.
Monthly Announcements: To subscribe, contact Barbara_Baynham2005@yahoo.com.
Read about Spring Creek Preserve
1. Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine
Steve Walker, a local writer and our geocaching friend, wrote an article on Anne Weary and Spring Creek Forest and Park Preserve in the June 2023 issue of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine. The TPWD staff did a photo shoot with Steve and Anne at the Preserve, and the article included some of Ms. Weary’s drawings of the area. Her family used to own the land at what is now Spring Creek Park Preserve.
The article, “AN ARTIST’S PARADISE, An artist drew inspiration from her family’s forest, then helped protect it”, can be viewed at https://tpwmagazine.com/archive/2023/jun/ed_1_paradise/index.phtml.
- New Book by Amy MartinWild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort WorthNatural history, ecology, and geography of North Texas… a field guide to over 100 species of flora and fauna… and 25 eye-opening hiking adventures. Over 350 color photos and 40 detailed maps in a gorgeously laid out book.
Spring Creek is featured! Spring Creek Forest Preserve has the entire first chapter in the Adventures section. Moth night at Spring Creek Forest Preserve is the lead to the Citizen Science chapter. And the Preserve is listed on the Community page at the Wild DFW website. What Ms. Martin says about our Preserve: “The Spring Creek chapter is delightful. It imparts the preserve’s variety of habitats with a fun sense of exploration. The partnership of volunteers and the city is a continual thread that makes the Spring Creek Preserve magic possible. A truly remarkable place.”
Find out more and how to purchase the book at https://wild-dfw.com/.
Ms. Martin will be the speaker for our Speaker Series Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, 7 p.m. and she will lead our fourth Sunday Nature Walk Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024, 2 p.m. Halff Park at Ranger Drive.
September:
Speaker Series –
Janet Smith, Sex in the Garden
Date: Sept. 5
Time: 7 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Janet will talk to us about sex in the garden. But this is about pollination, so it is open to all and totally G-rated. LOL. Pollination is an essential part of life – our vegetables and fruit MUST pollinate in order to produce the food we need. She will talk about how we can help this process at our own homes.
Janet says she is a recovering plantaholic who considers the Master Naturalist, Master Gardener, and Native Landscape Certification training as her 12-step program. She now has a special interest in native plants and restricts her selections to heat and drought tolerant plants that multi-task by attracting pollinators like butterflies, bees, hummingbirds as well as lizards and other interesting insects.
Janet’s love of gardening didn’t start until after she took early retirement and decided to spruce up her dismal home landscape. She took the Master Gardening training and learned how to actually grow and care for plants and she embraced the concept of WaterWise Gardening in her landscape. She is also a Master Naturalist.
Join the meeting on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 891 8700 2517, Passcode: 212786
Photo: Insect – Bumblebee – from NPSOT
Monthly Work Session
Date: Sept. 9
Time: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Location: Halff Park at Ranger Drive
September is ragweed management and trail maintenance. The Halff Park Trail goes through the largest trees in the Preserve, so it is always fun to work here. We break into teams and each team has a knowledgeable volunteer, so you know exactly what to do. NOTE: If temperatures are still around 100 degrees, the work session could be cancelled.
For last-minute information, especially if the weather is questionable, check our website or Facebook page for updates, including dates and locations which may change because of conditions. don’t want anyone working in the forest or on the prairie if there is a chance of lightning strikes.afety Information:
- BRING WATER and bug repellant.
- Close-toed shoes are mandatory. Heavy work gloves, long pants, and protective eyewear are recommended for your protection from poison ivy and thorns.
- If you have them, bring loppers and/or small tree saws. (No power tools.)
- All participants and the parents of minors must sign our Liability Waiver.
- Youth under 18 must be accompanied by an adult; no drop off/pick up of those under 18.
- For Master Naturalists, this may count as Volunteer Hours on the Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest project.
Monthly speaker series:
Judy Aschner will show us insects on our prairie
Date: Sept. 24
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Location: 1787 Holford Road
Judy Aschner will show us and tell us how insects are incredibly important to life as we know it. They are vital both as pollinators and as a food source for birds and animals. We will be on the hunt for late summer prairie/grassland insects. Bring your camera or phone so we can record our observations on iNaturalist. Also, bring a magnifying glass if you have
one so you can see the amazing detail of their structure. Aschner Is a North Texas Master Naturalist and Entomology Specialist whose main interest is insects – their lifestyles and interrelatedness with man and each other. She is an active iNaturalist contributor who has over 800 observations of over 500 species.
Photo: Entypus sp., Tarantula Hawk Wasp by Judy Aschner
October 2023
Both the Speaker Series and the
4th Sunday Nature Walk:
Kimberlie Sasan, All about Galls
Galls are odd growths on trees or bushes. The gall is an example of a plant-animal relationship. More than 2,000 types of insects and other organisms can cause abnormal plant growths. They may be found on any part of a plant—buds, leaves, flowers, twigs, under the bark, and even on the roots. Kimberlie Sasan is a Texas Master Naturalist and Master Entomology Specialist who enjoys volunteering in a wide variety of nature activities. She has been documenting moths and other creatures in her Keller backyard for over six years where she has identified over 300 species of moths. She has a passion for photographing insects and studying their life cycles. An iNaturalist user since 2015, Sasan has made over 29,000 observations.
Speaker Series Date: October 3
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom
4th Sunday Walk: Date: October 29
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Location: 1770 Holford Road
Future Monthly Public Speaker Series events – November-January
Interesting speakers are lined up. Our meeting is usually on the first Tuesday of the month from September to May.
Meetings are 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., currently on Zoom. For Master Naturalists, this often counts as one hour of advanced training. Check the MN schedule to verify.
Nov. 7 – Tyler Hedlund, Orthoptera are Hopping Across North America – grasshoppers, katydids and more.
Dec. 5 – Holiday Party for Society Members
Jan. 2, 2024 – Amy Martin, Wild DFW
Future 4th Sunday Nature Walks are 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Locations vary. Check the latest announcements.
Nov. 26, Location: 1770 Holford Road, Tiffany Lipsett, Family Time in the Forest
Dec. 24, no walk, instead, we will have a special event Jan. 1.
Take a walk on your own using the Self-Guided Interpretive Trail at 1787 Holford. It was created by the North Texas Master Naturalist chapter. Follow the trail markers and read about significance of the area on your iPhone or on the downloadable flyer. https://springcreekforest.org/interpretive-1787-holford-rd/
3 Special Events –
Bird Walks with Reba –
See what birds have arrived to spend the winter at Spring Creek
Nov. 25 and 26, 1787 Holford Road, 8:00 – 9:30 a.m.
13th Annual Christmas is for the Birds –
A fun event for children in pre-school and elementary school
Dec. 2, 1787 – Holford Road, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Start Your New Year Right Nature Walk –
Refreshing walk among the biggest trees in the preserve
Jan. 1, 2024, Halff Park at Ranger Drive, 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Your Opinions are Needed – Date: Monday, Sept. 18, 2023 – Time: 6:30-8:00 p.m. – Location: District 1 Road and Bridge Office 715 Rowlett Road in Garland
You are invited to help create the new Master Plan for the Dallas County Open Space Program – Our preserve is part of the Dallas County Open Space Program. Dallas County helped purchase the land back in 1987 and our Preserve is one of more than 20 Open Space parks located all over the county. They now want your thoughts on how to manage the parks going forward. The Dallas County Open Space Master Plan will help guide enhancements and improvements to the county preserves over the next ten years. Come to the meeting to learn more about the plan process and provide input. See https://www.dallascounty.org/