The Spring Creek Preservation Society has service events for those who would like to help out in the preserve as well as informative nature walks for August and September.
August events
Monthly Work Session – Saturday, Aug. 6 – 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. – 1770 Holford Road – Note early time to beat the heat.
We’ll break into teams. Each team will have a knowledgeable volunteer. Participants could be clearing trails, taking out invasive plants, opening up the prairies or even picking up trash. For last-minute information, especially if the weather is questionable, check our website or Facebook page for updates. It’s dangerous to work if there is a chance of lightning strikes.
Each work session begins with a safety briefing.
- BRING WATER and bug repellant.
- Close-toed shoes are mandatory. Heavy work gloves, long pants and protective eyewear are recommended for 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 accompanied by an adult; no drop off/pick up of those under 18.
An Evening with Moths surpassed expectations! – Summary from San Kieschnick, Urban Wildlife Biologist for DFW, Texas Parks and Wildlife
Nearly 100 people attended the “Evening with Moths” event. Here is the link with the species observed on this evening: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2022-07-23&place_id=144920&view=species
This evening adds to the existing species list there at the preserve:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=144920&view=species. Over 1,600 unique taxa have been observed within Spring Creek Preserve. Please recognize how significant these numbers are – the preserve is used by an inordinate amount of species of all kinds. Plants, birds, bugs, fungi, everything uses this area as an urban refuge. It’s also meaningful to recognize the constituency of naturalists that have used the preserve as a refuge to engage with nature.
September events
Zoom Speaker Series – Jaime Baxter-Slye – Topic – The Pollinative Prairie: How Undergraduates Reconstructed a TX Native Prairie and How You Can, Too – Tuesday, Sept. 6 – 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
According to the Native Prairies Association of Texas, “The tallgrass prairie’s rich soils have been responsible for our nation’s agricultural success. But it has also been their undoing. More than 99% of this ecosystem experienced by early Texans has been plowed for croplands or fundamentally altered through heavy grazing or other land management practices. This has made tallgrass prairie the most-endangered ecosystem in North America. A high-quality prairie can have hundreds of plant species–even more diversity than a rain forest, on a smaller scale.”
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89187002517?pwd=Ujc1UTEyVjNNbDhUUFJYMjFCV2lNdz09
Monthly Work Session – Saturday, Sept. 10 – 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. – Note early time to try to beat the heat. – 1770 Holford Road
We’ll break into teams. Each team will have a knowledgeable volunteer. Participants could be clearing trails, taking out invasive plants, opening up the prairies or even picking up trash. For last-minute information, especially if the weather is questionable, check our website or Facebook page for updates. It’s dangerous to work if there is a chance of lightning strikes.
Each work session begins with a safety briefing.
- BRING WATER and bug repellant.
- Close-toed shoes are mandatory. Heavy work gloves, long pants and protective eyewear are recommended for 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 accompanied by an adult; no drop off/pick up of those under 18.
4th Sunday Nature Walk – Tom Hendrick takes us Geocaching in the Preserve
Sept. 25 – 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. – 1787 Holford Road
Tom Hendrick will take us Geocaching in the Preserve, including “how-to geocache” for those who need it. He has been geocaching since 2013 and has found geocaches around the world (17 countries, 41 states).
The society is hosting this walk to support of the new Garland History Geo Tour that launches Sept. 17 in downtown Garland. The Geo Tour is a family friendly experience that will take participants on a history filled adventure around the city. The tour will explore Garland’s historic downtown, many of Garland’s parks including Spring Creek Preserve and other historically significant locations.
Become a society member! The only means of financial support is through memberships. Join us or give a gift membership to someone you love. Download membership form: https://springcreekforest.org/join/.
Make a donation! Donations help the all-volunteer Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest offer public lectures, conduct habitat management workdays and offer public nature walks. Mail tax-deductible remittance to: Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest, Attn: Treasurer, P.O. Box 450176, Garland, TX 75045-0176
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