Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest

Guest Speaker

Tuesday, January 5, 2021 7:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom in and sit comfortably and safely at home watching our speaker. 
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89187002517?pwd=Ujc1UTEyVjNNbDhUUFJYMjFCV2lNdz09
Meeting ID: 891 8700 2517
Passcode: 212786

Bonnie Bradshaw – Coyotes and Critter            We love critters and need them. Bonnie will talk to us about the lives of the wild animals in our suburban neighborhoods. Why they are roaming our housing areas rather than being somewhere else, such as “out in the countryside.” Should we worry about them or embrace the diversity? (I vote for embrace.) Come and get information about armadillos, raccoons, coyotes, and bobcats and more.
          Bonnie Bradshaw is founder and president of the company called 911 Wildlife which specializes in the humane removal and relocation of problem critters. The company mission is to prevent native wildlife from being orphaned, injured, relocated or euthanized.
         A native Texan and a Certified Master Naturalist, Bonnie Bradshaw has more than 14 years of experience as a professional wildlife control operator. As a Texas Parks & Wildlife permitted wildlife rehabilitator, Bonnie 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, Bonnie launched 911 Wildlife to give homeowners and property managers a truly humane, effective way to solve urban wildlife problems. Instead of traps, 911 Wildlife uses science-based techniques to evict and permanently exclude animals from attics, chimneys, vents and crawlspaces. Since 2012, the City of Dallas has contracted with 911 Wildlife to handle calls from residents regarding coyotes, bobcats, foxes, snakes and all other species of native wildlife

Get outside and walk during Covid restrictions

  • Important information: Avoid groups, wear mask as needed.
  • The natural-surface trails are not stroller-compatible; everyone must be able to walk approximately 1 mile. Clothing: Even in the heat, wear long pants and sturdy shoes (no sandals) for your protection from poison ivy and thorns. Apply insect repellent. Bring water. .
  • Our guided walks every 4th Sunday of the month are fun, family walks, appropriate for anyone who wants to enjoy a guided walk in the Preserve.

Collections From The Field

Collections From The Field, which provides a virtual platform for showcasing art inspired by nature, encourages people of all ages to get outside and create art inspired by the Spring Creek Forest Preserve. This project hopes to foster deeper connections to the land, build community through the sharing of creativity, and record ecological and anthropological changes at the Preserve, a hidden gem of diversity and greenery amidst the urban sprawl of North Texas.

Initiated by Stephanie Hanson, a Garland resident and college senior, Collections From The Field provides the opportunity to find new ways to look at the world, and in doing so, challenges the idea that facts and numbers must be used to create environmental change. She believes that building a relationship with the landscape through art is a first step towards creating an ethic of care that will help us tackle the environmental issues we face today.

This project is a collaboration with Dr. Tiffany Lipsett, a local leader in the field of education and the sciences with particular interests in the overlap of nature and art; the Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest, a non-profit whose mission is to protect the cultural and ecological resources of the Preserve; and the City of Garland.

How to Participate:

To participate, visit Spring Creek Forest Preserve! Explore the trails with family or friends or find solitude in listening to the wind through the forest and you will find an urban sanctuary for plants, animals, and humans alike. Find inspiration from the Preserve and create art using any medium from painting, to poetry, to land art. Art created in or about the Preserve can be submitted by posting a photo or a written document that showcases your art on social media and tagging the project using the hashtag #collectionsfromthefield. As an alternative, submissions can be emailed to collectionsfromthefield@gmail.com. For information about weekly prompts and to view the curated gallery, go to collectionsfromthefield.com and follow the project on Facebook and Instagram at Collections From The Field.

On our Schedule – Bird Walks with Reba Collins

Saturday, January 16, 2021 and Sunday, January 17, 2021:
Bird Walks with Reba Collins, Master Birder. 8:00 – 9:30 a.m. 1787 Holford, Garland, TX. Do you want to
learn what birds spend the winter in Spring Creek Forest? Come for a morning walk and
learn to identify some of our wintering birds.

Reservations are required for all dates. Limited to 10 people per walk. Contact Reba at
rcollins20@verizon.net to reserve a spot. Participants will be required to wear face
masks and practice social distancing. Bring binoculars. Dress for the weather. If it has
been raining, rain boots may be appropriate.

On our Schedule – 28th Annual Trout Lily Walk

Yes, Tom Frey, regionally acclaimed naturalist, will be with us again for the 28th year. Stroll on our trails to find Tom at the Trout lily field. Trout lilies are one of the first plants to flower in the spring. The tiny flowers are only in bloom from about mid-February through mid-March. Then, they disappear until next year. 

  • February 28, 2021
  • Location: 1770 Holford.
  • Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
  • Come on Sunday, February 28, any time between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. When you arrive, volunteers at the pavilion will welcome you and give you introductory information. Then, we will send you along the clearly marked trail to the Trout lily field. Tom Frey, our advisor, mentor, and friend will be at the Trout lily field.
  • After you have seen the lilies and talked to Tom, you will walk along to the next marked spot, where we will have another knowledgeable naturalist that will tell you about the significance of that area of the Preserve. The volunteer naturalists will be at several stations along the trail in the Preserve from 2:00 until the last walkers go through.
  • This format helps solve the problem of so many folks in line on the walk that they can’t hear the forest information. It also allows folks to go at their own pace rather than having to follow a group; no one gets impatient waiting for others to catch up and each can spend as much time at a station as they want. Some like to spend a lot of time taking photos and discussing the forest. Others like to hear just a little bit and then move on. With this walk format, it is your choice.
  • We hope to see you there, but all depends on what Covid does

Speaker Series

Monthly Public Speaker Series: the 1st Tuesday of the month from September to April.   These are the Spring plans.

  • Meeting Time: 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
  • Location:  information to come
  • Tuesday, February 2, 2021: Rob Kaaa – Critter Cams in the Preserve
  • Tuesday, March 2, 2021: Jessica Crowley – Frogs
  • Tuesday, April 6, 2021: Kevin Rudy – Texas Snakes
  • Summer break
  • For Master Naturalists, this often counts as 1 hour Advanced Training, but check the MN schedule to be sure.

Do you have suggestions? If you have ideas for speakers or topics for future programs, please email your suggestions to Becky Sans, beckysans7@gmail.com.

Monthly Work Sessions

Saturday February 6

Come to our work session at 1770 Holford.
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
          We will break into teams and do multiple projects. Each team will have a knowledgeable volunteer so you know exactly what to do.
          This is still the season when we can most aggressively attack invasive privet because privet is evergreen while most understory plants in our forest are deciduous. Therefore we can easily identify the privet.

  • No problem staying 6 feet apart – there is plenty of space. It will make you feel like a new person to get out in the middle of nature and help the Preserve. Face masks are required, at least 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 eye-wear, and sturdy shoes (no sandals) for your protection from poison ivy and thorns.  If you have them, bring loppers and/or small tree saws. And, don’t forget, face masks are required.
  • All participants and the parents of minors must sign our Liability Waiver.  All minors 16 yrs. and younger must be accompanied by an adult.  For Master Naturalists, normally this counts as Volunteer Hours on the Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest project, but check your MN chapter current guideline
  • Upcoming dates:
    • Saturday, March 6, 2021
    • Saturday, April 10, 2021
    • Saturday, May 8, 2021

4th Sunday Nature Walks

Time: 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
The locations of 4th-Sunday Nature Walks will vary throughout the Preserve depending on the subject of the walk. Be sure to check the latest announcements.

  • February 28, 2021. Trout Lilly Nature Walk
  • Sunday, March 28, 2021. Leader: Terry Comingore – Weather and Climate
  • Sunday, April 25. 2021. Leader Kevin Rudy
  • Sunday, May 23, 2021. Leader: Judy Aschner – Insects in our Preserve

Bioblitz at the Preserve

To celebrate Parks Week, we will hold a Bioblitz May 1 and 2. We invite you to come help identify as many species as possible at the Preserve. Don’t know one plant from another? That is OK. You will use the free iNaturalist app to take pictures of plants, insects and animals and the app helps identify the item instantly. This Citizen Science activity helps us identify organisms which are essential to our ecosystem. The goal is to record a variety of species, so find organisms that look interesting to you, take a couple of photos using the app and turn them in.  It is best to take two pictures from different angles if possible. Make sure you pictures are in focus!
 
In advance, go to iNaturalist to download the free app to your cell phone and/or computer. You must be 13 or older to have an account.  To read about how it works before the event, go to iNaturalist.org.
 
If you would like help getting started, we will have a representative available between 10:00 and 12:00 both days at the 1770 Holford Road parking lot. But plant identifications can be made on your own throughout the day and anywhere in the Preserve. The more variety that is recorded on the iNaturalist site during those two days, the better.
 
Join us to help increase the biodiversity count at the Preserve, have fun, and learn about the Preserve.
 
Location:  1770 Holford
Date: May 1 and 2
Time: 10 a.m. to 12 noon if you need help.

Do you have suggestions? If you have ideas for speakers or topics for future programs, please email your suggestions to Becky Sans, beckysans7@gmail.com.

Society MembershipMembership: Join Us Today! Download our membership form: https://springcreekforest.org/join/

Monthly Email: To subscribe please contact:
Barbara_Baynham2005@yahoo.com

Make a donation! Your donation helps the all-volunteer Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest offer public lectures, conduct habitat management workdays, and offer public nature walks. Please mail your tax-deductible donation to: Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest, Attn:  Treasurer, P.O. Box 450176, Garland, TX 75045-0176