Educational and Service Activities for 2019 – 2020

So glad warm weather is here! Come out and enjoy the Preserve!
Service and Volunteer Opportunities Monthly Work Sessions – As we mentioned in last month’s announcements, our Executive Committee is enthusiastic and energetic.

September Work Session-

We Need You

Upcoming Dates: 2019 Sept 7

Monthly Work Sessions – One of our passions is preserving the prairies, the riparian forest and the forest land in Spring Creek Forest. Sadly, the natural beauty of this area is often over ran by trash and invasive plants. Come join us as we work on preserving this special place. Meet our crew and learn about the plants and animals that call the land home. We invite you to enjoy a moment of pride when you look back on what you have done, preserving a natural place we so desperately need in the Dallas metro area. Our work days are a great way to get to know Spring Creek Forest and the people who love the area.

Sept. 7, 9-11 Workday at 1787 Holford Road, Garland Texas.

We will be focusing on the wild flower garden at the parking lot. If there is time, anything else we happen to see that needs our attention we will see what we can do. Meet us at the parking lot at 9, and we will try to finish up by 11.

Safety Materials: Each work session will begin with a safety briefing. BRING WATER. Even in the heat, wear work gloves, long pants, protective eyewear, and sturdy shoes (no sandals) for your protection from poison ivy and thorns.  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 yrs. and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Upcoming Work Dates: 2019

October 5, 2019 – Location: 1787 Holford. Time: 9:00 a.m. – 11:00am November 9, 2019 – Location: 1787 Holford. Time: 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

All minors 16 yrs. and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Service Projects- Need a project for your organization, Gold Award, or Eagle Scout rank? Contact David Parrish, dparrish1953@yahoo.com.

September Things to Do

Tuesday, September 3, 7-8:30pm: Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest General Meeting – Rich Jaynes, Prairie Ecology. North Garland Branch Library, 3845 North Garland Avenue, Garland, TX 75040. I hour AT.

Saturday, September 7, 9-11am: Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest Monthly Work Session. Come and spend a couple of hours working in our prairie. We will neaten up the wildscape near the parking lot, take out invasive plants and push back trees that are encroaching on the bluebird house boxes. 2 hours VH.

Sunday, Sept. 8, 2-5p.m. at the Achievement Center of Texas, 2950 North Shiloh Road (at Beltline), Garland TX, 75044. Basic first aid and basic wilderness first aid, a Red Cross-approved 3-hour course. Upon completion, participants will receive a Red Cross basic first aid certificate; Texas Master Naturalists will also get 3 hours advanced training. The cost is $30 (credit card or cash, no checks, please), and participants are also asked to bring a small (fits in a backpack) first aid kit. This workshop is sponsored by the Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest, with a limit of 30 participants; members of the Preservation Society have first priority in reserving a space. LIMITED SEATING – RESERVATION REQUIRED! Please e-mail RSVP’s and questions to Dana Wilson, danawilson59@yahoo.com. 3 hours AT.

Sunday, September 22, 3-4:30pm, Spring Creek Forest Preserve, 1787 Holford Rd.: 4th Sunday Nature walk. Something new – a regularly scheduled guided walk every 4th Sunday of the month, September through April. These are fun, family walks, appropriate for anyone who wants to enjoy a guided walk in the Preserve. All of the walks will leave the concrete sidewalks and go into the Preserve on the natural-surface trails.

Saturday, Oct. 5, 2-5p.m., Cedar Ridge Preserve. North Texas Orchid Lovers will host a come-and-go orchid-gami building workshop at Cedar Ridge Preserve (meet at the education building) with the new Hexalectris warnockii orchid-gami funded by North Texas Orchid Lovers. At that time, we’ll also offer walks to one of the very active orchid areas, with a talk along the way about the plants and what we’ve learned in years of orchid surveying. Family and friends are welcome, too; this is not too strenuous a walk. RSVPs to danawilson59@yahoo.com are greatly appreciated so that we have enough supplies on hand.
1 hour AT for participants who build an orchid-gami and do the walk.

September’s guide is environmental scientist Rich Jaynes, will share hands-on experience about prairie ecology as you stroll through our own amazing variety of prairie grasses and wildflowers. Note: no Master Nat. hours for this activity.

  Speaker Series

We have a great line-up for you… Monthly Public Speaker Series: usually on the 1st Tuesday of the month from September to April.  
Meeting Time:  7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Location: Check dates below for location.

September 3, 2019: Rick Jaynes, Prairie Ecology.

As we hope you know, we have a superb remnant prairie in our Preserve, located at 1787 Holford Road. Halff Associates, where Mr. Jaynes works, was instrumental in creating the original Spring Creek Forest Preserve Master Development Plan in 1992. Location: North Garland Branch Library, 3845 North Garland Avenue, Garland, TX 75040 Rich Jaynes’ academic training includes a B.S. in Range Science (Botany minor) from BYU and a M.S. in Watershed Science from Utah State University.  He has worked as a range technician for the U.S. Forest Service, consulting hydrologist, manager of a cartographic lab, and has taught college courses in range land
field surveys and plant biology.  After taking a 20-year detour to serve in the U.S. Army, he has worked the past 12 years as an environmental scientist for the engineering and architectural firm Halff Associates.  His professional work has included preparing natural resources analyses in master plans for nature preserves such as Southwest Nature Preserve in Arlington and JF. Burke Nature Preserve in Farmers Branch.  He also worked for the Native Prairies Association of Texas in surveying Ellis County for native prairie remnants. He has been volunteering as a Texas Master Naturalist since 2008, and enjoys leading groups in exploring the wonders of plant life in local landscapes, and in engaging in prairie restoration
efforts in the DFW area. 

October 1, 2019: Michael Parkey, Native Trees in the Urban Forest.
This is why our forest is designated as preserve – we have an amazing
variety of native trees in our forest. Location: North Garland Branch
Library, 3845 North Garland Avenue, Garland, TX 75040 Michael Parkey
is a registered landscape architect who has designed gardens in north
Texas since 1983. His special interests are sustainable landscapes and the use of native plants in gardens and restored habitats. Spanning a wide
range, his projects include residential gardens, commercial
developments, and specialized landscapes for botanic gardens, parks, schools, zoos and nature study areas. Mr. Parkey is based in Dallas, where he has had his own firm since 1993. In addition to his practice, he teaches courses on landscape design and native plants for Southern Methodist University, and frequently lectures on the same topics. His articles, designs, and illustrations have appeared in several books and periodicals. His designs have received awards from the City of Dallas and the American Society of Landscape Architects.

November 5, 2019: Karen Rice, Monarch Butterflies. Our prairies and meadows have both host and nectar plants that Monarch butterflies need to survive. Our world needs these amazing creatures. Come and hear about them.

December 3, 2019: Holiday Party. Information to come.

January 07, 2020:Tom Frey, Forest Composition in Spring Creek Forest. The variety of trees in our forest is what made us famous. And who
can resist hearing Tom Frey, the ultimate Preserve authority, speak.

February 04, 2020:Marian Hirsch, Trout Lily Drawings Trout lilies are one of our signature native plants. We hope you have been on one of our annual Trout Lily Walks that we hold in late February. Marian Hirsch creates drawings and water colors of these beautiful, petite plants. Her water colors of plants are on display at BRIT in Ft. Worth.

March 03, 2020: Brett Johnson, Feral Hogs Talk about invasives! Feral
hogs invade an area in a pack and can devastate where ever they decide to be. Brett Johnson, Senior Environmental Coordinator for the City of Dallas, works with park department properties on habitat and wildlife management. He coordinates

April 07, 2020: Bonnie Bradshaw, Coyotes and Critters We love them and need them (except feral hogs). 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. Summer break.

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.

Field trips and Workshops No guided nature walks are scheduled at this time. However, watch our website for walks to be announced throughout the year. https://springcreekforest.org

Or, try our Self-Guided Interpretive Trail at 1787 Holford Road that was created by the North Texas Master Naturalist chapter in Dallas. Follow the trail markers and read about the significance of the area on your iPhone or on the downloadable flyer.  https://springcreekforest.org/interpretive-1787-holford-rd/
Executive Committee The Executive Committee usually meets on the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. The meetings are open to the public. For location, please contact David Parrish, President, Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest.
Cell phone: 469-733-6089 Email: okcanoe@tx.rr.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