December 2025 Announcements

Preserve, Educate, Collaborate
(https://springcreekforest.org)

Contact the Society: springcreekforestpreservation@gmail.com

Meeting with Kimley-Horn regarding condition assessment procedure

The Assessment Procedure project is the foundation for the next months / years of work. Kimley-Horn can now begin to discover the details of how to inspect and repair the sewer line while protecting the Preserve and creek integrity. The first priority is to discover and fix any weakness in the sewer line that would both contaminate the creek and jeopardize a fully working sewer line for the 40,000 people relying on it. At the same time, a second team will look at sites outside of the creek, Preserve, and greenbelt to recommend where the sewer could be eventually moved.

Folks, the Society Executive Committee is excited about the excellent caliber of the K-H teams ready to inspect the approximately 4 miles of creek that is in jeopardy. They have drones and cameras that reach 3-4 times farther than the equipment that Garland owns. Their equipment can “see” through the cement and evaluate its strength and thickness. (Note, it would not be a good use of our money to purchase this special equipment for the few times Garland will need it.)

We are eagerly waiting for their assessment, which will be ready maybe by the end of January. It depends quite a bit on the weather.

However, we must remember that there is still likely a lot of harm that will have to be done. Because of that potential harm caused by sewer in the creek, please don’t forget to mention the POOP Project every chance you get.  Let’s get the Pipeline Out Of the Preserve!

Another odious problem has cropped up, and we need your help…

Yesterday, we heard the Garland Audit Department’s report on the entire debacle. The Audit Department has spent several months interviewing employees, contractors, the Society Executive Committee, folks from Dallas County Open Spaces, and more to find out the sequence of events that led to the destruction. They also reviewed hundreds of pages of city procedure, contracts, and more.

The conclusion: Yes, inattention and mistakes. However, definitely No corruption.

In the aftermath of the very honest rage at the damage caused by the inattention of as many as 5-6 people (yes, only 5-6), we have heard some of our concerned friends of the Preserve saying things such as, “The city administration is corrupt.” This statement is most absolutely not true. Even the 5-6 who were inattentive are excellent people just trying to do their job.

So please, remember that if someone makes this odious statement, “The city administration is corrupt.”, they are including our librarians, our parks people, people who try to help the homeless, the police that answer your 911 call, and yes, the people who keep our water pure. So please don’t say that, and please politely correct anyone you hear doing that.

What a lively and productive workday we had at 1770 Holford. We started off with a traditional training table breakfast – donuts – courtesy of Rob Kaaa. Then Doug Athas arrived carrying the gift of a heavy-duty, collapsible utility cart – our tools and supplies will ride in comfort on workdays to come. Many thanks, Doug, for this generous and helpful gift. Then, here came Judy Aschner with loads of excellent books to give away (she and Henry are moving to Santa Fe), another sweet thing we’ll remember the Aschner’s for.

When we got started, two groups worked the length of the Boy Scout and BelAir trails clearing invasive species – those trails are in great shape for the spring. And speaking of trails in great shape, a third group of volunteers finished rerouting our new Trout Lily Trail and IT IS GORGEOUS!! Steve Boeding found this area, then planned and supervised construction. Come early spring, lined with trout lilies, this will be the place to be.

          OUR VOLUNTEERS MAKE SPRING CREEK FOREST PRESERVE MOTHER NATURE’S SHOWPLACE … and we thank you all!

C and G use the stump popper on invasives.

Doug Athas, thank you for the wagon!

Bon Voyage and Best Wishes, Henry and Judy Aschner!

Henry and Judy are long-time Preservation Society members, former board members, the stewards of our lovely wildscape garden at 1787 Holford Road, and the founders and organizers of our popular Moth Night event. We are excited to follow their adventures as they move to Santa Fe, and so grateful for the many ways they have contributed to the preserve and the Preservation Society.

Please stay in touch, friends…we are going to miss you!

Henry and Judy

The Wildscape garden at 1787 Holford

Holiday Party for Society Members

Date: Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Member invitation.

No speaker in December, but for Society members only, a Holiday party at the home of Don and Barbara Baynham. Everyone brings a snack to share; drinks are provided. We relax, chat about nature, and tell stories.
If you are not yet a member, it is never too late! Go to our website which now has on-line payment – springcreekforest.org. Or contact Barbara Baynham at 972-495-3569 or email to Barbara_baynham2005@yahoo.com. We will gladly accept your membership form and payment (cash or check) at the party.
Members, you should have received an email invitation by now. Please let us know if you can come.

  No inflation here – Membership cost is still at our 1990 level: $20 for an individual, $25 for a family, $300 Lifetime.

15th Annual Christmas is for the Birds –
A Fun, Messy Event for Youngsters pre-school through elementary school

Date: Saturday, December 6, 2025          
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
Location: 1787 Holford Rd.

This is a super fun event for pre-school or elementary school children. Bring them to the Park Preserve where they make biodegradable bird feeders out of peanut butter and bird seed, then they hang the feeders in our forest. Yes, be prepared to get a bit messy. Everything is supplied at the event.

• We have all the supplies ready for you.
• Even so, some folks make their own feeder treats at home and bring them to hang on the trees.
• Biodegradable bird feeder ornaments must be hung with cotton yarn or string. The birds will use the string later for making their nests. Do not use metal, plastic, or fishing line for hangers. They are dangerous for birds and wildlife because they might ingest it and injure themselves. If you make bird feeder ornaments at home, please bring them to the park ready to hang.
• Some examples of biodegradable bird feeders:
  • Pinecones coated in peanut butter and rolled in bird seed.
  • Strings of fresh or dried berries. (Use cotton string.)
  • Strings of non-buttered popcorn. (Use cotton string.)

2^nd Saturday Work Session –
Trail Maintenance at Halff Park*

Date: December 13, 2025
Time: 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Location: Halff Park at Ranger Drive*

We will work on the trails going out of Halff Park to get them ready for folks to enjoy. We also might gather seeds of native plants to help with the re-growth of the areas impacted by the sewer project. We break into teams and each team has a knowledgeable leader.

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. We don’t want anyone working in the forest or on the prairie if there is a chance of lightning strikes.

• Safety Information: Each work session begins with a safety briefing.
• BRING WATER and bug repellent.
• 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.

          *Note that due to the destruction and hopeful reconstruction of the Halff Park area of the Preserve, we might have to change the location of the walk for your safety. Please check our website or Facebook page for last minute information.

4th Sunday Nature Walk – no walk, see January 1

Start the New Year Right Nature Walk

Date: Thursday, January 1, 2026
Time: Walks start every 10 or 15 minutes from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
LOCATION CHANGE TO: 1770 Holford Dr.

Start your new year with a refreshing walk in the Preserve. Note that these are definitely walks, not hikes. Come at your convenience between 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. Small-group walks leave every 10 or 15 minutes from 9 until 10:30 a.m.

Your walk leader will be one of a team of folks who know their way around this wonderful section of our Preserve. The trails leading from 1770 Holford take us through the area originally set aside for Preserve. After walking a few yards into the forest, it is hard to believe that civilization is just a few steps away.

Note – dress for the weather and note that it might be muddy on the trails.

Inland Sea Oats in winter.

Speaker Series –
Mela Singleton – Your Wild Neighbors
Date: Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom

Your Wild Neighbors is a fun and interesting look at the wildlife most often seen in the DFW area. Mela’s presentation is full of anecdotes from wildlife rehabbers, and it highlights facts specific to different species. She will briefly discuss why certain species thrive in an urban environment. She will also explain why the practice of trapping and relocating animals is no longer approved by wildlife experts. And she will discuss some do-it-yourself exclusion techniques and other recommended procedures to keep them away from your house.

Mela has dedicated more than 20 years to animal welfare and the stewardship of local wildlife. She is the owner of 911 Wildlife and the founder and board chair of the North Texas Wildlife Center. Mela collaborates with numerous animal welfare organizations and shelters, and serves on the Wildlife Rehabilitators Committee for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. She focuses on bringing awareness to the spaces where people and wildlife intersect.

Photo – Opossum

Work Session –

Date: Saturday, January 10, 2026
Time: 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Location: 1770 Holford

We will groom the BelAir trail to make it smooth-going for walkers and we will remove the invasive Amur honeysuckle bushes. We break into teams, and each team has a knowledgeable leader.

Guided Bird Walks with Reba Collins
Dates: Saturday, January 17, 2026, and Sunday, January 18, 2026
Time: 8:00 – 9:30 a.m.
Location: 1787 Holford, Garland, TX.

Walk with Reba Collins, certified birder and world traveler, to see what birds spend the winter in Spring Creek Forest. Come for a morning walk and learn to identify some of our wintering birds.

Reservations required: Limited to 10 people for each walk. Contact Reba at rcollins20@verizon.net to reserve a spot.

Dress for the weather. If it has been raining, rain boots may be appropriate. Bring binoculars.

Photo: Cedar Waxwing visits Dallas in the winter

4th Sunday Nature Walk –
Dana Wilson – shows us how to
Identify trees in Winter

Date: Sunday, January 25, 2026
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Location: 1770 Holford Rd.

Dana is known throughout north Texas for her expertise in identifying plants and she works tirelessly to inform folks about the treasures we have in the region. She worked for the National Audubon Society for the openings of Trinity River Audubon (Dallas) and Dogwood Canyon Audubon (Cedar Hill). Her long-time love of plants keeps her busy instructing volunteers on how to gather seed and cuttings from our own native plants to help with the regrowth of the Halff Park area when the sewer project is completed.

She is a member of the North Texas Master Naturalists (class of 2001), the Native Plant Society of Texas, and she has been on the boards of our Preservation Society and Texas Discovery Gardens.

Tree – Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum alligator bark, by Vince Hale

2 Eagle Scout Projects in Progress at our Preserve

Project 1 –
Fixed Point Photography Stations for Environmental Analysis
Scout – Andrew Owen, Troop 57-B, Garland

Fixed Point Photography Stations provide photographic images of a single point in the landscape to observe the change of the environment over time – changes such as receding riverbanks, wildflower fields through the seasons, or tree lines pushing into the prairie. Images can be used to create time lapse videos and analyze changes to the landscape.

Andrew planned and supervised the installation of three photo stations on Saturday, November 21, 2025. At each station, you can put your camera phone on the prop horizontally, take your photo, and then load it to the Society site using the QR code on the post.

He recruited help from Scouts, the Garland Parks and Recreation Department, and our own Society experts. There are two locations at 1770 Holford, the Bluebird Prairie and Creek View stations, and one at 1787 Holford, the Limestone Prairie station.

The project also included creating the underlying software system used to collect, store, and process the crowdsourced photos so they can be incorporated into a timelapse video for temporal analysis. Photos you take using the stations can now be uploaded to the Society site. Final computer coding will be complete, tested, and operational soon so you can see the photos on the Society website.

Many thanks to Jay Jascott and the other staff at the Garland parks department for digging holes in the difficult terrain. Jay mentioned that this project is not only fun and informative for our Preserve friends, it enhances the Garland Parks Department geospatial assets.

Notes: Each image will be reviewed for approved content, so there may be a few days delay before posting. All images submitted to the fixed point photo collection site are submitted free of copyright, claim, or other reservation, and are explicitly granted by the photographer to be used for educational and data collection purposes on the site.

Post with phone prop
 

Project 2 –
Replace Two Eastern Screech Owl Nest Boxes
Scout – Kathryn Tate, 1857G

This Eagle project is a great example of youth leadership in action and helping out the owls that call our Preserve home. Kathryn led a conservation project to build and install new Eastern Screech Owl nest boxes in Spring Creek Forest Preserve. After old boxes became unusable, the scout organized volunteers – including other scouts and families – to gather materials, construct, and properly install the new boxes.

The project emphasizes planning, teamwork, and safety, with all steps carefully documented and overseen. We hope the new owl houses will be used by our local owls for nesting in the spring.

Old box

New box

Help us spread the word…
          This unfortunate lizard was spotted recently in our Preserve. It is a Bearded Dragon which is a non-native animal species.

These non-natives can either severely damage the ecosystem, just like non-native invasive plants can. (I’m sure you have read about the damage pythons have done to the eco-system in the Everglades.) Or, they can die from starvation, exposure, or thirst because they don’t know where to find food, water, and safe cover from weather they are not able to tolerate.

Please help us spread the word that NO animals should be dropped off in an unfamiliar area to survive on their own. Please tell your friends to call the city animal control instead.

This guy had a happy ending – he/she was found and taken home by reptile handlers. He is now safely in his perfect environment – 80 degrees with a sip of water on the side.

Photos by Nancy and Steve Boeding

On the Prairie

Safe and getting warm

Relaxing in the new home

Fall Colors at Spring Creek Park Preserve

Photo by David Parrish

The Executive Committee usually meets once a month. The meetings are open to the public. For information, please contact us at springcreekforestpreservation@gmail.com.