Not only a new look, but we also finally have online payment for membership or donation with credit or debit cards, or your PayPal account. Or, you can still download a membership form and send a check.

Many thanks to former executive committee member Becky Sans for all the hours she spent organizing and updating information before we were ready to hire the website design and development company, Xeara, owned by Lynn Stanphill. (See Xeara.com) Mr. Stanphill is teaching several of us volunteers how to do the editing on the site so the Society can save money by doing its own site maintenance.

Do you like Fireflies?
Of course! Who doesn’t love to see these creatures lighting up the summer evening. But to have them, you must start now by leaving your leaves in your beds. According to the Dallas Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas, “…fireflies overwinter in the leaf litter that accumulates in the fall. Disposing of leaf litter eliminates habitat, food sources, and collateral damage may include the discard of other insect life such as praying mantis egg cases.” Please don’t destroy your leaves. Leave them on the ground in your flower beds all winter. As it warms in the spring, you might be rewarded with your own fireflies.

 

December 2023

Christmas is for the Birds – 13th Annual
Date: Saturday, December 2, 2023
Location: 1787 Holford
Time: 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

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.

See our website, springcreekforest.org Event page for more recipes.

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Holiday Party for Society Members –
Date: Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Location: 5806 Firecrest Drive, Garland, TX
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

No speaker in December, but for Society members only, a Holiday party at the home of Don and Barbara Baynham. Everyone bring a snack to share; drinks are provided. We relax, chat about nature, and tell stories.

If you are not yet a member, but would like to come to the party, call 972-495-3569 or send an email to Barbara_baynham2005@yahoo.com. We will gladly accept your membership form and payment (cash or check) at the party. Membership cost is still at our 1990 level – no inflation here – $20 for an individual, $25 for a family, $300 Lifetime.

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Monthly Work Session
Date: December 09, 2023
Time: 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Location: 1770 Holford Road

We will work on clearing a pretty little pocket prairie that is near the concrete path – taking out a few encroaching brush and trees, but also scattering some native prairie plant seeds.

We break into teams and each team has a knowledgeable volunteer, so you know exactly what to do. 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:

• BRING WATER and insect 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.

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4^th Sunday Nature Walk
December – no walk in December, but we make it up to you with a Start-Your-New-Year-Right Walk on January 1.

 

Start-Your-New-Year-Right Nature Walk –
Date: Monday January 1, 2024
Time: 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Location: Halff Park at Ranger Drive

Start your new year with a refreshing walk in the Preserve. Your walk leader will be one of several folks who know their way around this wonderful section of our Preserve. The trail leading from Halff Park takes us through some of the biggest trees in the Preserve. This is also the most wild section. After walking a few yards into the forest, it is hard to believe that civilization is just a few steps away.

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Speaker Series – Amy Martin, Author of Wild DFW
Date: Tuesday, January 2, 2024
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom

Amy’s presentation, Wild DFW: Never See North Texas Nature the Same Way Again, is a photo-filled tour of 25 top nature spaces in North Texas from Amy Martin’s book Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth (Timber Press).Author and naturalist Amy Martin nearly died four years ago from a severely broken neck. She learned to walk again by hiking natural trails. Those hikes are an integral part of Wild DFW. Hear her inspiring story woven with rhapsodic passages from the book. Learn how a little knowledge about natural history and ecology can transform your perception of North Texas nature.

Astounding color photos bring alive peak experiences from the 25 featured hiking adventures through hardwood bottomland forests and Eastern Cross Timbers, soaring limestone escarpments, lush wetlands, and rare remnants of Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies. Get to know a diverse community of volunteers working for nature.

A journalist and writer for over 40 years, Amy Martin is the author of several nature books. She is currently senior features writer for Green Source DFW. Martin sits on the Dallas County Open Space’s Trails and Preserves Program board and serves as state social media director for Native Prairies Association of Texas. For twelve years, she managed wildlife habitat rehabilitation on a private nature preserve in northeast Texas, including converting fifteen acres of pasture into tallgrass prairie. She is a certified Texas Master Naturalist with the North Texas chapter. Find her writings at Moonlady.com.

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Special Events –
Bird Walks with Reba
Dates: Saturday, January 13 and Sunday, January 14
Location: 1787 Holford Road
Time: 8:00 – 9:30 a.m.

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. Reba recently returned from a “bucket list” trip to India to see the incredible birds in that part of the world. Ask her about the leech boots they got to wear!

• Bring binoculars.
• 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.

Cedar Waxwing – A favorite bird that comes to Dallas for the winter

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Monthly Work Session
Date: January 13, 2024
Time: 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Location: Halff Park at Ranger Drive

Trail maintenance is due on the trails that lead from Halff Park. You might be lopping back overgrowth, toting off downed tree limbs, weed-whacking back grasses from the trail. Of course, picking up any trash you might see.

We break into teams and each team has a knowledgeable volunteer, so you know exactly what to do.
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.

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4th Sunday Walk – Amy Martin
A Walk in the Wilds of Garland
Date: January 28, 2024
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Location: Halff Park at Ranger drive 

Amy Martin leads us from Halff Park down the Ranger Trail. Our own Spring Creek Forest Preserve is the first adventure described in Amy Martin’s book Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth (Timber Press). It is indeed an honor to be included this wonderful collection of nature walk stories. It also helps to bring new people to the Preserve. Sometimes folks live nearby but have never heard of Spring Creek Forest Preserve. Newcomers are always surprised to learn this special area has been here all along.

Amy will have books for sale at the walk on the 28^th. Also, people that already own books can bring them to be autographed.