October 2026 Announcement

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

Contact the Society: springcreekforestpreservation@gmail.com

Update on Sewer Project –

September 3, 2026 – Excerpt from Christina Hickey email

I wanted to provide an update on where we are with the overall inspection effort since it has been about a month since our last update. During that time, we have made three separate attempts to complete portions of the sewer inspection using the new technology and we did make some progress. The inspection team was able to capture video of the segment we were previously missing south of Garland Avenue through the Winters Park area. However, they were unsuccessful in inspecting the portion between Holford Road and Garland Avenue.

We have worked through several possible next steps and are now taking an incremental approach—gaining access to one manhole at a time and determining how far ACE Pipeline [the contactor hired to perform the inspection] can advance the inspection from each newly accessible location. The work planned for next week is the next step in that process, and what we learn will help determine where we proceed from there.

This work is weather dependent. While I know we would all welcome some rain, rainfall that raises the creek level could delay these efforts.

We appreciate everyone’s continued patience and cooperation as we work through the challenging access conditions in this area. I will continue to provide updates as we make progress.

Thank you,

Christina Hickey, PE
Engineering Services Administrator
City of Garland Water

The photo of the creek by Reba Collins was taken on September 8, 2026, looking east from the 1787 Holford chalk bluff towards manhole under the bridge. The creek is reflecting the yellow sky at dusk. The photo shows the concrete sewer manhole directly under the bridge encircled by sandbags so the water can be pumped out to expose the manhole.

Photo: under the bridge at 1787 Holford

Detail of manhole:

Our Volunteers are at Work Again

Many hands made light work

          We kicked off the 2026/2027 season of workdays at Spring Creek on September 12. What a delight, to work with this great group!

And we got so much accomplished: 6 big grocery bags of chaff left over from seed cleaning spread on the prairie, many bags of trash collected, a tree blocking the North Garland Trail cut and removed, 2 bags of Canada wild rye seed collected, and MANY trip hazards removed all along the way from the entrance at Halff Park to the loop where we exit the prairie behind the Culwell Center.

          Join us for our October 10 workday, 1787 Holford on Sat., 9-11am, as we expand and groom our pocket prairies.

Thank you, NTT Data!

For the third year in a row, volunteers from NTT Data in Garland spent 3 hours cleaning trash in the Halff Park (east) section of the preserve. This year, they worked in conjunction with the Volunteer Garland program.

Groups like this are a blessing to the preserve, and we’d love to work with your group to create a special volunteer activity. Email springcreekforestpreservation@gmail.com for more information.

Where am I?

So you think you know the trails at Spring Creek Forest? Let’s just see about that!

In this new feature for the Preservation Society’s monthly e-newsletter, we’ll highlight some unique feature or an unusual sight along one of our paved or natural-surface trails.

If you recognize where it is, e-mail us at springcreekforestpreservation@gmail.com. We’ll reveal the location and the identity of the first eagle-eyed naturalist to correctly identify the location in the following month’s newsletter.

This month’s challenge: have you seen this crazy-looking tree…and WHERE IS IT?

Speaker Series – Mia Whitham
Dallas County Open Spaces Role in Local Conservation

Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89187002517?pwd=Ujc1UTEyVjNNbDhUUFJYMjFCV2lNdz09

Meeting ID: 891 8700 2517
Passcode: 212786

Our Spring Creek Preserve is actually owned by Dallas County Open Spaces (DCOS). Via a long-time agreement with the city of Garland, DCOS relies on Garland Parks and Recreation Department to manage the day-to-day requirements of the sites.

The DCOS Program is a division of Dallas County Planning & Development and, including our Spring Creek Preserve, is made up of 21 preserves on over 4,000 acres of public land. Mia Whitham has served as the Administrator for the Dallas County Parks and Open Space Program since 2021.

Mia collaborates with 13 municipal partners and one special district on the management of 18 of the preserves and she oversees over 1,300 acres across three preserves in the County’s unincorporated area. She took the lead to create the 2024 Dallas County Open Space Plan – the first master plan for the Program in over 30 years. Mia focuses on enhancing preserve amenities, conditions, and access as well as supporting the County’s valued management partners.

Mia holds degrees in Forestry and Biology. She started her career as a park ranger and worked in regional planning prior to her role at Dallas County. She is a Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) and a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM).

2^nd Saturday Work Session

Date: Saturday, October 10, 2026
Time: 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Location: 1787 Holford Road

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

You could be clearing trails of ragweed or other overgrowth, taking out invasive plants, opening up the prairie, even picking up trash.

• Close-toed shoes are mandatory. Heavy work gloves, long pants, and protective eyewear are recommended for your protection from poison ivy and thorns.
• BRING WATER and insect repellent.
• 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 2 Volunteer Hours on the “Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest – natural resource management” project.
• You can address questions to Dana Wilson, 469.531.6856 or danawilson59@yahoo.com.

10th Annual Tri-City Cleanup

Date: Saturday, October 10, 2026
Time: 8:00 a.m. – noon
Location: Begin at Hella Shrine Temple at 8:00 to check in, then go to your chosen location to work.
Halff Park at Ranger Drive is the designated location for the Preserve.

  The Registration site is open. At the Preserve, Halff Park area will be listed for cleanup the site. Join volunteers from Garland, Rowlett, and Dallas as we work together to help protect Lake Ray Hubbard and its surrounding parks, trails, and waterways. The Preserve is part of this ecosystem – Spring Creek joins Rowlett Creek, which empties into Lake Ray Hubbard.

Whether you’re a first-time volunteer or a longtime litter getter, there’s a place for everyone to make a difference.

Create your account or log in at VolunteerGarland.org. Registration is open.

4th Sunday Nature Walk – Taylor Quedensley
Identify Lichen in the Forest

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

Taylor will walk us through the forest to discover these tiny growth forms.

          Lichens have structures that are very small to see, and he strongly encourages each participant to purchase a 10 x hand lens (loupe) or other magnifying glass prior to the walk around the property. One can be purchased for $7-$12.

During our walk we will observe all three lichen growth forms (crustose, foliose, fruticose), and several common genera such as Parmotrema, Pertusaria, Puctelia, Caloplaca, and Candelaria.

Taylor grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has studied horticulture in many places: the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, the San Francisco Botanical Garden where he grew New World cloud forest species, University of Nebraska-Omaha, and the University of Texas at Austin where he researched sunflower species in Mexican and Guatemalan cloud forests. Currently, Taylor is the manager at Cox Farms Nursery in Duncanville and holds a research appointment through the University of Texas herbarium in Austin.

Photo 1: Physcia aipolia – a foliose lichen on bark with grey, circular apothecia.

Photo 2: Diploschistes scruposus – a crustose lichen on soil with black apothecia.

Speaker Series – Ben Pfeiffer
Enchanting Fireflies – They Light up Your Life

Date: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom

Join Ben for a fascinating exploration of Texas’ enchanting fireflies, where you’ll discover the diverse species that light up the Lone Star State’s wild landscapes. Ben has done extensive research on Texas firefly taxa, highlighting the fascinating species found in nearby river basins and riparian areas.

He will show us how to identify common firefly species and learn their flash patterns so you can recognize them in the wild. You’ll also discover why fireflies flash and how they use light to attract mates. Additionally, he will discuss specific threats that are causing fireflies to disappear in many areas of the United States. Ben will then explain how to certify your property as a firefly habitat, suggest native plants you can grow to help them, and share other ways you can contribute to saving these iconic insects.

In 2009, Ben founded Firefly Conservation & Research. It is a recognized firefly conservation and educational organization working to conserve fireflies and their habitats through conservation, education, and research efforts. The mission is to help lead the charge to conserve fireflies in the US and illuminate the threats to their existence. Fireflies are important components of our riparian ecosystems, and their dazzling flashes are well known. Our enjoyment of them is part of the human experience with nature and helps us to understand how vital their habitats are to our planet and why they must be preserved for future generations.

In addition, Ben is a recognized public speaker and science educator whose research work focuses on Texas and North American firefly species. He is working to document the Texas and Southwest firefly diversity and its natural history regarding their life cycle, preferred habitat, and unique flash patterns. His research is helping to illuminate much of this never before collected information about Texas’s incredibly rich firefly diversity so that others can work to preserve and enjoy it.

He is a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Firefly Working group. He frequently works with groups like Xerces, Texas Parks & Wildlife, Master Naturalists, The Nature Conservancy, land trusts, state and local commissions, private landowners, and others. Ben studied Biology at Texas State University and is a certified Master Naturalist. He is a 6th generation Texan and has spent most of his life working to understand Texas ecology and its unique diversity.

Photo: Ben Pfeiffer

Photo: Firefly

2^nd Saturday Work Session

Date: Saturday, November 14, 2026
Time: 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Location: 1770 Holford Road

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

You could be clearing trails of ragweed or other overgrowth, taking out invasive plants, opening up the prairie, even picking up trash.

4th Sunday Nature Walk – Tom Frey
Our Preserve changes through the Years

Date: Sunday, November 22, 2026
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Location: 1770 Holford Road

Tom will walk us through the forest and as we walk, he will discuss the forest as he found it in the 1980s, when he assisted with the establishment of the Preserve.

Tom has been associated with our Preserve long before it was designated Preserve. He was a landscape architect with the Garland Parks Department, working for GPD Director Jim Stone, all during the time in the 1980s when the area was being evaluated.

He worked with many people such as Bobby Scott, the young Garland citizen who nudged and pushed and insisted that the area to be set aside as a preserve. Tom guided many regional experts on walks through the forest. The experts represented the best of Texas botanists and conservationists, and they sent correspondence about our preserve’s unique qualities to advocate for it to be named as a preserve. The experts were from, among others, BRIT, The Nature Conservancy, UT at Austin, Texas Natural Heritage Program, Texas Dept of Water Resource, SMU, US Fish and Wildlife.

So… you see that the designation of this area as Preserve, was no happy accident. It is the culmination of hours and months of advocacy and Tom Frey was there throughout the process.

Tom became the adviser and intermediary when the Society was formed in 1989. And still, although now retired, he is available to the Society for advice and to lead walks and to be a featured speaker so we can keep the history of the Preserve alive.

Tom Frey leading a winter walk

Guided Bird Walks with Reba Collins

Dates: Saturday, November 28 and Sunday, November 29, 2026
Time: 8:00 – 9:30 a.m.
Location: 1787 Holford Rd.

Reservations required – rcollins20@verizon.net

Walk with Reba Collins, certified birder and world traveler, to see what birds are in Spring Creek Forest in late fall after Thanksgiving. Come for a morning walk and find out.

Contact Reba at rcollins20@verizon.net to reserve a spot. We require reservations on these walks to keep the groups limited to 10 people. Birds hide when too many people are tromping through the area.

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

Photo: Male and Female Cardinals

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