Comments from the Society Facebook Page
as of August 4, 2025
https://www.facebook.com/groups/113504751995744
(Note: These are excerpted comments, not the full, verbatim comment. The web editor wants to keep the comments as factual, verifiable information rather than opinion.)
Posted July 27, 2025
Save Spring Creek Forest – It’s not just trees. It is an ecosystem – a community of living organisms interacting with each other and with their physical environment.
Posted July 22, 2025
The city advertised that the “road” was only 12-20 feet wide. We only found it 12′ in a couple of places for a few feet. I took a tape measure. On average it was at least 25′ and probably 30′ wide with a number of locations where it was 50′ to 100′.
They scraped it down to the dirt. The only thing surviving in this area are our beloved poison ivy and green briar.
Every 50′ to 100′, the workers would push all the dirt, trees, and shrubs off to the side. This creates walls which hikers can’t easily or safely traverse and prevents us from using the trail.
They made a couple of earthen roads across drainage lines and pushed a lot of debris into the drainage ditches. This will all prevent water from draining to the creek. The backed-up water will stagnate and be a marvelous habitat for mosquitoes. They also had some big low spots in the “road” that will collect a lot of water.
All the removed vegetation piles, up to 10′ high or more, will remain an eyesore for decades.
Although our trail is unusable at this point, some sections did survive, and a lot of work will have to be done to connect them.
The large floods to this area will likely wipe out this “road” in a number of places.
They “left” a number of large trees beside or in the “road”. They have sustained damage to their trunks by bark being knocked off, the dirt being removed down into the root ball and the soil around them being compacted. These trees will be dying in the near future causing safety concerns.
For all of you who walk the trails, be on the lookout for any type of markings – paint on trees, flags, construction/warning tape, tags. Any of these might be an indication that the authorities have something bad planned for the area.
The devastation to this area is very depressing. As a photographer, using my widest 24mm lens, I could not capture it all.
July 22, 2025
I went to Garland City Hall and attended the [work session] meeting. Spring Creek Forest Preserve has been a uniquely special place for me, for many years. A place I have healed, meditated, journaled and found peace. I hope the City of Garland does the right thing.
July 22, 2025
The poison ivy was already spreading along the road. My heart is broken.
July 22, 2025 – Posted by Mayor Dylan Hedrick
Thank you to everyone who came out tonight to speak about the recent impact to the Spring Creek Forest Preserve. If you weren’t able to attend, I encourage you to watch the meeting at garlandtx.swagit.com.
Your Council heard you clearly: this was not acceptable, and it must not happen again. We understand that trust in your city government is earned over many years, but can be lost in a moment. We are committed to rebuilding that trust — starting now.
What’s Next:
We have engaged the engineering and landscape architecture firm Kimley-Horn to help us address and repair the damage that occurred. Before any contract is signed, we will share their proposed scope of work with the Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest. Their expertise and input are vital to ensuring we get this right.
Our Commitment Moving Forward:
Your Council will strengthen policies to ensure this kind of incident does not happen again. We will provide updates as this work progresses in future Work Sessions so you can see that words are turning into action.
We are grateful for a community that holds us accountable and loves our natural spaces. While we can’t undo what’s been done, we are committed to thoughtful steps that will help this special place heal and continue to thrive.
July 07, 2025
It’s not a straight road, but one that wanderings alongside the creek bed. It is 10-12 feet at the narrowest points but often is up to 40 feet wide because they cleared areas to the side. At one point, an oak tree seemed to be in the way, so they went around it on both sides. Gullies were filled in to make them easier to [drive across].
July 02, 2025
Two areas of the Spring Creek Greenbelt in Garland have sustained significant damage. Fred Harris Greenbelt Park on the West near Shiloh Road and a strip (road) between the GP&L utility corridor east of Halff Park and North Garland Ave, estimated at about 1.5 miles long and 12-20 feet wide. It is a mix of City and County properties. Everyone that loves these natural areas is dealing with the full range of emotions. The City is hiring a forest restoration contractor to work on restoration efforts. We cannot undo the damage, but can get the area back on its way to recovery for our great-great grandkids.
