Ever wonder if your afternoon stroll around the lake could actually change the world? Welcome to citizen science, essentially "science by non-scientists" where regular community members help professional researchers study the planet.

🌿 Ever heard of a BioBlitz? It’s a fast-paced nature scavenger hunt where YOU help scientists document local wildlife! Join the global City Nature Challenge 2026 (April 24–27) by snapping photos of plants and animals and uploading them to iNaturalist. Right here in Dallas, explore the hidden biodiversity at Bachman Lake and Bachman Greenbelt—from birds and turtles to wildflowers and butterflies

April newsletter features a new partnership, a dam rebuilt, Greenbelt focus, bees and T's!

Learning to swim is a skill that has benefits far beyond physical health and mental well-being, but it can also save lives. Swimming is a powerful, all-encompassing activity and Dallas Aquatics believes every child should be allowed the opportunity to learn. Each summer, 500 Teach a Child to Swim scholarships are made available and these are only possible through donations from citizens and corporate sponsorships. We are lucky to have an aquatic center at Bachman. If you know

iNaturalist is a popular mobile app that helps people identify plants, animals, and other living organisms while contributing to real scientific research. Developed through a collaboration between the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic Society, the app turns everyday nature observations into valuable biodiversity data. Using iNaturalist, users can take photos of plants, insects, birds, fungi, or other organisms they encounter and upload them to the platfor

Because you’ve shown such meaningful support for Friends of Bachman Lake, we wanted you to be among the first to hear some exciting news. We’re honored to share that Friends of Bachman Lake has been selected for the Texan by Nature Conservation Wrangler program, one of the most competitive and respected conservation accelerators in Texas. This recognition celebrates our work restoring the Bachman Greenbelt and reimagining it as a thriving space for both people and nature. Rea

Scenes from the March 31, 2026 Ribbon Cutting Celebration marking the completion of the Bachman Lake Dam and Spillway Rehabilitation Project Did you know the Bachman Lake Dam was originally built in 1901 to provide water for the City of Dallas? This early infrastructure played a crucial role in the city's development, but as Dallas grew rapidly, the dam’s capacity quickly became insufficient. That led to the construction of the larger White Rock Lake Dam, designed to meet the

Last summer, as we admired the bees in the meadow, we decided we needed to learn more about them to make sure that the changes we made would be beneficial to insects and pollinators. Our research led us to Dr. Elinor Lichtenberg, an expert on bees, with a lab at the University of North Texas. We are so glad we talked with her as it has helped guide how we want to handle mowing in the meadow and dissuaded us from building bee houses. What did we learn? There are 200 to 400 bee

A (Lunar) new year, the privet's gone (but not forgotten), the pool water's not ready, the dam water is. See the amazing transformation at the Greenbelt. All in this month's newsletter!