Friends of Bachman Lake Newsletter - August 2023
“It’s a sure sign of summer if the chair gets up when you do.”— Walter Winchell
An Update on the Bachman Nature Trails...they are happening!
This is such big news that we are dedicating a huge chunk of our August newsletter to an update on the nature trails! Many of you have donated money over the years to help reclaim the 40-acres of lost park land in the Bachman Greenbelt. Your trust in us to make this dream a reality is something we took very seriously. Challenges abounded, from having to pivot and battle the planned airport north entrance, to COVID and finally financial gaps because we did not initially realize how many foot bridges we would need. Yet here we are, a little less than four years later and work has begun!
Back in May, the Parks Department began removal of a major section of privet on the eastern side of the greenbelt. This included the removal of privet within a closed-off fence that used to belong to the FAA and Love Field airport. The fence itself will also be removed this summer and we estimate that this work will make accessible about 3 acres of park. Of course, the next challenge we are working on with the Parks Department is controlling the re-growth. Even goats are being considered to keep the privet at bay!
Friends of Bachman Lake has been discussing the nature trails with Greenspace Dallas for years because we were so inspired by their work at the Frasier Dam Recreation Area. As you know, Bachman Lake Park is very urban and we all agreed that the greenbelt needed to remain natural and native. The corridor established by the Parks Department is facilitating the nature trail 'construction', as the eastern section is where the piles of privet are being staged for removal. The trail will extend to the area behind the Embassy Suites, connecting to the deteriorated asphalt trail which leads to the Bachman Lake Trail itself.
The Greenspace team is dedicated and talented - you can see the results of their efforts in the before and after pictures below.
The nature trails will be accessed from Lemmon Ave and Northwest Highway, this is where a QT gas station is going to be built. As you probably have figured out, the construction is extremely delayed. Here is a mock-up of the plans:
If you are interested in helping us move the project forward, come join the volunteer clean-up scheduled on August 26th. You can add the event to your calendar from the events section of our home page. We could use the power of community and YOU can make a huge difference!
We are also excited to be partnering on this project with RootedIn, a local landscape design firm that specializes in Texas natives. Our little greenbelt could be a showcase of plants and trees if we can just get the invasive species under control! We know that as the native plants get space to grow, that the insect diversity will increase, helping birds and pollinators.
By the end of the year, we hope to have:
A nature trail welcome area built somewhere behind the Embassy Suites
Trash cleared from all the homeless encampments
More privet removed and also removal of invasive tree species (ligustrum).
Signage showcasing native trees (there are some amazing Burr oaks back there) and plants. Note that we are working with Texas Conservation Alliance to buy and grow these for us!
Benches and trash bins installed (provided by the Parks Department)
More native trees planted working in conjunction with the City Arborist
We will need volunteers over the next couple of years to help care for the trees and plants. If you know of schools, garden clubs, or non-profits that have this as a mission and want to help, please let us know. (info@friendsofbachmanlake.org)
Neighbors in the Know
Our online community-focused series, Neighbors in the Know, resumes on August 9th at noon with a conversation with urban design firm TBG Partners. We're excited to work with TBG Partners in creating a vision and plan for our area that addresses key concerns such as safe crossings, more green space and enhancing our recreational footprint with biking, walking trails and more. Join the Zoom session or watch us on Facebook Live. The recording will be available on Facebook after the session so you can watch later!
Add to your calendar: Outlook/Apple (.ics), Google Calendar
Looking fine while doing good
Friends of Bachman Lake recently created our very first t-shirt with the help of Dan Bradley and his local custom printing company, Bullzerk. Dan and his team print every shirt manually at their warehouse on Hall St. and are proud to be a mainstay of Dallas, partnering with local charities and organizations and investing the proceeds right back into our communities.
Do you want one of your own?
We are getting ready to start placing our next batch of orders for Bachman Lake t-shirts! For every $20 donation, you can order a t-shirt up to 4 total shirts. You'll have the chance to specify each size. Order here!
Once we place the order and it's printed, we'll let you know at the email you provide so we can tell you how to pick it up. Our goal is to have the next batch of shirts ready for pickup as early as our upcoming cleanup event on the 26th of August. However, since times depend our our provider, we'll let you know for sure!
Our Monthly Cleanup is every first Saturday!
You just need you but feel free to add friends and family to our monthly Plogging activities. Basically, it's picking up litter while jogging (or walking). A bag, some company if you like and a trip around the lake will help you stay active and healthy and keep the park beautiful!
See you this month!
Our ‘meeting of the minds’ at Bluffview Growler is on the 4th Wednesday of the month. No RSVP needed. Show up, say hello, grab a beverage and come sit with us to have some laughs and great talk!
Thank you for reading the Friends of Bachman Lake newsletter. Do you want to join the mailing list? Are you already on the list and need to update your information? Just click on the link below!