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Caring is Contagious

The biggest changes to Bachman Lake Park and the Greenbelt are the natural result of advocacy and perseverance. But the biggest reason things have been happening for the better is the increasing number of volunteers.

Volunteers help clear brush at the Bachman Greenbelt on Gables Day in 2024
Volunteers help clear brush at the Bachman Greenbelt on Gables Day in 2024

In a few short years, Bachman Lake Park has gone from an afterthought in danger of being drained to a trickle to favor airport traffic, to a true recreational jewel that is finally shedding the last stubborn vestiges of a less than ideal reputation. When Friends of Bachman Lake formed, it was boots on the ground from day one. First mission: Save the lake. The group had to establish a presence and create momentum that would lead to real change. Every turn was a challenge and help was needed. Soliciting volunteers became a priority.


Volunteers have become advocates. Volunteers have become voices. And when voices speak loudly through words and actions, stakeholders in city government take notice. This is why we are here today on the verge of celebrating yet another incredible accomplishment for Bachman Lake Park – the opening of the only concrete skate park in the city this May.


Consider these milestones:


  • Dredging instead of draining saved the lake's footprint and became a cost-effective solution to silt and debris build-up.

  • Dallas Water Utilities began work to rebuild the hundred-year-old dam to improve water runoff and create a more inviting and aesthetically pleasing Bachman Lake Trail.

  • A new regional aquatic center opened in 2023.

  • Park Rangers and Marshals now monitor the park on weekends for bird feeding and other violations as well as disruptive or illegal activities.

  • Friends of Bachman Lake launched Project Greenbelt – an effort to restore 40 acres east of the lake to its natural state. The ongoing project includes the creation of biking and walking paths, bridges and native vegetation.

  • Funds were secured in 2024 to revamp the playground areas.

  • Patrick Hamner founds the BachmanROC Rowing Club to augment and leverage existing rowing infrastructure and activities at the lake and bring the sport of competitive rowing to high school students in the Bachman Lake community.

  • 38 Texas native trees were planted at Bachman Lake Park on the Shorecrest side.

  • The Airport Lemmon Avenue Trail, long championed by Friends of Bachman Lake and other community members, will be completed and connected to the Bachman Lake Trail in 2025.

  • The Bachman Lake Skate Park is set to open in 2025.

  • Multiple cleanup and restoration events have been held involving several corporate, envoronmental, civic and government organizations and the park has not been cleaner and more appealing in decades.


This could not happen without volunteers who are now coming to us asking how they can be a part of this great transformation, rather than the other way around.


Most recently, Earth Day 2025 was a celebration of true volunteerism with hundreds of eager helpers from Southwest Airlines, helping to refresh the decomposed granite around the pavilion, repaint the entry gates, pick up trash, plant wildflower seeds, and refill the compost in the playground!




Since 2019, we have seen Bachman Lake Park emerge from the shadows of its larger counterpart out east with its own vigor and its own identity. This has truly become the community's park whose reputation for punching above its weight has landed it among the most talked about green spaces in Dallas in recent memory. We are grateful to all who have been a part of this journey!


 




 
 
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