Friends of Bachman Lake Newsletter - February 2024
“In the Year of the Dragon, may our goals be as bold as a dragon’s flight and our achievements as impressive as its scales!” - In celebration of Chinese New Year
A Plan 80 Years in the Making!
The Bartholomew Plan, which was developed for the City of Dallas in the early 1940s, recommended a system of Parks & Parkways that leveraged the creeks in the Trinity River Basin to create a ring of green around the city. Bachman was a part of this plan but as we all know, the only portion of Bartholomew's Parks and Parkways that was implemented was in East Dallas.
Read more about the presentation to Dallas Parks Board on proposals from the urban design and landscape firm, TBG Partners.
Invasive Privet Will Require Attention For Some Time
If you keep hearing us continually talking about invasive privet, it's not an issue just at the Bachman Lake Greenbelt. This is an issue throughout our region.
The video below from CBS News Texas gives an up-close perspective from the Bachman Greenbelt to show how various non-native species can overtake the plants and trees that should be here along the Greenbelt. A big thanks to Patrick Dickenson from RootedIn for helping to highlight the issue and for working with us in this restoration project
Source: CBS News Texas
Starting the Year Off Right!
A huge thank you to the Texas Conservation Alliance volunteers that joined us on January 27th to clean-up along the Bachman Greenbelt. Approximately 426.13 pounds of litter were removed by 23 volunteers! Bachman Lake is a great resource for the local community to enjoy nature. It also provides a habitat for wildlife, including ducks and geese. These volunteers are an example to our community, encouraging the preservation of this wildlife habitat, a beautiful space for people to enjoy nature and a healthier Trinity Watershed!
Clean-ups like these are crucial to protecting habitats and the wildlife that call them home. By limiting our single-use plastic consumption, we can help prevent litter from entering waterways and landscapes. We encourage individuals to take preventative action by minimizing the use of plastic products and embracing alternatives whenever possible.
Here are a few ideas:
Use reusable water bottles
Carry tote bags and reuse shopping bags
Choose items without single-use packaging
Avoid using balloons and single-use plastic party decorations
Land Use Plan Could Be Missing the Mark at Bachman
The latest Forward Dallas map came out recently and we remain perplexed as to why the City continues to push levels of development in the Bachman Area that are not appropriate. Note that this is the only non-highway location (think 635, 75 and I-35) in Dallas where they put a Regional Mixed Use designation (the dark burgundy).
We feel the Northwest Highway corridor by Bachman should be Neighborhood Mixed Use because of the population density, proximity to the park, and highly pedestrian community (very few cars owned). We have requested these changes but now we're not sure that the consultants over this effort really read the community comments over the past several months. We've been told that having three huge retailers in the vicinity is the key reason for the designation as Regional Mixed Use but we know we can do better for the community. Wish us luck as we push for a reassessment ... and stay tuned.
In case you missed these newsy Instagram posts on good things that happen when you ask....Yes, it took multiple tries and multiple years, but who's counting?
The Webb Chapel Extension Road Diet (traffic lane reduction to accommodate pedestrians and bicycles during dam reconstruction) has been implemented and the alternate trail is in place. The construction of the dam is a two year project.
Note that we are already getting requests that the City of Dallas make this change permanent!
The trail along Lemmon Avenue, from Mockingbird to the Webb Chapel bridge off of Shorecrest, is underway and moving quickly!
This project will create safe passage to Bachman Lake for the neighborhoods to the East of Love Field airport and includes the installation of two pieces of art along the trail and updates to Midway Manor Park.
When we heard that the Bachman Lake Trail was going to be closed due to the dam reconstruction, we raised concerns and the good folks at Dallas Water Utilities listened.
In addition to building the new sidewalk in front of the Bachman Recreation Center and creating the protected lane on Webb Chapel Ext, they also widened and secured the sidewalk along Denton Drive!
The new signal lights at Timberline and Webb Chapel Ext is finally installed and running. This has been a top community request for years because of the number of pedestrian accidents and deaths.
A big thank you to our D6 leadership for helping champion this through! Having this corner move into D6 made a difference.
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!
Every 4th Wednesday
Our meeting of the minds is at the Bluffview Growler on NW Highway every 4th Wednesday of the month. This causal neighborly gathering features fun and good conversation over snacks and beverages.
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