Friends of Bachman Lake - February
- Friends of Bachman Lake
- 18 hours ago
- 6 min read
"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." – Albert Einstein
🎶 I Can See Clearly Now ... 🎶
It's still early in the year but things are happening at the Bachman Lake Greenbelt at a nice clip lately. Speaking of clips, machinery got to work this month uprooting and mulching away at the invasive privet that has obsucred so much of the Greenbelt and choked off native vegetation. The work was made possible by an extremely generous donation which allowed us to hire a company to do the clearing in weeks, not months or even years.
Think about all the clean-up, planting, watering, path design and clearing done by caring community members and groups like Greenspace Dallas, Rooted In, The Gables, Southwest Airlines, Dallas Park and Recreation and so many others! Then think about all that work being blanketed over by the invasive growth if left to its own devices. That has been the challenge from the beginning.
The privet will try and come back, and likely with a [wood] chip on its shoulder, but with the help of our volunteers and some very kind donations, we can stay far ahead of it. The progress is really gaining momentum and now that you can see clearly from one side to the other, the path to a natural oasis in our very own corner of the city is becoming a reality.
The transformation has been amazing and we recommend a visit to see the progress!
Bachman Lake Dam Reconstruction is Almost Complete
Dallas Water Utilities is in the final stretch of the Bachman Lake Dam reconstruction project and you might have noticed a few changes.
The Bachman Lake Trail is being restored to its original path, no longer needing a lane off of Webb Chapel Extension. Additionally, the finishing touches are being put on section of the trail that goes over the dam, complete with new pavement, lights and soon, benches and trash bins. You can see the work in this Facebook Reel.
According to DWU, the zigzag weir of the spillway is nearly complete and ready to safely release excess lake water. Crews poured a concrete channel immediately below the spillway and transitioned to a layer of rocks to stabilize the soil between the spillway and the natural creek bed.
You can see a timelapse of the progress in the video below:
For up-to-date information about the Bachman Lake Dam restoration project, visit: www.bachmanlakedam.com where you can also find the lastest newsletter.
Update: The ribbon cutting ceremony will not take place on March 6 due to delays from the recent ice storms. A new date will be announced. The original text below has been lightened to denote the change from the original announcement.
Save the Date! There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the project on March 6 from 10:00am to 11:00am.
Bird Watching and Counting
Feburary certainly has been for the birds! After the "lights out" initiative in the fall to protect migrating birds, this month featured fun activities to get out and enjoy nature by watching and listening for our local feathered friends.
Early on Valentine's Day, Friends of Bachman Lake, Audubon Dallas, North Texas Naturalists and the Texas Conservation Alliance led groups on a light hike dedicated to falling in love with the sights and sounds of North Texas birds! Open eyes and open ears were the only requirements to identify various species.
If you decide to take up this fun activity, consider using apps like Merlin, e-Bird and iNaturalist to easily identify birds and their unique sounds!
Meanwhile, here is a list of birds identified on the walk on February 14.
Park Hygienics: A Good Practice
Thanks to all the volunteers who helped spruce up Bachman Lake Park on February 7. Council Member Laura Cadena, Park Board Member for District 6, Adam Medrano and Greenspace Dallas teamed up with Dallas Park and Recreation to welcome dozens of volunteers in the park clean-up.
There will be more opportunities in March and April, especially at the Bachman Lake Greenbelt. In case you haven't heard, so much of the invasive privet has been removed that the area is almost unrecognizable from before ... in the best way possible. So, if you haven't had a chance to go by the Greenbelt lately, make some time on March 14 at 9:00am to help with a clean-up event with Friends of Bachman Lake and Greenspace Dallas. Also, don't forget that there will be a social meetup at On Rotation Brewery & Kitchen on Lemmon Avenune afterwards!
Around the Community
Bachman Recreation Center indoor pool remains closed but the reopening is imminent.
The new HVAC unit, the root of the problems, has been installed but a series of tests in January revealed a different part of the HVAC system not working correctly. The new problem was to be fixed around February 13 and, as of this posting, there has not been an update. We have been told that the system should be running properly shortly after this latest fix, so stay tuned.
Lovers Lane Complete Street Study
On February 12, the City of Dallas Transportation Department held a public meeting at the K.B. Polk Recreation Center to review the design options for the Lovers Lane redesign. The 1.65 mile corridor extends from the Dallas North Tollway to Lemmon Ave and is meant to interconnect improvement projects on both the east (Miracle Mile) and west (Lemmon Ave Trail) sides of the corridor. Attending the meeting were District 13 Council Member Willis and District 6 Council Member Cadena, as well as the Director of Transportation, Gus Khankarli.
There were four alternatives reviewed and it seems that, in order to provide pedestrian and cyclist safety and not impact street parking and ensure consistent road capacity through the corridor, that the best option would be the third option. The project would be tackled in phases over the course of the next 10 years. Below is the link to the presentation.
The city encourages residents to complete the survey they have made available.
Survey:
Presentation:
Miracle Mile Project:
From Promise to Paycheck
Dallas County Promise is a scholarship and advising initiative for high school seniors that covers any remaining tuition after financial aid. In doing so, the program is building a path to a living-wage future for high school seniors. In partnership with Education Is Freedom and Bachman Lake Together, the regional coalition works to turn local talent into a workforce that can afford to stay in Dallas.
Events
Meet and Greet Every 4th Wednesday
February 25 5:00PM
Let's meet at On Rotation Brewery and Kitchen to meet over your favorite beverage and get to know each other! This is a purely social event that gives you just a bit more insight about Friends of Bachman Lake and community efforts to make all our lives better. Let's talk! Our Meet and Greet is scheduled for the 4th Wednesday of each month, weather and schedule permitting.
*Note that times/dates are subject to change. We will issue notices if the event changes or is postponed.
Bachman Lake Dam Project Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
TO BE RESCHEDULED
Update: The ribbon cutting ceremony will not take place on March 6 due to delays from the recent ice storms. A new date will be announced. The original text below has been lightened to denote the change from the original announcement.
Dallas Water Utilities and the Bachman Lake Dam project team are planning a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Bachman Lake Dam and Spillway Improvements Project. Stay tuned for event details on the DWU website and social media channels at Facebook, Instagram and X.
Spring Clean-Up and OnRotation Meetup!
March 14 9:00am
Thanks to a very generous donation at the end of last year, the majority of privet has been removed! Come check out the beautiful topography at the Bachman Greenbelt and while you are here, join us for some spring cleaning! We are partnering with Greenspace Dallas to pick up trash in the newly opened areas and afterwards will head to OnRotation for a beer or your favorite beverage.
Details and links will be provided via our website and social media channels. Right now, save the date!
