Friends of Bachman Lake - October 2025
- Friends of Bachman Lake
- Oct 17
- 6 min read
"Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead has never watched them dancing on a windy day." – Shira Tamir
We are grateful
We raised over $6,000 during North Texas Giving Day! Your donations can now help us fund more invasive privet removal and continue the hard work already done to restore the Bachman Lake Greenbelt for everyone's enjoyment. There is still a lot of work to be done but we are ever grateful to our donors and volunteers who help keep us moving forward. Funding is still needed for maintenance and cleanup, so please consider giving throughout the year. The North Texas Giving Day page accepts donations year-round, and our website also provides ways you can donate.
Please visit our Project Greenbelt page for information and see how your dollars are used.
Thank you!
Bachman Greenbelt Trail now listed on All Trails site
We're on the map! The latest AllTrails app now includes the Bachman Lake Greenbelt Trail.
Download the app to your mobile device so you can explore area trails and include the Greenbelt in your outdoor adventures!
The AllTrails app and website also plots in the Lemmon Avenue trail which will connect to the Bachman Trail at Shorecrest.
Skate Park now showcases a dazzling mural
Have you noticed some extra bright colors at the Bachman Lake Skate Park? Artist Jieun Kim has adorned one of the skating ramps with her culturally-inspired imagery, celebrating our area's diverse experiences, while embracing the recreational and joyous activities that bring us together. Like skating!
From Council Member Laura Cadena's August newsletter:
The mural, themed “home,” is viewed through the lens of the immigrant experience. Drawing inspiration from Kim’s Korean heritage and cultural landscapes, the artwork honors both the rich history of skateboarding in the Bachman Lake area and the neighborhood’s legacy as a place where immigrant communities uplift one another across generations.
The evolution of Bachman Lake Park from an area footnote to a regional attraction over the last few years is not only increasingly visible, it's pretty colorful too!
The artwork and improvements along the Lemmon Avenue Trail which connects via a protected crossing to the Bachman Lake Trail complement the ever-growing ways that bikers, walkers, joggers and skaters in the area can combine physical activity with visual treats.
Speaking of connections ...
Campion Trail in Irving is just about complete!
We've always had trail connectivity among the top items in our wishlist and now one more link the chain is about to be completed. The 22-mile Campion Trail is finally seeing the end of its nearly 30-year journey to the finish line. The Irving, Texas trail is a key hub in a larger regional trail network, known as the DFW Discovery Trail, that will link Fort Worth and Dallas. That's huge!
Adding our voice to the regional trail conversation, we're proud that Bachman Lake Park has become our own area's recreational hub and thanks to the Aviation Department, the Lemmon Avenue Trail now connects with the Bachman Trail which we expect to eventually be connected northward to the Northaven Trail, and westward toward the Frasier Dam and to the Campion Trail.
Have a look at the big picture provided by the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCoG). It's pretty exciting when you consider that the finish is closer than the beginning!
More on the Campion Trail from the City of Irving ...
Bachman Lake Dam reconstruction on time for early 2026 completion
It seems that everywhere you look around Bachman Lake there's some form of construction or other maintenace activity. Remember the dredging to remove "Bachman Island?" That seems so long ago!
Most recently, the lake levels have been lowered to allow for reconstruction of the dam and spillway, and the trail has been detoured to allow for staging and construction space. So, where are we at this stage? According to Dallas Water Utilities (DWU), the work is almost done. This is yet another piece of the big puzzle that's coming into place. We're going to have a lot to celebrate in the months ahead!
So what's it all going to look like when done? For starters the trail path on top of the dam will be much wider. And there's a landscaping plan to make the trek very pleasing to the eyes too.
Here is a summary of landscaping plans for the Bachman Dam provided to us by Mark Mihm, Senior Engineer for the City of Dallas:
The landscaping includes an irrigation system and planting six species of high-environmental-value native trees on the north and south ends of the dam.
Planting will take place later in the year, subject to site preparation.
Discussion on grass types: Bermuda grass has been selected over native Buffalo grass due to its resilience to foot traffic, cost effectiveness, and USACE requirements for levee coverage.
Bermuda grass provides a uniform presence and withstands flooding and scouring.
There are plans to discuss landscaping behind the Bachman Water Treatment Plant as well. We are encouraging DWU to find ways to provide some form of shade structures along the path. The challenge is that additional structures burrowed into the ground work against the integrity of the dam itself. It's time to get creative!
Read more from DWU on the progress here.
It's 'lights out' for the birds
Don't worry, the ominous headline means something completely different this time of year. Through the end of November, Audubon Texas is asking us to do our part to allow birds to migrate safely to their seasonal locations.
Urban sprawal resulting from rapid growth in our area has brightened up the night sky and the paths that migrating birds have taken for millennia are changing. We can't turn out the lights at once (no ice storm jokes, please), but we can turn down (or turn off) our outdoor non-essential business and residential glow between 11pm and 6am to help.
Audubon Texas is also asking residents to advocate for a smart design of the new Convention Center that will replace the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. The glass facade of the current facility has proven fatal to birds. According to Audubon Texas, "the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center (KBHCC) has been identified as the building with the most documented bird collisions in Dallas typically exceeding 30% of all catalogued death. Its extensive glass architecture, particularly the glass walkways, creates a hazardous environment for migrating birds."
You can help by sending messages to City Council members and signing the petitions and submitting endorsements and letters of support.
Here are links other articles, petitions, and an endorsement letter:
Events
Meet and Greet Every 4th Wednesday
Join our 4th Wednesday Meet and Greet at On Rotation Brewery & Kitchen. Enjoy a casual time, talking about anything you want and eating and drinking anything you like! It's casual and it's fun! Check the events on our website for any updates or changes to these dates.
*Note that times/dates are subject to change. We will issue notices if the event changes or is postponed.
Skate and Treat!
Costumes, skating, treats? Sounds like a load of fun! Join the Dallas Rotary Club and Dallas Park and Recreation on October 29 from 6:00pm - 7:30pm for a Halloween celebration at the new Bachman Lake Skate Park
2530 Webb Chapel Extension
Dallas, TX 75220
Dallas Love Field Good Neighbor Program
Get updates on the latest projects in and around Love Field Airport, including the Preferred Master Plan Alternative, the largest capital improvement program in the airport's history. Register Here.
November 4, 2025 6:00pm - 7:30pm
3448 W. Mockingbird Lane
Dallas, TX 75235
