Nature lovers will get chance to explore hidden gem near downtown Dallas
12:00 AM CST on Saturday, March 8, 2008
By CAROLYN TILLERY,
tillery@swbell.net / Special Contributor to The Dallas
Morning News
Tucked in South Dallas' Great Trinity Forest is a unique and somewhat
unknown nature trail that has sparked a mission of growth and preservation.
"First, you have to know it's there," said Jim Flood, leader of the Texas
Buckeye Trail Project. "Also, most people don't just go off traipsing in the
woods. Working to develop this has been my public service to the citizens of
Dallas."
There will be guided opportunities for nature lovers to explore the trail
from Friday through March 16. (click
here for the flyer (pdf))
The Texas Buckeye Trail Project began in 2003 with only an unmarked
footpath that meandered to the buckeyes from a barren levee. Hikers often
had to cross a water-filled ditch with no hint that a quiet expanse of the
Great Trinity Forest lay hidden beyond the levee – or that the buckeyes
bloomed there every spring just minutes from downtown Dallas.
Mr. Flood, a state-certified master naturalist, began taking folks on
guided tours through the woods in 1999. Over time and with a lot of work, a
clear trail has emerged.
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Close-up of champion buckeye
tree flower |
"The Texas buckeye produces a big showy, creamy flower in the spring when
the taller leafy trees have leafed out," he said. "They're already flowering
up, so they'll be a great show next weekend."
Towering pecans and oaks stand sentry next to tiny saplings.
"The trail is really the first gateway into the Trinity Forest that the
city of Dallas has right now," Mr. Flood said. "This project has been mostly
all volunteer."
Texas buckeyes can be found sporadically throughout Dallas and Tarrant
counties. However, a grove this size – about 3 acres – is rare.
"You usually see them in ones or twos," Mr. Flood said. "Here, there are
hundreds out there. In the concentration, there are trees of all ages and
sizes. The ground is just a little higher, but not a bluff. I see a lot of
regeneration. There's something just fertile about that one place for these
trees."
The trail features fiberglass trail markers, a 40-foot bridge that
crosses the water-filled levee ditch, map signage at trail intersections and
a trailhead kiosk message panel.
Taking the trail is a great family experience, said Linda Sharp, master
naturalist and past president of the North Texas chapter of the master
naturalist program.
"One of the most amazing things is that we have this huge urban forest in
our back yard and most don't know about it," she said. "People go on hikes,
take their dogs and kids and just experience nature. There's quiet and
solitude."
A Web site and hiker guide are in the works, Mr. Flood said. The trail
experience is one of constant change.
"Last November, I discovered a plant there I had never seen. It took me
three days to identify it," Mr. Flood said. "It's really an escape from the
steel, concrete and asphalt that makes a large city. You get out there and
your brain refires on a whole different way when you're immersed in nature.
You come away refreshed."
Carolyn Tillery is a freelance writer in Dallas.
tillery@swbell.net
Courtesy of the Dallas Morning News, Saturday, March 8th 2008 Edition
Additional Articles on the Trinity Corridor can be found in the Dallas
Morning News Archive
For information on the Buckeye Trail visit:
www.texasbuckeyetrail.org or
www.trinityrivercorridor.com/html/buckeye_trail.html
Return to Trinity Project Home Page on the NDNA Web Site
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