1st Quarter 2022 * Volume 30, Issue 1

Photo by FWNC&R Staff

A Quarterly Newsletter Sponsored by the Friends in Support of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday in nature with family and friends. While the holiday season has come and gone, we still have some wonderful gifts of nature to share with you.

In December, our very own Marty Leonard and George Bristol received the 2021 Texas Children in Nature Network Champion Award for helping to improve the lives of children in Texas through strengthening their access to and connection with nature.

Marty was honored for her lifetime devotion to conserving nature for her community and beyond. George was celebrated for his tireless efforts over the past three decades for the betterment of our national, state, and local parks, culminating with the passage of Proposition 5 in 2019. I know I can speak for the entire Board when I say we are extremely grateful to have them both supporting our mission and the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge. Congratulations, Marty and George!

Our next gift of nature is NATURE! In November, the Fort Worth City Council voted to purchase 29.11 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to the Nature Center. The land will become part of the Nature Center and provide a buffer along Jacksboro Highway next to the entry gate and along the south bison pasture. Please help us in thanking City Manager David Cooke for creating the Open Space Conservation Program that paid for the land; former Councilmember Dennis Shingleton, who began advocating for the land purchase more than a year ago; and current Councilmember Leonard Firestone for seeing it through.

The last gift of nature is for YOU! In 2022, we will be back to in-person member events and programs! We will host our tried-and-true Botany with Bob (O’Kennon) and Stars & S’mores. The Wonders of Wetlands series will be back in the Nature Center’s actual wetlands, and we will be introducing some new events as well. Keep watch for event information on our events page. We look forward to SEEING you in 2022!

Finally, I truly want to thank you for staying by our side through it all. Your commitment and passion for the Friends and the Nature Center over the last two years are humbling. YOU are the gift that keeps on giving.

Here’s to YOU and an amazing 2022 in nature!

Your friend,

Haily Summerford, MBA

Executive Director

Behind the Scenes at the Refuge

Losing Friends

If you spend enough time around the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge, I can guarantee you will get to know some of the most interesting people. Over the past 25 years, I have had the pleasure of knowing literally thousands of remarkable individuals, ranging from frequent visitors to regular program participants to, of course, volunteers.

Friends News

Member Profile: The Branch Family

For as much time as they spend outdoors in nature, the Branch family is well-named. Rusty and Debbie Branch have lived in Fort Worth for more than two decades, and memories made at the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge have been woven into their family’s history.

What's Blooming?

Evergreen Live Oak surrounded by deciduous Cedar Elms - web.jpg

To Be or Not to Be Evergreen

Winter brings significant changes to the landscape. The brilliant colors of fall foliage were visible precursors to how some trees were preparing for winter. Now, a walk in the forest reveals the two-opposing leaf-retention strategies used by local trees: those that coordinated their loss of leaves in the fall — deciduous trees — and those that retain their leaves, peppering the scenery with a constant canopy of green — evergreens.

Bluestem Broadcasts

Prescribed Burn 2015 - Rob Denkhaus Walking the Fire Line - web.jpg

Conservation Conversations with Rob Denkhaus

In November, we launched our new Conservation Conversations series. We are sitting down with leaders in the conservation field to have a conversation about what conservation issues are most important to them during this time in our history. We are also exploring how the Friends (and all of us) can participate in helping support conservation within — and beyond — the borders of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge.

Our first conversation was with Rob Denkhaus, manager of the Nature Center. Rob has been the manager since 2016 and a staff member since 1997. His 24 years at the park helped him provide valuable insight into the current — and past — conservation issues most affecting the Nature Center and surrounding area.

LISTEN Here

At the Nature Center

The Healing Power of Nature

Spring is a great time to reconnect with the outdoors; it’s a time of rebirth for all things in nature — including our connection to it. Getting outside has an amazing healing effect on the mind, body, and soul.

Staff and Volunteer Spotlight

New Staff, New Direction

As I have mentioned in a previous article, change is inevitable — and an important part of any nature center, be it through habitat, wildlife species, or staff. On the management side of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge’s operation, we have seen many changes over the past decade, and we will continue to see them as our program grows and we move the conservation needle forward.

Did You See It?

The Nature Center is Expanding!

Each issue, we will highlight the most-popular post that was featured on social media the previous quarter. Enjoy this look back at what caught our followers' attention. Follow us if you haven't already! Links are below.

From November 13, 2021

In mid-November, the Fort Worth City Council agreed to acquire 29.511 acres of undeveloped land along Jacksboro Highway adjacent to the Nature Center to provide additional natural prairie parkland. Read about it here.