Dallas: White Rock Lake conservation honored.

crispini

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Wed May-11-05 01:51 PM
Original message

Dallas: White Rock Lake conservation honored.

This stiory really made me happy and proud to live in Dallas, near our gem of a lake.

White Rock conservation honored

07:09 AM CDT on Wednesday, May 11, 2005

By KATIE MENZER / The Dallas Morning News

Refusing to mow the grass for a year would usually draw sneers from neighbors and angry calls to the city's code-compliance department. Janet Smith and other parkgoers are getting the chance to enjoy White Rock Lake Park's original landscape. But at White Rock Lake, it's gotten city officials a prize.

The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is giving Dallas a Lone Star Land Steward Award, which honors groups for outstanding efforts at wildlife conservation. White Rock is the first city park to receive the 10-year-old award that is usually bestowed on ranches and private property in rural areas.

The city has been working for years with local biologists and environmentalists to preserve and restore White Rock's acres of blackland prairie – the area's original landscape – while still serving the needs of park visitors.

About 250 of the 2,115 acres have returned to their natural state, where native grasses such as little bluestem, Indian grass and Eastern gama grass reign.

Nest boxes for wood ducks, purple martins and bluebirds have been built along the lake's shore. There's a bat house. And the city has been nabbing poachers and hunters who illegally take or kill animals.

more...
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/051105dnmetwildlife.96358279.html

There's actually DEER in the park! In the middle of our city! How wonderful.

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BrightKnight

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Wed May-11-05 04:48 PM
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1. 5/17/05 TXDOT hearing - expressway-style bridge through the park

Edited on Wed May-11-05 05:08 PM by BrightKnight

"At the May 2, 2005 For the Love of the Lake Board meeting, the board voted to oppose the construction of an expressway-style bridge proposed by the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) to run through White Rock Lake Park along Northwest Highway from West Lawther Drive to Goforth Drive at Flagpole Hill. FTLOTL is joining other White Rock Lake area residential groups, including the Old Lake Highlands Neighborhood Association, and the Peninsula Neighborhood Association in opposing this proposal. ..."

"Why ruin the beautiful parkway?..."

"the elevated roadway will be much noisier..."

TXDOT Hearing: Lake Highlands High School Auditorium located at 9449 Church Rd. at 5:00pm on May 17th

also: Peninsula Neighborhood Association is planning a fun media event that requires a lot of people. The details are in the article.

http://www.whiterocklake.org/content/view/304/2/

It looks like they are trying to force through a really bad plan. This is going to be very unpopular.

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crispini

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Thu May-12-05 10:34 AM
Response to Reply #1

2. Damn, now you're making me have to go to another meeting!

Oh well, looks like I'm free that night.

Hey, were you at Monday's DCDP meeting? I didn't see you there?

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BrightKnight

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Mon May-16-05 12:48 PM
Response to Reply #2

3. An Excellent Political Opportunity

Edited on Mon May-16-05 12:50 PM by BrightKnight

I'm sorry; I did not intend to paint you into a corner.
---

This looked like an excellent political opportunity to me. Introduce yourself to the local neighborhood activists and express interest and concern. It should not be too difficult to find common ground with these folks.

I imagine that this $13 million TXDOT project was awarded to someone that made substantial contributions to repug campaigns.

Good word-of-mouth from established community leaders could be very helpful. The repugs have done a good job of identifying and influencing the key people in communities.
---

I plan to go to the meeting on the 23rd. I am very interested in what she has to say. I am encouraged and frustrated by what I have seen recently. I have met passionate Democrats and have seen some positive changes. The party remains sleepy and there is no off-season in politics.
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I lived in the White Rock Lake area for a couple of years in the early eighties. I am very fond of the lake and I would not like to see it defaced.

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crispini

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Mon May-16-05 12:56 PM
Response to Reply #3

4. Yeah, I was kidding, mostly.

I'm sure it'll be a good meeting. There is a very strong network of neighborhood activists around WRL that are doing a lot of stuff.

Re: County Party ... the activity right now is very much "under the radar" from a lot of people's perspective, but the Technology Committee had a good meeting, the Training committee is trying its first training out on Wednesday, and things are sort of cooking along quietly. Look for more things to start coming online soon -- and if you want, get involved with one of the committees. Honestly, most of the hard-core activists I know are still working.

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