T He Best-Laid Plans of Bison And

July—September 2015 Around the Nature Center he Best-Laid Plans of Bison and Men the surface Last spring, the Nature Center sold the bison but also herd’s breeding bull, keeping one of his young added vital sons as his replacement. One of the reasons for nutrients Tdoing this was to reduce the number of calves to lessen the to the soil, impact of grazing on the herd’s pastures. Bulls usually do which led not start breeding until they are at least four years old. to green However, the Nature Center’s new bull, the aptly named vegetation Maverick, has not acted like a typical young bull. Instead of growing in our herd holding at 16 bison, we now have 22 thanks to great pro- Maverick’s precocious activities. Fortunately, thanks to re- fusion af- cent rains, sufficient grass is now available to keep the herd ter the re- healthy. cent rain- fall. Even a One of Nic Martinez’s new benches is installed along Cross Timbers Trail. small por- Photo by FWNCR Staff tion of the demonstration prairie that fell victim to an arsonist over Spring Break has bounced back from blackened obscurity to become the lushest grass on the property. Nature Center Strives to Reduce Diversity Normally, the Nature Center strives to increase diversity through proper land management, but sometimes, diversity is bad. Over the past 50 years, in the name of adding ele- ments important to our visitors, improvements have been Bison calves dot the landscape despite the best-laid plans. implemented without much thought to uniformity. Unfor- Photo by FWNCR Staff tunately, this has given the Nature Center’s infrastructure North Texas’ Natural Color is Not Brown an overly eclectic look. In an effort to remedy this problem, After many years of drought, the dominant color for the the Nature Center staff has undertaken a number of pro- jects that have decreased visual diversity. region has seemed to be brown…bare brown soil, dried brown plants, shallow brown water in the river…brown. Nature Center Technician Nic Martinez has been working Amazing what a little (really, a lot of) rain will do to change on a project to replace every bench in the west region of the status quo. The Nature Center crew, in conjunction the Nature Center and add a few new ones in spots where with colleagues from the Fort Worth Fire Department, weary hikers have long wished a bench could be found. conducted two prescribed burns earlier this year. The Benches have always been an integral part of the Nature burns, performed on the Alice Ashley Savanna and the Center’s infrastructure, but until now, bench styles have Deer Mouse Savanna/Bison Hay Meadow areas, blackened continued on page 4 ~ FONC MISSION STATEMENT ~ “To preserve, protect, and conserve in perpetuity the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge.” 9601 Fossil Ridge Road, Fort Worth, Texas 76135 817-392-7410 www.naturecenterfriends.org LOCATION: REFUGE: GATE FEES: Four miles west of loop I-820 Refuge hours Non-members: on Jacksboro Highway May 1st—Sept. 30th: Adults (13-64) - $5 (Texas 199). Mon.—Fri. 7:00AM—5:00PM Seniors (65+) - $3 Sat.—Sun. 7:00AM—7:00PM Children (3-12 yrs) - $2 HOURS: Please call 817-392-7410 Under 3 years—Free HARDWICKE INTERPRETIVE with any additional questions Active/retired military with CENTER: valid ID and their families— Daily: 9 AM—4:30 PM $1 discount per person. BLUESTEM NEWS: FORT WORTH NATURE CENTER & REFUGE Sharon McKone Editor-in-Chief Suzanne Tuttle FWNCR Manager Rosemarie Hayward Layout & Graphics HARDWICKE INTERPRETIVE CENTER FONC BOARD Of DIRECTORS: Michael Perez Education Program Manager Marty Leonard, President Laura Veloz Naturalist/Volunteer Coord. Chris Smith, VP/President-Elect Elizabeth Bittner Naturalist/Education Programming Rick Shepherd, Past President Chad Etheridge Water Programs Coordinator Laura Harrison, Treasurer Troy Mullens Weekend Naturalist Sheila Johnson Education Naturalist Recording Secretary (vacancy) Danielle Gadzala Education Intern Corresponding Secretary (vacancy) REFUGE/NATURAL RESOURCE Directors: Rob Denkhaus Natural Resource Manager Tom Armstrong Kari Landry Michelle Villafranca Natural Resource Specialist George Bristol Sally McCoy Russell Lasiter Natural Resource Technician Lon Burnam Bob O’Kennon Nic Martinez Natural Resource Technician Michelle Clark Elaine Petrus Nicholas Griffin Natural Resource Intern Lynda Gearheart William R. Richerson CUSTOMER SERVICE/GATE Dagmar Higgins Dale Roberts Murray James Anne Hamman Office Manager Cathy Elizondo Customer Service Rep. Evelyn Calvert Staff: Nina Francis Customer Service Laura Wood, Executive Director Susie Harrison Assistants Allison Simkins, Intern DeeAnn McGinnis Lucinda Lewis, Bookkeeper FORT WORTH NATURE CENTER: www.fwnaturecenter.org PACSD Advisory Board Rep.: Chase Dustin, ex officio July—September 2015 ~ 2 ~ 3rd Quarter Edition From the Board By Marty Leonard he FONC Board would like to invite you to of the state parks the Annual Business Meeting to be held Satur- system. George Bris- day, July 11 at 1:30 pm at the Hardwicke Inter- tol never quit. He pretive Center on the grounds of the Fort did not do it for WorthT Nature Center & Refuge. We have a terrific pro- himself; he did it for gram planned for you this year…new Board member and the people of Tex- Texas conservation hero George Bristol. as.” And the chair of the TPWD Commis- George, a businessman, fundraiser, politician, conserva- sion has said of him, tionist, poet, and author, was born in Denton but spent “It is hard to identify his teenage years in Austin, later pursuing a pre-law someone in recent (economics) degree at the University of Texas. He and history who has his wife, Gretchen, spend time in both Fort Worth and done more for the Austin near grandchildren. George and Gretchen shared health and vitality of the same homeroom in high school, where, Gretchen Texas parks than says, “he drew me pictures every morning of Elvis Pres- George Bristol. His ley…and he would still be happy to draw you one today.” tireless advocacy and George’s book, On Politics and Parks, narrates the conver- leadership on their gence of influences that led him to an influential political behalf are without career that included active involvement in national cam- equal. The citizens George Bristol will be the guest paigns for Lyndon B. Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Lloyd of Texas owe him an speaker at this year’s FONC Annual Bentsen, and Jimmy Carter. After working for the Demo- enormous debt of Business Meeting. cratic National Committee and Bill Clinton’s 1992 presi- gratitude.” Photo provided by George Bristol dential campaign, George was asked to join President George sums up his passion for parks this way, “The rea- Clinton’s administration. He also received what he really son for conserving the last best places for the greatest wanted, a place on the board of the National Park Foun- number of citizens is to let all be of the Earth in a most dation, where he established a highly successful fundrais- wholesome setting. From that connection comes civility ing strategy and spearheaded efforts to elevate the image and patriotism...deep and lasting civility and patriotism of the National Park Service. He then turned his efforts because having a sense of, and a stake in, place gives eve- to the state of Texas, where he solidified support and ry experiencing citizen pride of ownership.” fundraising for the Texas park system by founding the Texas Conservation Coalition, the non-profit organiza- George’s book, On Politics and Parks, will be available for tion that fought for full claim of the sporting goods tax sale at the annual meeting, and the first 20 members to for use by the state parks. This transpired in 2007, with RSVP for the meeting will receive a free copy (as of this the Texas legislature nearly doubling the operating budget printing, we have one RSVP, so get your RSVPs in soon!) for parks. All of these experiences combined to make Nevada Press, in celebration of 100 years of national George an ideal consultant for Ken Burns when he de- parks, is completing a series on national parks, and veloped the PBS series The National Parks: America’s Best George will be writing the book on Glacier National Idea. Park. George’s early exposure to Glacier National Park nur- We are incredibly fortunate to have George on the Board tured an interest in photography and poetry. He has re- of the Friends, adding our beloved Nature Center to his ceived numerous awards and accolades for both. In 2013, list of parks that he has befriended. We look forward to he was awarded the Preservation Achievement Award having him speak at our annual meeting and hope to see from Historic Fort Worth for his “dedication to opportu- you there. You do not want to miss it. nities for America’s irreplaceable parkland.” The Texas Marty Leonard State Park Director has commented, “What a champion FONC President July—September 2015 ~ 3 ~ 3rd Quarter Edition Around the Nature Center… Bridge” on Riverbottom Trail between Shoreline Road continued from page 1 and the Boardwalk. This exceptionally long, two-part been almost as diverse as the vegetation in which they bridge has been in decline for several years and was re- are nestled. Now, thanks to Nic’s efforts, a single style of cently dismantled with help from Natural Guard volun- bench, one designed for comfort, durability, and ease of teers. Look for the new and improved bridge to be com- construction, will pleted over the summer. A much smaller Riverbottom be found through- Trail bridge located just south of Shoreline Road was out the area west replaced this spring using Natural Guard sweat equity. of Buffalo Road and north of Student Research Shoreline Road.

Load more