Learn how to regenerate environments by building soil life and fertility, how to utilize land that mimics natural systems, and to arrange all elements (plants, animals) in a beneficial relationship with each other. Also learn how the arrangement of these elements uses energy (sun, rain, wind, human) in the most efficient manner to create a self-sustaining, lower maintenance ecosystem. The techniques are simple and efficient. 

Free. Register on the website link below.

Time to gather and learn more about each other, to share what we do, our green journey and our passions. Each member will have a few minutes to speak and take a couple of questions. There will also be an information area to leave your business cards and flyers.

Our meeting will be in Irving's downtown historic district at the Glory House. Jo Ann and her team will be serving a wonderful breakfast buffet, in keeping with our "green eggs and ham" theme. www.gloryhousecatering.com

To speak, you must be a current member of WE, but non-members and their guest are welcome to attend.

$10 per vehicle to enter park. 

We will hike about 4 miles, before heat will send us running for the lake. We will have a beach area set up before our hike. After hike, we will go to beach area to hang In the Lake.

Bring: bathing suit, sunblock, hat, sunglasses, towel etc 
Pack a lunch and snacks. Bring plenty of water!!!

We will meet at trailhead at 9:15 a.m. for group pictures. Hike start time 9:30 a.m. 

Note: more details as we get closer to hike date

Meghan Cassidy will lead us on a spider walk focusing on the types of spiders commonly found at SWNP. Meghan will cover high level information about the natural history of some of these spiders, why spiders are ecologically important (and not scary!), cover the two types of medically significant spiders that can be found in Texas along with precautions, as well as handing out an informational pamphlet she has created, including photos of spiders from SWNP! As we walk around, we’ll encounter other invertebrates (such as insects), so Meghan will give some impromptu information on any insects we come across as well!

Promise of Peace Gardens will serve up its signature music and food festival with 10 top chefs, including last years Okrapalooza champion Olivia Lopez. There will be live music by Mack Price, Jr. and a silent auction. Beer and wine included in ticket price. Children under 12 are free. Benefits new garden in East Dallas and food farm in West Dallas.

$75.

Learn about The Trinity River Crew! A joint Conservation Corps program of Greenspace Dallas and Trinity Park Conservancy, the Crew provides meaningful, paid conservation work experience, education, leadership skills, and professional development training to high potential use from historically marginalized areas along the Trinity River.  The program also creates a collaborative use employment framework that can act as a model throughout the entire Trinity River corridor.  

Organized for their science based and result driven approach to conservation (along with the ability to positively impact people, prosperity, and natural resources), The Trinity River Crew is an inspiring group of young people changing their world.

See website below for details and directions

Info: Victoria Howard, 214-855-1580, [email protected]

The theme of the 17th annual Autumn at the Arboretum is A Fall Fairy Tale.

The fall festival features more than 100,000 pumpkins, gourds and squash from the Pumpkin Capital of Texas, Floydada.  A Fall Fairy Tale showcases the return of Cinderella’s carriage, along with themed pumpkin houses that make up the acclaimed Pumpkin Village. Other “gourd-eous” displays showcase classic tales of Jack and The Beanstalk, The Three Little Pigs and The Sword in the Stone and even a magic carpet ride selfie experience from One Thousand and One Nights.

Book of the month is Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier. On the windswept, fossil-strewn beaches of the English coast, poor and uneducated Mary learns that she has a unique gift: “the eye” to spot ammonites and other fossils no one else can see. When she uncovers an unusual fossilized skeleton in the cliffs near her home, she sets the religious community on edge, the townspeople to gossip, and the scientific world alight. After enduring bitter cold, thunderstorms, and landslips, her challenges only grow when she falls in love with an impossible man.

Mary soon finds an unlikely champion in prickly Elizabeth, a middle-class spinster who shares her passion for scouring the beaches. Their relationship strikes a delicate balance between fierce loyalty, mutual appreciation, and barely suppressed envy, but ultimately turns out to be their greatest asset.

Zoom meeting details:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86376128057?pwd=NmtHZmo1bkZ6TjhsVnN5cG9JTStwUT09

Want to take your audience camping with our gear? Texas Parks & Wildlife Department's Texas Outdoor Family Program wants to help you provide camping workshops for your participants in Texas State Parks.

The Texas Outdoor Family Community Partnership Program provides group camping gear and will teach you how to lead successful camping programs for your audience in state parks. 

Organizations who represent a low-income demographic (50% of participants are eligible for free or reduced lunches), veterans affairs, or are the recipients of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department CO-OP grants are eligible to take part in the community partnership initiative. 

We partner with many schools, parks, veteran's groups, and non-profits in the DFW area. We would be thrilled to add a partnership with you. Feel free to share this with others in your organization who may be interested. See website link below for more details.

Application deadline: Sept. 1

Experts from the natural resources, property development, urban planning, working lands and corporate sectors will share their perspectives on how open space can benefit urban development, followed by a panel discussion.

The evening also supports NPAT’s North Texas outreach, stewardship, and education programs. Director Dr. Carly Aulicky works with local landowners and communities to protect, restore, and appreciate native prairies. Sponsorships are available.

$125/person, $200/couple.