Texas is a major flyway for migrating birds. Outdoor lighting can be deadly for the wildbirds who mostly travel by night. The lights distract and disorient them leading to exhaustion and building collisions. Houston and Dallas are ranked in the top three most dangerous cities for migrating birds.

Building owners, businesses, developers and homeowners can help protect migrating birds by turning off all non-essential nighttime lighting on buildings and other structures from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. each night. 

Migration season runs March 1-June 15. Peak migration is April 22-May 12.

Watch the film Faces of Fracking introduced and discussed by Ranjana Bhandari, founder of the fracking watchdog group Liveable Arlington. Faces of Fracking is a six-part short documentary series, directed by award-winning filmmaker Michael Rowley, that profiles individuals whose lives have been deeply and negatively affected by fracking operations in Arlington, Texas, shining a light on the human toll of natural gas extraction in urban environments.

Pre-Meeting Refreshments 6:35-6:45 p.m.

Bring a light dish to share and your own non-alcoholic drink.

Rock Creek Ranch Park is a new 300-acre city of Fort Worth park that is under development. Jeff Quayle, a field trip leader for the Fort Worth Chapter of Native Prairies Association of Texas will lead a bioblitz to help the Park & Recreation Department gain a better understanding of the biodiversity at the park. Participants will be focusing on collecting valuable data for natural resource management using iNaturalist observations, which will be automatically uploaded to the RCRP iNaturalist project. 

Location and details provided after registration.

Speaker TBA

Stroll through gardens and visit ponds in the Waco area. Whether you want ideas for creating your own water garden or just need a relaxing day, this self-drive tour has something for everyone. From a small container pond to large in-ground ponds you will see a full array of ideas to inspire and delight. See website link below for details and map.

However, donations will be gladly accepted to support The Waco Wetlands.

Join Wild Ones DFW: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes, and co-host Wild Ones South Central Texas for a special online presentation featuring author Monika Maeckle, who will introduce her new book, Plants with Purpose: Twenty-five Ecosystem Multitaskers, to be released by Texas A&M Press, May 19, 2025.

In this engaging session, Maeckle explores a fresh approach to plant selection by asking practical and ecological questions of each featured species:

Can you eat it or make tea from it? Does it serve wildlife or offer health benefits? Is it low maintenance or have a compelling cultural story? Does it provide a unique service to your landscape?

Every plant included in the book had to answer "yes" to at least three of these criteria—not including beauty. As Maeckle argues, in a time of increasing ecological urgency, aesthetic appeal alone is no longer enough. Our landscapes deserve—and ecosystems require—plants that work harder.

Whether you're a gardener, naturalist, or simply plant-curious, this presentation will inspire you to think differently about what grows in your yard and why.

All DFW residents are welcome to bring their electronics for recycling. Electronic recycling fees for televisions, CRT monitors, printers, copiers and fax machines will be waived. See UE website link below for a list of accepted items.

Additionally, our paper shredding division Mobile Shred It a NAID AAA certified company will be shredding paper for free. All paper is shredded on-site at the event. We do ask to please remove large binder clips, plastic, binders, coil binding and magnets. Once shredded, all paper is recycled, adhering to our zero-landfill initiative for sustainability.

Please follow these rules when you bring your items (Limit of four banker boxes per customer):

    •    Stay in your vehicle.
    •    1 car at a time will be unloaded, so please wait in line patiently.