Dear Friends-

A public meeting to review the environmental Master Plan for Tandy Hills Nature Area will be held:

Wednesday, December 12, 2007 @ 6 pm

Sycamore Community Center

2525 E. Rosedale St. (at Beach)

Fort Worth, Texas

Yesterday evening, during my hike at Tandy Hills, I was transported to another place and time. I've warned you before that regular hikes at THNA can reverse the aging process. I wasn't kidding.

Surrounded on all sides by head high Bluestem grass in all its bronzed, autumn glory, it occurred to me that, either I was getting shorter or the grass had grown taller. Last year in mid November, there was nary a blade to be chewed. The drought of '06 stopped the grass in the spring, before it emerged. Autumn grass was nearly non existent. This year was a horse of a different color. The landscape has been transformed.

Happy Autumn Equinox!

*IMPORTANT: Public Meeting September 26

September Grass: Tandy Hills Nature Area Report

Seismic Testing Halted

New York Avenue Blackland Prairie Report

Connemara Conservancy Fall Newsletter

Native Prairies Association of Texas

The average number of native plant species in a typical Fort Worth yard is, maybe, half a dozen, including trees. By last count, according to the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Tandy Hills Nature Area has 541. (see Excel.doc. below)

Of her many contributions to humankind, I believe that Ladybird Johnson's commitment to preserving a healthy environment is her most important. Her vision was not just about wildflowers, but also of preserving the land they grow in; our rapidly disappearing native landscapes.

Yesterday, Al Gore said, "Times like these demand action." Here's a practical way you can act.

The closet thing that Fort Worth has to a Walden Woods is Tandy Hills Nature Area. This remarkable 160 acres of original Fort Worth prairie is the most botanically diverse tract of land, anywhere in the region. It is also home to a myriad of wildlife species. It's now seriously threatened.

Approximately 55 acres of privately owned native prairie known as Scenery Hill (aka: Broadcast Hill), adjacent to Tandy Hills Nature Area, has been sold to Chesapeake Energy of Oklahoma City.

Enduring spring rain has had a mostly positive effect on Tandy Hills Nature Area. (The negatives being, increased erosion due to a lack of trail maintenance and more mosquitoes.) On the plus side, the flora is more robust than last year when we had a very dry spring.

It never fails. Every February, I impatiently walk the somber slopes of Tandy Hills NA, thinking to myself that, these dry, dead grasses will never yield to the technicolor wildflower show I remember from last March. But every year without fail, so far, as the days and nights march toward Equinox, Tandy Hills Nature Area explodes back to life.

Ladies and gents, it’s showtime! What started with a tiny, yellow Pucoon flower in early March has quickly been transformed into a landscape that would have tested the limits of Monet’s palette.

Fort Worth Prairie Fest is 30 days away. April 28, to be exact. Keep checking the website for updated info.

The wildflowers should be in full force by then BUT some things can't wait. I suggest you visit Tandy Hills nature Area ASAP to see a stunning show of Wild Hyacinth (Camassia scilloides). (see photo)

Trout Lilies are one of the most unusual plants that grow in Tandy Hills Nature Area, and they grow abundantly, here. They are a reminder that Spring is just around the corner. They are also a joy to behold. A trip to THNA can be an effective stress reducer.