Issue 021 | March 2018          
 
The Future of Our Trinity River Overseen by the Trinity Watershed Management department, the Trinity River Corridor Project has become one of the most monumental projects taken on within the City of Dallas. This project is intended to transform the Trinity River into one of the largest urban parks in the US while providing the city flood protection, economic development, traffic relief, recreation, and environmental restoration.  

In this transformation, our cities wild areas and the Trinity River are being considered an asset in the design. Along with the bridges and other recreational facilities the, project aims to build wildlife habitat, wetlands, and trails along the Trinity River. 
 
Partner Groups
The Trintity River Corridor Project has been a cooperative effort between public and non-profit partners. Here are some of the non-profit partners that play a part in restoring our wild spaces:
  • Groundwork Dallas-their mission is to regenerate,sustain, and improve the Dallas Elm Fork Greenbelt and the Great Trinity Forest through community partnerships
  • Trinity River Audubon Center-their core efforts lie in protecting wildlife and habitats while engaging people through programming
  • Trinity Strand Trail-this organization is working to bring back areas around the old Trinity River channel back to their natural state 
 Community Support
There are various ways in which the community can get involved with these organizations:
  • Groundwork Dallas'  Adopt-A-Trail Program in which individuals or corporations are welcome to maintain, with the help of Groundwork Dallas, a stretch of refurbished trail.
  • The Trinity River Audubon Center holds regular birding events and Trinity River bird counts 
  • The Trinity Strand Trail has many volunteer opportunities in event staffing, environmental restoration, trail maintenance, trash pick-ups, graphic design, and more 
  
In the Works
In the nearly 800 acres of urban wilderness in the Green Belt of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, an Eco-classroom and recreation center is being built for the public. Groundwork Dallas will be partnering with schools such as SMU, Texas A&M Kingsville, Texas Parks and Wildlife, the Perot Museum, an more. These groups will be using the green belt to study the habitats, flora, and fauna of the area. 
Access our Podcast!
We invite you to deepen your knowledge of the beautiful natural world that is all around us and to connect with passionate naturalists by listening to our bi-weekly podcast. All in the spirit of lifelong learning!
 
Featured Books 
Return of the gar
by Mark Spitzer

The alligator gar belongs to a family of fish that has remained fundamentally unchanged since the Cretaceous, over 100 million years ago. Its intimidating size and plethora of teeth have made it demonized throughout its range in North America, resulting in needless killing. Massive oil spills in its breeding range have not helped its population either. Interspersing science, folklore, history, and action-packed fishing narratives, Spitzer's empathy for and fascination with this air-breathing, armored fish provides for an entertaining odyssey that examines management efforts to preserve and propagate the alligator gar in the United States.  Spitzer also travels to Central America, Thailand, and Mexico to assess the global gar situation. He reflects on what is and isn't working in compromised environments, then makes a case for conservation based on personal experience and a love for wildness for its own sake. This colorful portrait of the alligator gar can serve as a metaphor and measurement for the future of our biodiversity during a time of planetary crisis. 
The trinity river
by Luther Smith

A series of over fifty photographs of the Trinity River in Texas, taken between 1986 and 1994.
Landscape as infrastructure : a base primer
by Pierre Bélanger

As ecology becomes the new engineering, the projection of landscape as infrastructure—the contemporary alignment of the disciplines of landscape architecture, civil engineering, and urban planning— has become pressing. Predominant challenges facing urban regions and territories today—including shifting climates, material flows, and population mobilities, are addressed and strategized here. Responding to the under-performance of master planning and over-exertion of technological systems at the end of twentieth century, this book argues for the strategic design of "infrastructural ecologies," describing a synthetic landscape of living, biophysical systems that operate as urban infrastructures to shape and direct the future of urban economies and cultures into the 21st century.
Connect with Us!
Are you always searching for your next read? Do you like to keep up with the New York Times Bestseller List? Maybe you like getting genre specific book recommendations? Are you always looking for free kid-friendly activities to do with your family? The library has newsletters for all of these situations!  Sign up for more newsletters from the Dallas Public Library! 
 
Library.Facebook  Twitter  Pinterest  Instagram  Flickr
         
 
 
 
Business & Technology Division,Dallas Public Library
1515 Young St., 5th Floor
Dallas, Texas 75201
214-670-1400

www.dallaslibrary.org