Annual Meeting and Bird Tour at Dinosaur Valley State Park
September 17, 2010 birding from 9am - 11am; meet at Cedar Brake Trail Parking, meeting at Dinosaur Valley Group Picnic Area from 11am - 2pm (lunch included)

Each year CTUFC holds the annual meeting in conjunction with an opportunity to reconnect with our local ecosystems.  This year will be no exception as Michelle Villafranca, Fort Worth Nature Center Natural Resource Specialist, leads a bird watching tour through the unique habitat of Dinosaur Valley State Park. If you do not have a park pass you will need to pay a day use fee of $5 per person at the gate.

The Bird Hike will precede the meeting and start promptly at 9:00 AM at the Cedar Brake Trail parking lot.  Expect to get your feet wet as you must hike across the Paluxy to reach the trails.  Please dress accordingly.

Our guide, Michelle Villafranca works as a Natural Resource Specialist for the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge. She specializes in restoration ecology with a focus on managing the Native Plant Greenhouse & Restoration Program. In her free moments, she birds by ear. Michelle has been birding since she was introduced to the fascinating world of birds in college through an Ornithology class. After college, she worked several field seasons as a Conservation Biologist conducting surveys on the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler.

The Annual Meeting will take place at the Dinosaur Valley Group Picnic Area on September 17 at 11:00 AM.  Lunch will be provided.  Agenda will include Election of officers and this is your opportunity to guide the objectives for the coming year.

We encourage members to bring their families and explore the area through an extended stay.  This is also a splendid way to get to better know your fellow CTUFC members and board members. 

Dinosaur Valley State Park boasts one of the more uniquely beautiful trail systems in our area.  Her trails serpentine along creek bottomlands that feed the Paluxy River, rolls across uplands of Ashe juniper and live oak and rises through high rocky outcroppings with spectacular views.  The park’s name is attributed to the amazingly preserved dinosaur tracks found in several locations along the Paluxy.  Nearby Glen Rose is also home to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, several antique stores, “a quaint downtown square”, 4 star Squaw Valley Golf Course and Texas Amphitheatre.   The nearby Brazos offers canoeing, kayaking and tubing opportunities.

Information on Naegleria Infection. 

Additional information? Contact Courtney Blevins at 817.926.8203.

The 31st Texas Tree Conference
"Trees Mean Business"
College Station Hilton
September 22-24, 2010

Learn from national leaders in research, arboriculture, utilities and urban forestry. The theme is "Trees Mean Business" and topics will include:

• Trees and Community Economics
• Selling Your Services in Tough Economic Times
• Pervious Concrete
• Running the Business of Arboriculture
• Tree Inventories for Your Community
• Seven Step Sales Process for Arborists
• Benefits of the ISA Certified Tree Worker Program
• A300 Means Business To You
• Surviving Tree Politics
• and more!

Announcing a great opportunity for review of or introduction to basic tree care and safety for tree workers! This one-day workshop will be a combination of classroom and hands-on learning aimed at any municipal employee from any department charged with tree care. More information...

Register here!

$25 per student

NON-DATED EVENTS

There's always something fun & interesting going on at the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge.  Check out the bison herd, the prairie dog town, winter waterfowl on the Trinity River, migrating songbirds, go canoeing or attend a guided interpretive hike.  Special programs scheduled throughout the year.

Find out what our invasive species detectives are up to now.  Learn how you can become a Cross Timbers Invader & help locate, collect data, and remove non-native invasive species that are taking over our natural areas. 

Se imagina vivir en un lugar sin árboles, sin parques o vegetación. Nuestro hábitat sería desolador, la contaminación dominaría el mundo y habríamos perdido gran parte de la calidad de vida que diariamente disfrutamos.

La vegetación ayuda, sin duda, a aumentar el nivel estético de nuestro entorno. Plantar y reforestar árboles no solo contribuye a aumentar la plusvalía de nuestros vecindarios, sino que también son espacios de reunión, para que niños y adultos puedan descansar, relajarse y divertirse.

A lo largo de la historia de la humanidad y en distintas civilizaciones, los árboles y los parques han simbolizado el crecimiento de la sociedad y de la familia; son parte de los recuerdos y también son testigos del desarrollo de un pueblo. Los temas siguientes le invitarán a aprender un poco sobre los árboles, los beneficios de los parques en nuestras ciudades y el impacto que tienen los parques o bosques urbanos en las comunidades.