Autumn at the Trinity River Audubon Center

Story by Mary Martin. Photos by Jack Helms.


The Trinity River Audubon Center sits just southeast of downtown, a natural retreat in an urban area. A modern, asymmetrical building designed by architect Antoine Predock, opens up into 120 acres of The Great Trinity Forest. Once an illegal dumping site known as the Deepwood dump, this Audubon Center was reclaimed in 2008 as part of the City of Dallas Trinity River Corridor Project. Today visitors can wander five miles of trails through prairie and wetland ecosystems, around ponds and through hardwood forests.

Earlier this year, the team at Trinity River Audubon Center was forced to pause its programs, but now the outdoor area is available with timed tickets to ensure social distancing. “While COVID-19 has presented many challenges, not only for our organization but other groups as well, Trinity River Audubon Center is slowly re-opening our trails and adding various onsite and virtual programs,” Shelly White, the Center’s director, says. “We look forward to continuing our conservation work and educating others about valuable resources, including the Great Trinity Forest and Trinity River, and making an impact (while lessening the climate impact) in our community.”

If you would like to learn more about the Trinity River Audubon Center or reserve a ticket, visit trinityriver.audubon.org.

A pedestrian bridge crossing a pond near the trailhead on a cool autumn morning.

A pedestrian bridge crossing a pond near the trailhead on a cool autumn morning.

Shelly White, Center Director at the Trinity River Audubon Center.

Shelly White, Center Director at the Trinity River Audubon Center.

IMG_0092.jpg

An Eastern Phoebe bird sighting is fairly common throughout the Trinity River Audubon grounds.

An Eastern Phoebe bird sighting is fairly common throughout the Trinity River Audubon grounds.

A monarch butterfly lands on a stalk of wild goldenrod.

A monarch butterfly lands on a stalk of wild goldenrod.

The banks of the Trinity River.

The banks of the Trinity River.

A field of wild goldenrod.

A field of wild goldenrod.

Goldenrod is a type of weedy herb that is food for birds.

Goldenrod is a type of weedy herb that is food for birds.

The Audubon Center team suspects that these sticks all piled together is a result of a roaming beaver that they have seen roaming around.

The Audubon Center team suspects that these sticks all piled together is a result of a roaming beaver that they have seen roaming around.

Jake Poinsett, Programs Manager for the Trinity River Audubon Center.

Jake Poinsett, Programs Manager for the Trinity River Audubon Center.

This small hut provides shelter for small insects during the winter.

This small hut provides shelter for small insects during the winter.

A migrating butterfly pollinates goldenrod blooms.

A migrating butterfly pollinates goldenrod blooms.

Ducks float on a glassy-smooth pond at one of the Audubon Center’s premier views.

Ducks float on a glassy-smooth pond at one of the Audubon Center’s premier views.

IMG_0175.jpg



Author

Search