News about the Closing
of the Village Creek Drying Beds
In early May, the city of Fort Worth, the FW Water Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responded to an oil spill A 16-inch crude oil transfer pipeline ruptured, releasing 2,600 barrels of oil into a municipal sewer line that is part of Fort Worth’s wastewater system. The EPA traced the discharge to the Village Creek Wastewater Treatment plant on NW Green Oaks Blvd. The facility was able to contain a majority of the oil which was safely removed and transported to a facility for recllamation. Some oil did make it further into the treatent system and affected the biomass (or activated/waste sludge.) This sludge had to be discharged to the drying beds. They are using a few ponds at the west end of the drying beds to dry the sludge which will then be removed.
The department is well aware of the many species of birds that are found at the drying beds, especially the waterfowl species that will soon be arriving for the winter. They are working with the hope the cleanup work will be finished before then. FWAS asks that local wildlife enthusiasts be patient and hopefully the drying beds will be reopened to visitors soon.
Fort Worth ISD Elementary School Science Students Help Select the Official Bird of the City of Fort Worth
During the school year 2023-2024, Ft. Worth ISD elementary school students studied 6 bird species to name the Official Bird of the City of Fort Worth. The Eastern Bluebird was the winner and the official proclamation by the city of Fort Worth took place at the May 14th, 2024 City Council meeting.
FWAS Education Chair Report
2024 Grant Awards
In 2024, FWAS awarded three $1,000 dollar grants to local groups.
– UNT Dept of Biological Science – Kestrel habitat study radio transmitters
– Fort Worth Zoo – signage for bird and native plants area.
– River Legacy Nature Center – feeders and birdbaths
See our home page every fall for the announcement for our Annual Grant Awards
Click here to read the Spring 2024 Lights Out Ft. Worth Full Report
2023 Tarrant County Scavenger Hunt Results
The 2023 Scavenger Hunt was another success this year with only 2 participants, because they had a great time! Shiela Shallcross and myself met at 6:45 a.m. July 19 , had a latte and pastry and started out promptly at 6:00. I was going to only have the hunt go from 6-10:30 due to the heat. However, we had good weather cooperation with a cool morning, overcast skies most of the morning and a great breeze all of the morning. PLaces visited were Viridian, Sherry St Substation, Drying Beds Entry Lane, Dunlop Park, Randall Mill Park, Pappy Elkins Park, a friend’s pond and MLK Sports Complex. Our leisurely pace yielded 61 species and 123 points. Nothing special was found, but there were plenty of birds out and we enjoyed the morning. Yea, team Two Girls Out Birding in July!
Come out and join us next summer!
Paula Channell
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Borderland Research Institute, Sul Ross State University, Alpine, TX
The Borderlands Research Institute (BRI) at Sul Ross State University offers a number of outreach activities to connect people with nature through its education programs and research work. Visit their website (https://bri.sulross.edu) for details about upcoming walks and workshops. FWAS has helped fund some of the institutes work studying sparrow habitat near Marfa, TX.
122nd Annual Christmas Bird Count recap
122nd Christmas Bird Count / recap: The annual Audubon 2021-2022 CBC season was held from Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021, through Wednesday, January 5, 2022. Ft. Worth Audubon hosts two CBCs in Tarrant County. The FW CBC was held on December 18 and the Village Creek Drying Beds CBC was held on December 28. The complete national results are not yet compiled. As of today, 1,645 CBC circles have been compiled, with just under 32 million individual birds counted… READ MORE