September Newsletter
North Texas Giving Day is September 19
This is a one-day event that lets individuals from all over the region give to the organizations of their choice.
We hope that you consider taking the opportunity on this day to contribute to Dallas Parks Foundation and designate your gift to Friends of Bachman Lake. Help us keep our park and lake safe, clean and enjoyable for all.
From new and improved connectivity to the greater city and regional trail network, to safety features and better park amenities, the funds you help us raise can give the Lake and Park the voice it's never had. Please remember to add "Friends of Bachman Lake" to the Notes section when submitting your donation. Here's how it all works.
Donations of $25 or more qualify for a bonus. Be sure to share your contribution news on your social networks and include the hashtags #FoBL #NTxGivingDay #DallasParksFnd.
We have a goal of raising $2500 by September 19. To let you know how doable that is, if a little over half of our current subscribers were to donate just $25, we'd make it!
If you're reading this after September 19, no worries! We accept donations all year via the Dallas Parks Foundation donation page. Just remember to select "Friends of Bachman Lake" from the pull-down menu to designate your donation accordingly. We thank you in advance!
Walk this way
Reminder: Send an email to your government representatives asking for sidewalks on Northwest Highway!
The state is planning to repave Northwest Highway and are not planning on doing any sidewalk installations. Take the time to write your state representative, City Council Member and County Commissioner. You can use the information on our Call to Action page as guidance.
News
Park! Who goes there ... or what gives?
Friends of Bachman Lake announced in the last newsletter that talks with Dallas Love Field about the use of the space on the northern side of Northwest Highway might yeild a new recreational area for Bachman Lake. While we're excited at the prospect of even more park space for local residents, the actual usable acreage remains in question. Apparently, the greenspace lies within a Runway Protection Zone (RPZ), which is a trapezoid-shaped area defined by the airport under guidance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). You can see the trapezoid in the animation below.
If an airplane lands short or overshoots a runway, the RPZ is meant to minimize injury or worse to people on the ground by limiting the development, access and number of people who can gather in such spaces. In short, the sparser the better.
The most restrictive part of the zone is defined by an imaginary center line measured from the end of the runway extending several feet in either direction within the RPZ. There is more discretion to use the space beyond that center zone of the trapezoid but it still must meet certain standards and be approved by aviation authorities. That could drastically reduce the size of the usable recreational space which might turn out to be as small as the area depicted in green below, a little over an acre.
Runway Protection Zone: DAL Runway 13L-31R
(play animation below)
We're still trying to educate ourselves about RPZs and what the definitions are of acceptable use. We understand the safety reasons for the zone but still have questions about why each RPZ size differs for each runway at Love Field. Also, we'd like to know what constitutes a place where groups of people gather, rather than pass through on foot, skate, or bike.
In the meantime, we hope our vision of a recreational village doesn't simply leave us with a tiny 'hamlet' instead. Whether this grand idea is 'to be or not to be' is indeed the question. We'll keep you posted. And we hope you enjoyed a bit of our take on Shakespeare in the park.
Plogging and Logging: A new way to report your litter pickup success
Plogging is the act of picking up litter while jogging, and every little bit does help. KeepDallasBeautiful is helping us do just what its name implies: Keep our parks beautiful and healthy by creating a Plogging Report which every plogger can complete after each activity. We're encouraging our friends at Northaven Trail and Whiterock Lake to use the Plogging Report as well, since keeping our city beautiful is a year-round team effort.
Want to know how much a difference it makes? In July alone, KeepDallasBeautiful, Groundwork Dallas and Friends of Bachman Lake teamed up with more than 40 volunteers to help clean up trash and debris around Bachman Lake. In two days, 56 bags full of trash were collected, totaling over 1600lbs. Debris weighing over 2500lbs, mostly from the severe storms in June, was also cleared.
If you've been following Friends of Bachman Lake here or on social media, you're probably aware that our group has a Plogging event every second Saturday each month. Now you can add some logging to your #Plogging, and note your success! Check out our events page for details.
As we mentioned in our last newsletter, Bachman Lake has never been cleaner thanks to the help of all of our friends. Let's help keep it that way! See you at the next event!
Insights
Lane departure: Staying in it won't get you noticed
"Stay in your lane." We hear that often in our lives. It's a way to tell others that they're not playing in the right league or are not considered experts on what they're talking about. When it comes to protecting and improving Bachman Lake Park, the only lanes we're concerned with are for pedestrians and cyclists. It's OK to not have all the answers right away and that's why we're knocking on the doors of those who can help Bachman Lake and park.
Bachman Lense
Congratulations to J.A. Lopez for being the winner of the Nature, Landscape and Wildlife category in this summer's Photo Contest sponsored by Dallas Parks and Recreation. You can see all the winning entires here.
Emily Horton took this shot from above, featuring Bachman Lake and Love Field. Emily used to row at Bachman Lake and appears to enjoy a new hobby, giving her an entirely new perspective.
Events
Meet Up With Us Monthly
Our monthly plogging event is the second Saturday morning of every month from 6ish (or whatever time your coffee kicks in) to 11ish (or earlier, if it gets too hot). Bring one of those plastic bags we all have around the house and put it to good use. Walk the path or meander off of it and pick up trash. It’s great for the hamstrings! Give a shout-out to anyone you see walking around the lake with a plastic bag - they are clearly FoBLers!
Dont' forget to fill out your Plogging Report when you're done. It's a great way to keep track of just how much trash is collected each month.
Aso, don't forget to join us at our monthly ‘meeting of the minds’ (aka Happy Hours) at Bluffview Growler. It's on the 4th Wednesday of every month from 4-6PM. No RSVP needed.
Not on our mailing list yet or need to update your information? Add your contact here and stay up to date.
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