It took generous, hard-working people with passion, dedication and commitment to make River Legacy Parks the treasure it has become. Today’s challenges call for the same qualities in preserving and enriching the parklands.

River Legacy Foundation is working to protect the habitat, expand its educational programs and acquire more land for the park. Achieving these goals requires not only funding but also attention. An hour’s quiet time on the trails is enough to convince anyone how important it is to sustain this unspoiled area, to keep it healthy. Some areas are set aside for recreation, others for wildlife.

Computers and microscopes wear out, exhibits deteriorate, new discoveries call for new approaches, new equipment. Teachers, naturalists and other staff require competitive salaries and inspiration. River Legacy Parks, like a healthy native plant, requires tending, care and nourishment. Volunteers give their time and talents. Others, with different resources, contribute funding. The remarkable work goes on.

River Legacy Parks plays a starring role in one of the most exciting ongoing projects in north Texas: establishing a greenbelt along the Trinity River and its tributaries. This continuous parkland, known as Trinity Trails, will reach from Dallas to Fort Worth. It will be possible to walk, bicycle or even ride horseback for hours along the river. As the cities grow, and as the land is developed for residential and commercial purposes, this greenbelt will assure future generations an experience with nature. The parks and preserved open spaces may total tens of thousands of acres.

The North Central Texas Council of Governments adopted the plan for this far-reaching vision in 1996. Efforts to improve the Trinity’s water quality are succeeding, and in turn, people are rediscovering the river. They’re beginning to see the river as a rich reservoir of wetlands, fish and other wildlife habitats and historic sites. Each city along the Trinity is planning its natural areas; all will eventually connect. Arlington was the first city to complete its entire trail segment along the Trinity. And River Legacy Parks is known as the crown jewel of Arlington – indeed, of the entire Trinity Trails system.

It’s entirely possible that, without that first gift of land back in 1976, this wonderful plan would never have become feasible. We never know the far-reaching effects of our gifts. The ripples spread, the results accumulate. River Legacy Parks, indeed a jewel, lives and breathes as a testament to that truth.

<< BACK TO TOP