State Bulb of Texas
Listen to the Radio PSA
Today's Air Quality...
2009 Community Green Calendar
July 2009
July is National Parks & Recreation Month
Saturday, June 6th is National Trails Day
NOW-September 30th
Trinity River Corridor Project Photo Contest
Do you love taking pictures of nature? Then head out to the Trinity!
Enter your photos of the Trinity River’s natural beauty in the 1st Dallas Trinity River Photo Contest. Professional, amateur and youth participants can enter images in the following categories: Wildlife, Forest, River, and Architecture/ Structures.
In addition to winning cash, your photographs could be displayed at Dallas City Hall and placed on the Trinity River Corridor Project Web site.
Mail entries to:
Trinity River Photo Contest
Dallas City Hall
1500 Marilla - Room 6B-South
Dallas, TX 75201
For more information call 214-671-9500 or email mytrinityriver@dallascityhall.com.
Saturday, July 4th
July at the Market
9 am to 1 pm
Dallas Farmers Market 1010 S. Pearl Expressway Dallas, TX 75201
Saturday, July 4th
Booms and Blooms at Texas Discovery Gardens
10 am to 8 pm
Texas Discovery Gardens at 3601 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Fair Park
Celebrate Independence Day at Fair Park. Enjoy FREE admission to Fair Park museums from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm, free live music and a fireworks show at dusk at the Cotton Bowl.
This year, Texas Discovery Gardens will open at 10 am and offer free admission to everyone all day. Come out early to hear live music starting at 4 pm, register for free prizes and enjoy our beautiful organic gardens. See the progress on our brand new, two-story Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House and Insectarium – Grand Opening will be Sept. 12, 2009.
Bring a lawn blanket and come early for best seating. After our concert, head over to the Cotton Bowl for patriotic music at 8:30 pm and fireworks at 9:30 pm.
Music schedule (all music is family friendly):
Chin’s Mojo - 7 pm (Indie rock)
Brian and The Metrotones - 6 pm (Polka and rock)
Jeremy Miller - 5 pm (Texas country and rock)
Bill Martin - 4 pm (Acoustic guitar and voice)
Lorynn The Redhead will perform at the garden entrance at 6 pm (Acoustic guitar and voice)
Saturday, July 11th is U.N. World Population Day
Saturday, July 11th
Savoring the Bounty of Summer
9 am to 1 pm
Dallas Farmers Market 1010 S. Pearl Expressway Dallas, TX 75201
Saturday, July 11th
Ten for 10 Una Sera Italiana (An Italian Evening)
7:30 pm
6248 Winton Street Dallas, TX 75214
Ten for 10 is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide clean drinking water to people in Sub-Saharan Africa. Through dinners and social events we hope to raise not only money, but awareness as to what can be done to help. Proceeds from these events will go to the installation of manual water pump systems in rural communities located in countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia through a partnership.
Contact info@tenfor10.org for more information.
Relaxing with fellow diners enjoying freshly made mozzarella cheese, regionally-grown vegetables, great wines…wait a minute; we’re not in Italy we’re in Texas! Una Sera Italiana, is a traditional tasting dinner that will transport you to the Southern European coast. Mangia!
We will have Chef Jennifer Sohonie from Le Cordon Bleu in the kitchen! So if you want to have a great meal and terrific conversation while helping give the give of clean drinking water, join us for this unforgettable evening!
Monday, July 13th-17th
Texas Eco-Rangers
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Trinity River Audubon Center 6500 South Loop 12 Dallas, TX 75217
Experience a summer of fun and learning at Trinity River Audubon Nature Center for children entering grades K 5th grades. Our summer camps are like none other - nestled in the Great Trinity Forest, we offer a 120-acre outdoor classroom and a state-of-the-art nature center along the Trinity River just 10 minutes from downtown Dallas.
At our summer camps, your children will be outside, enjoying hands-on learning and exploring the wonders of nature. We’ll hike, study wildlife, learn outdoor skills, create nature art, and conduct field experiments while learning more about our amazing north Texas home. Our experienced and caring educators will nurture your child’s love of nature, while having lots of fun in the great outdoors.
Texas is an amazing natural place. We’ll explore the plants and animals of our state and specifically the unbelievable animals that live right here in our north Texas backyards. We’ll hike, nature journal, bird watch, pond sample, create nature art, canoe and set up a camp site. And, we’ll meet native Texas animals up close and personal. For children entering 2nd and 3rd grades.
$195 includes a camp T-shirt and snacks everyday. *Campers bring a sack lunch daily.
Wednesday, July 15th
Urban Forest, What is It? Rain Water, Where Does It Go?
10 am-3 pm (also Aug. 4)
Samuell Farm, 100 U.S. Hwy. 80 East
The City of Dallas Park & Recreation Department and Stormwater Management are offering this hands-on 1-day camp to teach kids about the environment that surrounds them here in Dallas.
Ages: 8-12
Cost: Free
For more information: contact Karen Woodard (214) 670-4294
Thursday, July 16th
FREE Photography Workshop
4 pm and 6:30 pm
Trinity River Audubon Center 6500 South Loop 12, Dallas, TX 75217
Presented by Canon. (Limited seating is available). Demonstrations begin at 4 p.m. and the workshop starts at 6:30 p.m. Please include your name, address, phone number and email address when you sign up. For more information call 214-671-9500 or email us at mytrinityriver@dallascityhall.com
Thursday, July 16th
Sustainability Brown Bag on Composting: Completing the Cycle
12pm to 1 pm
Dallas City Hall 1500 Marilla Street Dallas, TX 75201
L1FN Conference Room B
Bring your lunch and come learn how to make your garden beautiful!
Composting is the decomposition of plant remains and other once-living materials to make an earthy, dark, crumbly substance that is excellent for adding to houseplants or enriching garden soil. It is the most efficient way to recycle your yard and kitchen wastes, and is a critical step in reducing the volume of garbage needlessly sent to landfills for disposal. It is easy to learn to compost! This presentation will discuss composting techniques, including bin design and placement, and ingredients for a successful and rich compost for your yard and garden. Bring your lunch to the presentation!
Presenter: Tim Allsup, Dallas County Master Gardener
Tim Allsup is a Dallas County Master Gardener (2008) and North Texas master Naturalist (2009). He is a fourth generation Texan and has been around farming and gardening all his life. As a play on words, he tells everyone he was raised on “health food”. His parents raised and fed six+ kids largely on the family garden plot. He learned a lot of good gardening practices from his parents and then even more from their subscription to Organic Gardening Magazine in the 1960’s and 70’s. His own interest in gardening has ranged from vegetables, fruits, grapes, landscape and composting. He remains fascinated by nature and plants in general.
For more information: contact 214.670.1200
Saturday, July 18th
Garden Walk: Herbs and Herb Container Gardens
10 am to 11 am
Texas Discovery Gardens 3601 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Fair Park
Home-grown herbs can enhance your culinary creations and even your health. Join us on a tour of our herb plants in our Scent Garden and our Heirloom Rose Garden. We will demonstrate herb container gardening techniques, showing visitors how to group companion herbs for moisture and soil preferences. These can be grown on your patio or in your yard. Program appropriate for ages 12 and up. Garden Walks are free with Paid Garden Admission: $3/adults, $1.50 for kids ages 3-11, and $2 for age 60+. Become a Garden member and enter for free!
Monday, July 20-24th
Adventure Trekkers
Trinity River Audubon Center 6500 South Loop 12 Dallas, TX 75217
Experience a summer of fun and learning at Trinity River Audubon Nature Center for children entering grades K 5th grades. Our summer camps are like none other - nestled in the Great Trinity Forest, we offer a 120-acre outdoor classroom and a state-of-the-art nature center along the Trinity River just 10 minutes from downtown Dallas.
At our summer camps, your children will be outside, enjoying hands-on learning and exploring the wonders of nature. We’ll hike, study wildlife, learn outdoor skills, create nature art, and conduct field experiments while learning more about our amazing north Texas home. Our experienced and caring educators will nurture your child’s love of nature, while having lots of fun in the great outdoors.
Are you ready for some adventure this summer? Hike on down for our first-ever Adventure Trekkers Camp. Learn outdoor survival skills. Make a survival shelter. Hike and backpack four miles of trails. Orienteer and geo-cache using compass and GPS. Nature journal. Build a campfire and erect tents. Paddle the ponds in a kayak or canoe. For children entering 4th and 5th grades.
$195 includes a camp T-shirt and snacks everyday. *Campers bring a sack lunch daily.
Saturday, July 25th
Butterfly House Docent Training
10 am to 12 pm
Texas Discovery Gardens 3601 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Fair Park
We will need volunteer docents seven days a week in the new Butterfly House, which opens Sept. 12. The first training (volunteers can choose either July 25th or July 30th) will be a review of Visitor Service procedures for safe viewing. Because the Butterfly House has non-native tropical insects, we must follow strict USDA guidelines and laws to ensure no insects escape. The first training will also cover all the tropical plants, including all the nectar plants.
The second training (volunteers may choose either Saturday, August 22, 10 a.m.-noon or Thursday, August 27, 6:30-8:30 p.m.) will be an in-depth class on all the butterfly families and the features of the butterflies, plants, and Butterfly House. We will also review the procedures for the grand opening and State Fair.
Thursday, July 30th
Butterfly House Docent Training
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Texas Discovery Gardens at 3601 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Fair Park
We will need volunteer docents seven days a week in the new Butterfly House, which opens Sept. 12. The first training (volunteers can choose either July 25th or July 30th) will be a review of Visitor Service procedures for safe viewing. Because the Butterfly House has non-native tropical insects, we must follow strict USDA guidelines and laws to ensure no insects escape. The first training will also cover all the tropical plants, including all the nectar plants.
The second training (volunteers may choose either Saturday, August 22, 10 a.m.-noon or Thursday, August 27, 6:30-8:30 p.m.) will be an in-depth class on all the butterfly families and the features of the butterflies, plants, and Butterfly House. We will also review the procedures for the grand opening and State Fair.
