Bird & Nature Walks

Located in East Texas on US Hwy 79 between Palestine and Jacksonville, the Neches River Refuge has 7,000 acres of beautiful wildlife habitat – forests, wetlands, and trails along the iconic Neches River.

April 13 will mark the grand opening of the refuge, with guided nature walks, van tours of the refuge, kids activities, exhibits, and a nationally-known speaker.  

Texas Conservation Alliance and the Friends of the Refuge are cohosting the kickoff with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Meet at the main building. Participants will be learning about the common owls they can find in their local neighborhood. This is a family friendly event; however participants should be comfortable with walking on trails at night for long periods of time.

There are very few places in Dallas where you will find the Texas Buckeye tree. The showy flowers on this tree bloom for only a few weeks and now is the time to see them! 

Hike leaders Bill Holston and Ben Sandifer are both Texas Master Naturalists and will discuss the history and nature of the Great Trinity Forest, The Texas Buckeye Trail, and the proposal to rename the trail after Dallas naturalists Ned and Genie Fritz.

*There will likely be mud and fallen trees on this natural trail. Dress appropriately!

*We love dogs, but please no pets on this hike!

Subject:  Conservation Pioneer Gaylord Nelson, Founder of Earth Day

Featured speaker:  James Wilson, Kleb Woods Nature Preserve Historian

Hike the up-and-down rolling hills in Cameron Park along the hike/bike trails passing several overlooks. Walk includes a small section of residential streets. A 5K alternate route featuring less nature trails and more residential will be available.

Hiking sticks would be helpful although boots not required. We will be sharing the trail with bikes and possibly horses.

5K-10K

Trout Lilies are one of the iconic plant species at Tandy Hills and one of the harbingers of spring. Their golden-throated white trumpets hang from curvy stems nestled inside mottled leaves that resemble speckled trout. They are scattered across the Tandy hills and hollers hiding in secret places.

Sam Kieschnick will regale you with amazing facts about TL's and help ID other plants along the way. Don't miss this special opportunity.

Join us for a 1.5 hour walk to practice tree ID and anticipate the soon-to-come wildflower season. A template for identifying trees will be provided, so if you like to take notes, bring a pen and clipboard.

1.5 hours advanced training for Master Naturalists

Master Naturalist Bob Richie will lead us through a tree identification workshop and nature walk at the nearby Oak Cliff Nature Preserve. Meet at AJ Vagabonds at 10 a.m., then carpool over to the preserve, returning at 1 p.m. 

You must register online for this event. Tickets are $5, and we will post a link to tickets as soon as they are available.

Join Master Birder Shannon Love for a beginners bird walk.

We’ve recorded almost 100 different types of birds at Twelve Hills. Many avian species only visit during the winter months. Let’s see how many we can spot on our walk.

Bring your own binoculars if you have them. There will also be some available to borrow. 

No pets, please.

Space is limited, so please RSVP: twelvehillsnaturecenter@gmail.com.

2019 is the year of the boar! Join us for a first day [night] hike!