Family Friendly

The hike will last 2-3 hours. Trails range from flat and easy to hilly and moderately difficult.  Bring a picnic lunch for later.

Wear hiking boots or sturdy walking shoes and a hat. Bring a small daypack with at least 32 oz of water and a trail snack or GORP (good ole raisins and peanuts).

All proceeds benefit Green Source DFW, Cedar Ridge Preserve and Explorers Academy, a nonprofit entity  founded to assist adverturers of all ages and economic backgrounds enjoy the outdoors. $20. 

RSVP: Wendel Withrow, wendel@withrowlaw.com, 214-287-1046. 

Earth Day Texas (formerly, Earth Day Dallas) is an annual, outdoor festival seeking to elevate environmental awareness and influence the way Texans think, live and work. The family-friendly and free-admission event allows leaders in the corporate, academic and non-profit worlds to unite and show Texans how green lifestyle choices can lower their cost of living, improve their health, and help save the environment.

The heart of the festival is the Eco Expo where exhibitors will use their presence to promote their achievements as green leaders, and teach attendees how to take environmentally responsible action by better utilizing available resources, switching to eco-friendly products, or joining their organizations.

Get back to nature with us on May 16 at The Nature Conservancy’s Clymer Meadow Wildflower Tour. This 1,400-acre preserve contains one of the last remnants of the Blackland Prairie, an ecosystem that once stretched from the Texas coast to southern Manitoba. Catch a glimpse of many rare plant species as well as three very rare prairie types, or bring your guidebook and turn an eye to the sky for birdwatching. Pack a picnic lunch and a beverage, and bring the whole family!

Info: Chan Glidewell at brice.glidewell@tnc.org. 

Directions:

The tour will start with the Clymer Meadow Preserve and include a trip to Tridens Prairie in Lamar County, near Paris, Texas. Clymer Meadow Preserve is located at 6210 CR 1140, Celeste, Texas 75423. Parking will be on the road verge and participants will walk a short distance to the tour starting point. Around 1pm and after lunch, we will caravan to Tridens Prairie Preserve, a strikingly different type of prairie near Paris.

Directions from Dallas via I-30: 

Join the Dallas Trekkers on March 21 for a true wild outdoor experience just 4 miles from downtown Dallas. Long pants and hiking shoes are recommended for hiking on the less traveled trails in the forest.

The hike starts in the beautiful manicured grounds of William Blair Jr. Park where your will find a fishing pond and a spectacular view of downtown Dallas. Start the walk with hike around the pond on a paved trail, take the optional Mural Loop, and then go over the levee to the Trinity Forest. Both the 5K and 10K routes explore the forest and area around a lake with a distinctive shape that local hikers have dubbed the Bart Simpson Lake.

The 10K route continues to the Texas Buckeye Trail. This paved and natural surface trail meanders into the Trinity River's hardwood bottomland forest and to the Trinity River's edge. The bottomland forest is full of mature Buckeye, Bur Oak, Cedar Elm and Pecan trees. With luck, the walk will coincide with the spring bloom of the white Buckeye flowers.

Start hiking: 8-11am, Finish: By 2pm

$3.

Info: DallasTrekkers.org or Dianne Duke, d.w.duke@live.com, 214-368-9730.

Earth Hour began in 2007 in Australia to encourage individual households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour as a symbol for their commitment to the planet. Today more than 7,000 communities across the world participate in Earth Hour. 

Join a park ranger in art projects that help you learn about Texas and discover more about the land and wildlife you may see on a visit to a state park. Activities may include coloring, drawing and painting. Supplies are provided and all ages are encouraged to attend. Free with park admission. Info: 972-291-3900.

Take an easy hike by the light of the full moon! We will moon gaze and discuss how the nocturnal animals that frequent Cedar Hill State Park survive and thrive in North Texas. Meet at the Duck Pond trailhead. Free with park admission. Info: 972-291-3900.

Meet in the Reading and Games Room for a photography activity with Dallas Center for Photography - great for all ages! Free.

Learn about the many ways to be better stewards of the earth’s resources. The event will feature various ways residents can invest in a sustainable future, improve daily living and save money by Going Green! Other highlights include entertainment, vendor booths, raffle and prizes. Free.

Students K thru 6: Collect and save your juice pouches for a chance to win an Apple iPad.

Learn about Camp El Tesoro at a free camp preview for the whole family. Come see the adventures El Tesoro has to offer. Your preview will include archery, canoeing, hiking, crafts, outdoor cooking with s’mores plus see our new cabins, equestrian center & dining hall.

Camp Fire Camp El Tesoro is a local camp where boys and girls age 6 – 16 find fun, friends and awesome adventures.

Camp El Tesoro is close to home, situated on 223 acres where the Brazos River and Fall Creek meet. The camp has welcomed more than four generations of campers since 1934.