Marshall Hinsley

Tucked behind the Dallas Zoo, the Native Plant Propagation Center, launched in 2022 by the Texas Conservation Alliance and the Dallas Zoo, promotes biodiversity by propagating over 30,000 native plants. It supports restoration projects, educates the public, and fosters partnerships to integrate native plants and ecological awareness into urban settings.

A survey in Downtown Dallas by Texas Conservation Alliance highlights migrating birds dying from building collisions. The initiative, part of the Lights Out Texas campaign, focuses on reducing light pollution and advocating for bird-safe glass. The effort has sparked local actions, seeking policy changes for safer urban environments for birds.

Texas prairie habitat is vanishing, but a nonprofit aims to restore it through the Pollinators and Prairies program. The initiative combines outreach, restoration, research, and partnerships, encouraging Texans to plant native flora and support pollinator research, aiding in reversing wildlife and habitat decline.

Now is the time to sow wildflower seeds in Texas, as the season runs from September to mid-November. Wildflowers need winter weather to germinate for spring blooms. I advocate for native plants and prairie restoration, and sow seeds to support wildlife, with resources available from Native American Seed and Wildseed Farms.

A revitalization effort for neglected Dallas cemeteries, led by the Friends of Warren Ferris Cemetery, has successfully transformed Warren Ferris Cemetery into a refuge and is now expanding to five additional cemeteries. The initiative, Constellation of Living Memorials, aims to restore cultural significance and green space, requiring larger organizational support.

Every spring, hummingbirds migrate to Texas and stay during summer. Ornithologist Cliff Shackelford explains Texas hosts around 20 species, with the ruby-throated hummingbird being most common. Attract hummingbirds by planting native flowers and avoiding chemicals. Supplement with sugar water feeders sans red dye. Overall, most hummingbirds are stable despite general bird declines.

A new book, *Wild Houston*, part of Timber Press's Wild Series, reveals Houston as a biodiversity hotspot. It explores the area's Gulf Coastal Plain ecosystem with a 352-page guide on plants, wildlife, and 25 field trips, debunking misconceptions about Houston's natural beauty. Co-authors Suzanne Simpson and John Williams detail Houston’s unique flora and fauna.

Artificial light enables 24/7 human activity but disrupts wildlife reliant on dark skies, harming birds, bats, and more. Michael Rymer and Cindy Luongo Cassidy discuss mitigating light pollution's impact through smarter lighting like shields and timers, emphasizing reduced environmental and energy costs for Texas wildlife conservation.

Eight historic Dallas cemeteries will undergo a two-year rewilding program to transform them from common plots to native, wildlife-supporting spaces. The Constellation of Living Memorials, led by Friends of Warren Ferris Cemetery, aims to lower maintenance costs, create habitats, and offer community education.

Environmentalists, concerned about a massive Bitcoin mining facility in Navarro County, Texas, will join public interest groups and experts in raising awareness of the industry's risks to the power grid, utility rates, and natural resources. Critics argue that the facility could destabilize the grid and increase electric rates.

Doug Tallamy, on the Texas Green Report podcast, emphasizes individual responsibility for maintaining ecosystems, highlighting the need for properties to support pollinators, food webs, carbon sequestration, and water management. He advocates planting native species, reducing lawn areas, and coexisting with nature to combat biodiversity and climate crises.