Twelve Hills Nature Center

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Work Days

Saturday, October 1, 8 until 10 AM
Saturday November 12, 8 until 10 AM
   Tasks to be accomplished: Weeding and maintenance at the entrance to Twelve Hills. Please bring tools you like to use for weeding and pruning such as 5 inch pruners, hand trowels for weed removal, small spades for weeding, and work gloves. Also, remember to bring water.

   Volunteer groups, families, individuals: The all-volunteer Board of Directors needs your help maintaining this beautiful community asset. Consider adopting an area of the entrance to Twelve Hills. Spend an hour or two a month weeding the area and keeping it looking good. Enjoy nature while contributing to the quality of life in North Oak Cliff. Questions or to volunteer: Contact Marcie Haley marcieh@gmail.com, (214) 941-6069

Nature Walks

   Night Hike, Friday evening, September 30 at 7:30 p.m. Join us for a close-up look at nocturnal wildlife, led by Master Naturalists Marcie Haley, Bret Turner, Jillian Turner.
   Nature Walk Saturday, October 8 at 1 p.m. Walk through the Nature Center with Master Naturalist Jim Varnum and observe the sights and sounds of fall.
   Nature Walk Saturday, November 5, 10 a.m. Walk through Twelve Hills with Master Naturalist Dan Northcut and learn about the Blackland Prairie ecosystem and native plants.
   Night Hike Friday evening, November 18 at 7:30 p.m. Join us for a close-up look at nocturnal wildlife, led by Master Naturalists Marcie Haley, Bret Turner, Jillian Turner.
Hikes are family friendly-bring children!
Wear closed- toe shoes; consider insect repellent.
Bring water.
Leave your dogs at home.
For night hikes: In addition to the above list, bring a small flashlight.

Old Oak Cliff Conservation League Fall Home Tour October 8th and 9th

   On behalf of the board of the 12 Hills Nature Center, we are thrilled to be a destination for this year’s fall home tour. As such, we are proud to offer our own “Home Tour” of custom built homes manufactured here in North Texas . Our homes are made of 100% wood construction and offer amenities expected for today’s demanding consumers.
From front porches to air conditioning, from cedar paneling to cedar shacks, our homes offer the finest materials for your pedigree! That is right we are displaying a large assortment of custom high end DOG HOUSES.

   Wonder thru the gates of the nature center to feast your eyes on these magnificent creations. If you do not see a home to your standards- not a problem. GREEN’S WOOD WORKS can custom build to your specs. Insulation, heating and air, as well as multiple entrances can be included in your back yard hacienda.
Come see what all the dogs are talking about and place an order for Christmas. We promise you will get extra kisses from the recipient when you do!

Twelve Hills Nature Center First Annual Farm Table Dinner:

    The Twelve Hills Nature Center Farm Table Dinner has been postponed until early spring 2012. For more information please e-mail president@twelvehills.org.

Volunteer Spotlight

The Twelve Hills Nature Center salutes Susan Schott.

Since the idea was born for Twelve Hills seven long years ago, Susan and her son Cary have worked tirelessly to make the dream a reality. Here are just a few of the projects Susan has done over the years:

Walked the neighborhoods to gather petition signatures
Helped organize clean ups of the property even before we were “official”
Attended countless meetings with community and city officials
Set up a database to help us track friends and donors
Stepped in to coordinate and supervise the Nature Leaders Environmental After-School program
Coordinated EarthWeek activities for both Rosemont campuses for the past three years

A confirmed “night owl”, when most of us are sleeping, Susan can be found laminating signage for Twelve Hills, entering data, or doing research to make certain the Nature Leader students have accurate information. Thank you, Cary for sharing your mom’s time. Most especially THANK YOU Susan!

Twelve Hills Nature Center is an urban preserve located in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas. It serves as an outdoor classroom and passive recreational area. It seeks to educate both adults and children about environmental stewardship and community-building through the grassroots creation and maintenance of a native Texas blackland prairie, and small wetland.

OUR MISSION
The mission of the Twelve Hills Nature Center is to promote positive interaction between diverse community groups surrounding the nature center by facilitating and encouraging participation in the ecological stewardship of the land for the dual purposes of education and recreation.

The Donation Station

Lend us a hand. We are in current need of the the following:

We need volunteers to join the Poison Ivy Patrol. If you aren’t allergic to poison ivy and if you are willing to do some physical labor, please email stacya@exchange.uta.edu.
Bike rack
Railing and platform
Sprinkler service
Printing and laminating services
Hosts for small informal gatherings

Review our additional needs...

Use our form or call 214-335-5974 to donate or learn more.

Media Matters

Twelve Hills in The Dallas Morning News
It may be hard to imagine a nature preserve in an old developed sector such as North Oak Cliff. But that's exactly where the Twelve Hills Nature Center is, behind Rosemont Elementary School at 719 N. Montclair Ave. Read the article...

Little love left on the prairie
Read a recent Dallas Morning News column on the state of prairies in North Texas. While you're at it, check out a couple of interesting sites: Fort Worth Prairie Park and Great Plains Restoration Council to see how others are working to preserve our prairie heritage.

Twelve Hills on KERA
12 Hills Development satisfies Oak Cliff neighbors by Catherine Cuellar, KERA 90.1
Read the transcript, or listen now...

Twelve Hills in The News
"Teamwork tranforms eyesore into an asset" - Check out the feature article from the Dallas Morning News.
Read the article...

Kids in nature
We’ve got this all wrong. Kids stay inside too much. They remain in structured programs too long. Some local camps and national researchers look to rediscover the genius of kids in nature.
Read more...

>Read our mail - to learn about current activities

Bird Watching at Twelve Hills

Many of the birds migrating north for the summer pass through Dallas during late April and early May. Get out to Twelve Hills to look for resident and migrant birds in their beautiful spring plumage. For best results start out early - that’s when birds are most active and you have a chance for some interesting sightings.

Use the helpful Bird List (large file) to identify and register your sightings.