Frequently Asked Questions

What is the mission of the Twelve Hills Nature Center?
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 purposes of education, observation, and recreation.

What new elements will the Nature Center include?
The Nature Center already has educational and walking trails, as well as newly planted trees and newly installed birdhouse built by neighborhood scout troops. In the near future, efforts will begin to restore a Native Blackland prairie, additional educational trails, walking trails, outdoor learning spaces, butterfly garden, and several bird-watching blinds and boardwalks to create unobtrusive areas for teaching and observing wildlife in the Preserve.

It will also include a trailhead entry that will be constructed using the latest in environmental or "green" building techniques. The trailhead entry is the only construction project for the nature center and it will be used for outdoor programming, founder and donor recognition, art display, and other recreational uses.

The master plan has been designed through a partnership between the North Oak Cliff community, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Halff Associates, Mesa Design Group, and TBG Partners.

What is unique about the Nature Center?
The Nature Center's uniqueness is in its rolling terrain that sets it apart from most of the much more flat land surrounding it. Particularly, when one walks the site, one feels the up and down hilly terrain. Its topography lends itself to multiple uses. The property also has a small creek, Coombs Creek, in the southwest corner that allows for habitat enhancement and incredible bird-watching.

Because of its location, the THNC has enormous and unique value as an educational tool. It is next door to an elementary school of 1000 students and within walking distance of over 1500 inner-city students from ages 4 - 14 and 2000 high school students. It is easily accessed by the public and bordered by residential neighborhoods. These factors allow it to educate a larger number of urban residents than most prairie projects and other "nature preserves" that tend to be located further away and attract only people seeking out nature. Students and neighbors will be able to learn about land stewardship and the natural world at the Nature Center on a regular basis, rather than only on the occasional field trip to somewhere outdoors. It is a "manageable" size for the typical urban resident and a perfect entry into the natural world and into the ethics of conservation and land preservation.

A partnership with the Dallas Museum of Science and Nature has been created to enhance and provide high-quality education programming.

How can people get involved?
People can get involved in a number of ways including: joining a committee, participating in events, donating funds, helping to raise funds, signing up on the e-mail list, volunteering time, donating good or services, working on one of the programs, recruiting volunteers or just simply coming to visit the Nature Center to enjoy its peace, quiet and beauty. Click for details.