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Track: Local/State Government, Cadastral, Land Records
Patricia Hudson
USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service
509 Felix, PO Box 6569
Fort Worth, TX 76115
Telephone: 817-334-5559 x3070
Fax: 817-334-5469
E-mail: phudson@ftw.nrcs.usda.gov
Native Prairie Restoration and Recreation Area Project in North Richland Hills, Texas
The project area is a 100 acre parcel in the City of North Richland Hills, Texas. The land was dedicated as a park by the City and is surrounded by residential homes. Urban pressures to use the land for the development of additional homes is tremendous. A small group of individuals belonging to different organizations such as the Texas Native Plant Society, the Boy Scouts of America, the City of North Richland Hills Parks and Recreation Department, Texas Trails Network, and residents have joined together to protect the area from residential development. In order to preserve the park as a restoration project, the group must indicate the progress of the restoration activities, and it does so by periodically planting native species in designated areas. Unfortunately, the group has crude means for recording where the reintroduced species were planted or the survival or establishment rate. In addition, the plants are impacted by pedestrian traffic because designated trails have not been established. The
situation is excellent for demonstrating how GIS tools can promote the wise management of natural resources in specified ecosystems all in an urban setting. This paper addresses the theme of conservation and ecosystem science, analysis, technologies, and applications as applied in restoring the park in an urban setting in analyzing data to restore the parcel to its native prairie state. Analysis techniques include using remote sensing such as the global positioning systems (GPS), geographic information systems (GIS), and field visits to plan, monitor, and promote the management of natural resources in specified ecosystems in an urban setting.
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