A Drinking-Water Buffer Became Fort Worth's 3,621-Acre Refuge

When Fort Worth built Lake Worth in 1914, the city also bought land around the West Fork of the Trinity. The land helped protect its drinking water. Local residents kept pushing for conservation, especially members of the Fort Worth Audubon Society. In 1964, the Park Board set aside part of the land as a wildlife sanctuary and nature preserve.

The Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge now covers 3,621 acres of forest, prairie, and wetland. More than 20 miles of trails cross the refuge. The U.S. Department of the Interior named it a National Natural Landmark in 1980. A boardwalk enters the marsh, and the Prairie Trail reaches the bison range. Hours change with the season, so check the visit page before leaving.

Bison pastures can share the prairie with a black-tailed prairie dog colony. A drinking-water buffer became a place where prairie, marsh, river woods, and wildlife still meet inside city limits.