Two additional tracts of land added for Open Space conservation

Two additional tracts of land added for Open Space conservation

Published on November 20, 2024

City Council this week approved two land acquisitions that support the Open Space Conservation Program and Mayor Mattie Parker's Good Natured Greenspace Initiative goal of preserving 10,000 acres of greenspace across Fort Worth in the next five years while also growing and enhancing the City's park system.

Mahafy Project

Council authorized acquiring 41.667 acres along Mahafy Street in northwest Fort Worth for up to $1.73 million. The intent is to incorporate the property into the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge (FWNCR) in the future.

The Open Space Working Group identified the property as moderate to high priority for conservation. The site includes high-quality, old-growth riparian tree canopy, as well as previously disturbed areas returning to high-quality prairie. These areas are recovering quickly and there are no environmental contamination concerns from previous activity.

Residential structures on the property can be demolished or used for other purposes similar to properties in the adjacent FWNCR.

This property can provide an additional access point to the Nature Center, keeping truck traffic off of roadways used by pedestrians, and can serve as a buffer landscape, protecting ecologically sensitive areas of the FWNCR.

Conservation of this property supports Open Space Conservation Program goals, including ecosystem preservation; stream, river and lake health; and flood control.

Funding for this acquisition will be provided from the 2022 Bond Program Fund in the Open Space Conservation Program.

Collier Project

Council also approved acquiring approximately 152.5 acres in northwest Fort Worth from Pioneer Land & Cattle Co. and W.R. Collier. Cost is estimated to be up to $3.95 million.

The site is located within the Silver Creek watershed, and the Open Space Working Group identified the property as moderate to high priority for conservation and a water quality priority zone. The site includes high-quality, endangered Cross-Timbers forest and delicate Fort Worth Prairie ecosystems, in addition to riparian ecosystems and floodplain along Silver Creek.

Conservation of this property supports the Lake Worth Greenprint Plan, completed in partnership with Trust for Public Land, as well as Open Space Conservation Program goals, including ecosystem preservation; stream, river and lake health; recreation; and flood control.

Future master planning for the property will determine land management needs to maintain the ecosystems and capital projects needed to prepare it for public use. Future programming will include connecting a public trail system consistent with the City's Active Transportation Plan.

The City will lease the property back to the sellers at no cost for 12 years and will allow current agricultural use (cattle grazing) to continue, which will assist in maintenance and land management costs and practices by keeping out invasive plant species and overgrowth.

Funding is budgeted in the Water/Sewer Gas Lease Capital Project Fund and the 2022 Bond Program.

Photo: The Mahafy land acquisition can provide an additional access point to the Nature Center, keeping truck traffic off of roadways used by pedestrians.

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Tagged as:

• Environment
• District 7