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White Rock Lake Park has a number of amenities, trails, historical sites and areas under construction throughout the park’s 2,000-plus acres. Amenities Ongoing construction Checking out the lake
In the past several years, the lake has seen support from the city as well as the local community. For the Love of the Lake, a local nonprofit dedicated to lake upkeep, also works to maintain the park for visitors. The company organizes regular cleanup events where volunteers pick up trash in and around the lake to preserve the area’s beauty. Aside from being a visitor attrac- tion, White Rock Lake is surrounded by a number of neighborhoods, including Lakewood and Lake High- lands. According to the city’s website, the lake receives more than 1 million visitors per year and is vital to the economic success of East Dallas. “Because [White Rock Lake Park] is one of the new natural resources in the city, we try to strike a balance to maintain it as a top-notch park for recreational access and enjoyment,” said Heistein. “At the same time, we want to preserve the environment and encourage native plants and wild- life to flourish as much as possible.” A dangerous plant According to the National Poison Control Center, ingesting water hem- lock can cause severe toxicity and death in humans and animals. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has called the plant the most “deadly in North America,” with reports that the plant’s toxins can shut down a per- son’s or animal’s central nervous sys- tem in a half-hour or less. The plant can also be toxic through skin contact but is most dangerous when ingested. According to the city’s release, the water hemlock plant grows in wet- ter locations and is usually one-half meter to 1 meter in height. It has small clusters of white flowers in an umbrella formation and may resem- ble common yarrow or cow parsnip. The release stated the city will typ- ically use nonchemical methods to remove an invasive plant species. But because of the toxicity of hemlock, hand-pulling or mowing the plant is too dangerous for city employees and could cause inadvertent exposure. Parks department crews are using the herbicide Rodeo, which is approved for use near aquatic environments, to destroy the hemlock. “Right now, it looks like our pes- ticide treatment was effective, and we are seeing the hemlock die off,” Heistein said. “We are monitoring to see if an additional application is warranted.”
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Celebration Tree Grove
Flag Pole Hill Park renovations Estimated completion: spring 2023 Eastern trail widening Estimated completion: fall 2022
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Dallas Arboretum
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White Rock Boat Club Dog park
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Stone Tables area renovation Estimated completion: 2023
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Historical sites
Trails
Stone Tables Pavilion Bath House Cultural Center White Rock Pump Station Winfrey Point
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White Rock Lake Trail Santa Fe Trail Flag Pole Hill Trail
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WHITE ROCK LAKE
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HISTORY OF WHITE ROCK LAKE PARK White Rock Lake has been one of the most visited park and recreational areas in Dallas for over 100 years.
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1910
Over 2,000 acres are purchased to create the lake.
Over 1,000 trees are planted at the lake, and neighborhoods begin to develop.
1935
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Due to drought, the lake is reused as a city water source, and a swimming ban is issued. The city parks department establishes the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society. White Rock Lake celebrates its 100-year anniversary.
1953
SOURCE: CITY OF DALLAS, WHITE ROCK LAKE CONSERVANCY, COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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2011
The organization has held Second Saturday Shoreline Spruce-ups since the nonprofit first began, during which volunteers meet at the lake and spread out to clean trash in and out of the water. According to Z. Zsohar, For the Love of the Lake’s board pres- ident, the monthly cleanup event has occurred 317 consecutive times. “We have all these programs, and we work closely with the [Dallas Parks and Recreation Department] so we can keep the lake clean and pristine for everyone,” Zsohar said. “We hav- en’t missed a second Saturday since we started. We have had snow storms [and] torrential rains, but we always have volunteers show up.” Zsohar said much of the trash can be attributed to the various streams and creeks that feed into the lake from as far north as Plano and Frisco. The currents bring the trash down the streams and into White Rock Lake, where it builds up along the shorelines. According to data provided by For
The city has not had any reports of someone coming into contact with the plant, but Heistein said there is still concern because of how popular the lake and its trails are among visitors. “There’s definitely a risk of people coming into contact with it,” he said. “The lake gets thousands of visitors every day. We were alarmed by how much [hemlock] there was … so we took pretty quick action.” Heistein said the hemlock could be found in discreet spots on the lake’s eastern and western shores, away from the common trails. He said crews found various clusters of hemlock at about 200-foot intervals. From shore- line to shoreline, White Rock Lake is estimated to be 1,015 acres, according to the city’s website. As dangerous as hemlock can be for people, Heistein said there is often a greater risk to animals, dogs in partic- ular. Many lakegoers bring their dogs
with them to the park, which can pose a risk. Parks department officials are continuing to monitor hemlock at the lake and encourage anyone who may come in contact with the plant to call a poison control center immediately. “The good thing is, most of it was 30-50 feet off the path, so to come in contact with it you’d kind of have to bushwhack off the [trail], which is pretty unlikely,” he said. Working together Trash buildup at White Rock Lake is another issue city officials and community members are working on solving. Since For the Love of the Lake was established in 1995, it has been organizing trash cleanup events around White Rock Lake Park to com- bat buildup. The nonprofit works closely with city staff to identify ways they can assist with the lake’s mainte- nance and upkeep.
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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