Nature center’s boardwalk expansion officially opens on Earth Day

Nature center's boardwalk expansion officially opens on Earth Day

Published on April 14, 2024

This Earth Day, celebrate the opening of the Marty Leonard Lotus Marsh Boardwalk expansion at the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge.

Event details: 10 a.m. Monday, April 22. The nature center is at 9601 Fossil Ridge Road.

In 2021, the City Council voted to rename the Lotus Marsh Boardwalk in honor of Leonard, who has dedicated time and energy over the years to conserving nature and the environment, in Fort Worth and beyond.

The boardwalk expansion and renovation project totaled $3 million and was funded by Texas Parks & Wildlife Department ($1.5 million), Meta ($300,000), Friends of the Fort Worth Nature Center, gas lease funds ($1 million), the nature center's Capital Projects Fund ($100,000) and the City's general capital projects fund ($100,000).

Phase 1 of the project, completed in August 1978, was dedicated in March 2017. In April 1981, picnic tables and a 40-seat amphitheater were added.

About the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge

• The center measures 3,650 acres and attracts 80,000 visitors annually.
• 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the center, originally named Greer Island Nature Center & Refuge.
• This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the Friends of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge.
• The center is a National Recreational Trail, National Natural Landmark, Lone Star Land Steward award recipient, Lone Star Legacy Park and National Paddling Trail.

Photos:The boardwalk is a serene place to watch wildlife among the reeds, hear frogs at dusk or study wetland plant species.

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Tagged as:

• Project Update
• District 7