By Catherine Cuellar, KERA 90.1 Reporter
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-515797.mp3
Dallas, TX –
[sound: birds chirping]
Catherine Cuellar. 90.1 Reporter: The 12 Hills Nature Center has acres of wildflowers, dozens of butterfly species, and 70 young trees. But it hasn't always been this peaceful.
Jennifer Touchet, Twelve Hills: We've had to work very hard over the last four years saying that we want to hold onto this. We've had three superintendents, three city council members, three school board members
Cuellar: Jennifer Touchet, an environmentalist and activist, founded 12 Hills in hopes of preserving 22 acres of land in her Oak Cliff neighborhood. She and her neighbors wanted to be able to access Coombs Creek and restore the land to its native state as a prime example of black land prairie.
Touchet: Native black land prairies have, we've been told, as much biodiversity as the Amazon River.
Cuellar: A decade ago apartments on this land were condemned because of drug activity and arson. All the old structures are long gone, but the city owned the property. The Dallas School Distict got 11 acres for the much-needed Chris V. Semos Rosemont primary school, which opened last year. 12 Hills wanted a nature center, while Dallas city council wanted new construction to increase property values and tax base. So as part of the compromise a developer purchased the remaining land.
Touchet: Matt Holley purchased the land because he's a neighbor and saw the vision here, and so we were very lucky we were able to purchase the property from him.
Cuellar: Holley kept 5 and a half acres for Kessler Woods Court - homes currently being built and sold for half a million to two million dollars. He sold the rest to 12 Hills.
Matt Holley, Kessler Ventures: So basically we've reclaimed what was once a drug center really to this wonderful little nature preserve. We're going to benefit from this, people that live here, and the whole community. But also helping to do something that I think is especially innovative and unique, and certainly hope others will adopt this idea and do the same thing.
Cuellar: 12 Hills is now used as an outdoor classroom by both DISD and St. Cecelia Catholic School students, with curriculum developed by the Museum of Nature and Science in Fair Park, under the leadership of education director Paul Kortenaar.
Paul Kortenaar, Museum of Nature & Science: A lot of kids who grow up who even do things outside, they ride their bikes. They know their houses. They know the concrete. But they don't know the countryside at all. They've either never seen it, never had the opportunity to see it, or never had it explained to them if they've driven past it. But any school could set this up in their schoolyard where they learn about environmental issues and they understand that the way Dallas looks now is not necessarily the way it used to look or how it has to look.
Cuellar: Future amenities for the center include a creek overlook for bird watching. Touchet says planned development will incorporate state-of-the-art environmental technologies.
Touchet: Our parking lot is going to be grass. The security lighting that we have is lit with solar panels. We're obviously not going to save the world or change the problems of pollution or water quality with five acres, but what we can do is educate people about the kinds of things that are healthier for our city.
Cuellar: Touchet is satisfied with the compromise now that 12 Hills owns some of its own land, especially the part overlooking Coombs Creek. And the spirit of cooperation among neighbors continues, with Kessler Woods developer Matt Holley planning to host a private benefit for the nature center at his home this week.
For KERA 90.1, I'm Catherine Cuellar
From the KERA archives:
Suzanne Sprague's June 2003 report for KERA about 12 Hills
More on the web:
Twelve Hills Nature Center
Museum of Nature and Science, Dallas, Texas
Kessler Woods Court
Chris V. Semos Rosemont Primary School
St. Cecilia Catholic School