Mayor Mattie Parker on Wednesday announced a new nonprofit meant to raise private money for parks and the protection of undeveloped land, the Fort Worth Report reported.
The Fort Worth Open Space & Parks Conservancy will work with city officials and local partners to improve existing parks, conserve land and waterways and encourage private landowners to protect their property, according to a news release quoted by the Report. The group's website describes it as an independent 501(c)(3) working in close partnership with the city.
"The conservancy gives us another way to bring private partners to the table to make sure nature remains part of Fort Worth's future," Parker said in the release.
First two projects
The conservancy is starting with two efforts:
- A state park concept around Benbrook Lake. The group is partnering with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on the idea, which involves improving recreation amenities already in the area and protecting remaining native prairie, the release says.
- A long-term strategic plan for the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge. That planning for the 3,621-acre preserve is led by parks and recreation staff and the Friends of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge, working with the conservancy.
Leadership and funding
The conservancy's website lists Parker as chair and longtime conservation advocate Marty Leonard as honorary co-chair. Leonard served 17 years on the Tarrant Regional Water District board and created the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge Conservancy, according to the Report.
"Our city is going to keep growing. We have a chance now to protect some of those places," Leonard said in the release.
