Hands Down, A High Plains Environmental Treasure

An opportunity to protect
The I-20 Wildlife Preserve is an opportunity to protect more than 86 acres of playa habitat that are critical to the survival of local bird populations, native wildlife, and thousands of migratory birds along the West Central Flyway. Farming and ranching practices in West Texas are rapidly destroying these integral refuges and water sources for migratory birds and other wildlife. Even in the earliest stages of conservation efforts, the preserve teems with bird life from the Canada Goose and the American Wigeon to the Great Horned Owl and Peregrine Falcon. Butterflies, toads, deer, fox, and other wildlife take refuge within the playa boundaries. This preserve is also a rare opportunity to conserve a federally designated wetland-the twelfth largest and only playa protected by public title in Midland County.

An opportunity to educate
The future Jenna Welch Nature Study Center will be the cornerstone of a tremendous opportunity to educate the students and citizens of Midland. The preserve offers a rich environment for field-based study and natural laboratory exercises for Midland high school, undergraduate, and graduate biology and science students. Students from Midland College and Texas Tech University have already utilized the playa for wildlife observation and lab work such as soil and water testing.

The preserve and nature study center will also be an exciting and interactive educational experience for Midland citizens and visitors. The preserve's nature trails, bird blinds, boardwalks, and hawk observation tower will create an unmatched wildlife observation experience in West Texas. The nature study center will provide visitors with in-depth wildlife information, orientation and demonstration areas, and serve as an example and resource for environmental preservation and conservation.

An opportunity for recreation
The I-20 Wildlife Preserve and Jenna Welch Nature Study Center will provide a unique recreational opportunity for the citizens and visitors of Midland by creating a major eco-tourism attraction. The preserve's 3.4 miles of walking trails will more than double the miles of public trails in Midland. In fact, the preserve and nature study center will assist the City of Midland in meeting four of the top six high-priority needs identified by Midland citizens in the 2006 Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan (PROSMP) survey.

Bird watching, hiking, wildlife observation, public nature areas, and enjoyable educational experiences will enhance Midland's recreational offerings and take advantage of a booming $1 billion eco-tourism industry. The preserve and nature study center is projected to attract 10 to 15,000 new visitors to Midland each year and create potential for an annual $750,000 to $1.1 million boost to Midland's economy.

An opportunity of timeless benefits
The I-20 Wildlife Preserve and Jenna Welch Nature Study center is an opportunity of timeless benefits to Midland's natural environment and its citizens. This project is an example that an active city, its citizens, and nature can coexist in way that is beneficial to all. Preserving 86-plus acres of playa habitat will become a survival asset to migratory birds and local wildlife at a time when ranch playa vegetation is increasingly destroyed to provide water access to cattle and the future of other playas is unprotected by public title and federal wetland designation.

At the same time, the project can truly be a Midland treasure based on the potential educational, scientific, recreational, and economic eco-tourism benefits it will create. These benefits can touch the lives of nearly every Midland citizen and the thousands of visitors attracted each year.