The Preserve's Fauna and Flora
The Preserve's wildlife is abundant. Raptors include Northern Harriers (Marsh Hawks), Osprey, and Red-tailed Hawk, among others. Red-winged Blackbird, Swamp Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, and Yellow Warbler are denizens that nest in or near the playa's marshes. Red and Gray Fox are known, as well as Coyote, Raccoon, Armadillo, Bobcat, and Deer. Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Dragonflies, and other odonates are found in great numbers. See Appendix.

Preserve Habitat Analysis (See map below)
Zone 1: Core Cattails Zone - This area comprises the historic marsh where cattails have long thrived. Outside this zone, open playa waters were rich in Polygonum, Duckweeds, and other nutrient-rich food plants sought by waterfowl. Removal of 7 acres of cattails in the playa, as described in Section 5: Management Master Plan, will make the return of these aquatics feasible.

Zone 2: Thicket - "This expanse, on low land touching on the confluence of the northeast and northwest drainages, is covered by thicket dominated by Salt Cedar and Seep-Willow, along with thorny vines, brush, and scrub. While numerous studies show that Salt Cedar, an invasive, sharply decreases habitat value, Seep-Willow, an evergreen shrub with flowers that attract butterflies, is a positive habitat contributor. Large-scale elimination of Salt Cedar would be beneficial but could also be constrained for both cost-saving and educational-monitoring purposes. Along the Thicket Loop Trail, for example, some Salt Cedar could be removed and native shrubs and trees planted thinly in the verges. In other locations, Salt Cedar could be left intact. Thus, in time, students and other visitors will be able to monitor changes, take note of the roles Seep-Willow and other plants have in the ecological balance, observe whether Salt Cedar removal yields habitat benefit, and determine whether new native plantings aid in habitat restoration. Playa forage is so much better than anything else on the landscape that migrating birds will feed out the playas before they forage in the fields. And it's not just ducks. We¹re talking about shorebirds, upland species, wading birds - the gamut." - David Haukos, PhD, Texas Tech University

Zone 3: High Marsh-Playa Edge is the northern playa shore area that recovered from the 2003 drought and where high marsh plants and emergents, including Spiny Aster, are abundant today. Playa edge vegetation was grazed by cattle until 1988.

Zone 4: Lakeshore Forest Fringe. This important ecotone, in the transition between marsh and woodland, will be approached by the new portions of the Main Trail. Visitors may observe raccoons, skunk, and fox foraging on the shallow water and marsh edges as well as song birds on branches, raptors perched on overhangs looking for prey, and swifts and swallows grazing the air for insects. This zone covers the area below the dam as well as the playa fringe. Management attention in this zone should be given to the question of whether Siberian Elm, Chinese Pistachio, and other non-native invasive species should be removed and replaced with such Texas natives as Cottonwood and Pecan. This, as with other species management issues, needs to be resolved by the Preserve¹s Scientific Advisory Committee.

Zone 5: Upland Forest, the greater part of the Preserve's woodlands, will benefit from several management measures. Clean-up of debris brought into the Preserve by the two drainages is needed. Selective removal of invasives and the planting of native trees in their place may be considered a priority, in the estimation of this consultant, but should be undertaken only upon the recommendation of the Scientific Advisory Committee to do so.

Zone 6: Drainages and Bio-Infiltration. Entrapment of debris, adsorption of metallic elements, and other measures to remove or settle pollutants before they reach the playa should be a priority management measure.

Zone 7: Disturbed Periphery. New tree plantings are needed on the property perimeters for several reasons. Views of adjacent light industrial uses distract the visitor's attention and thus may lessen the value of the Preserve educational experience. Likewise, the high visibility of the pumpjack in the southwest corner, while of interest in its own right, is not conducive to the visitor's focus on habitat. The third imperative is the noise and views, seen from some quarters, of Interstate 20. While the Preserve will be a friendly neighbor to all, the planting of a large number of fast-growing evergreens, including Arizona Cypress, Soapberry, and Evergreen Sumac, will help the Preserve achieve the view-protected and sound protected characteristics that visitors will expect. These and other trees and large shrubs are recommended for planting at all edges exposed to highway and distractive land uses, including the I-20 service road, the southwest corner, some of the Preserve's western boundary, upper South Midland Drive, much of the eastern property line, the rear lines of Industrial Avenue properties, and on the Avenue itself.

According to Burr Williams, the playa's last remaining waters during the drought of 2003 - were found in the areas outlined in blue dashed lines in the Habitat Analysis. Note that the two westerly ponds in the north end were part of this vestigial system. The ponds and open lake remnants thus serve as significant watered habitats during extended dry periods, a fact that should be taken into account in the protective management of these resources.