Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area

Last updated
Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area
Cicada Trail LLELA.jpg
Cicada Trail at LLELA, January 2020
Location Lewisville, Texas
Coordinates 33°03′57″N96°58′30″W / 33.06583°N 96.97500°W / 33.06583; -96.97500 Coordinates: 33°03′57″N96°58′30″W / 33.06583°N 96.97500°W / 33.06583; -96.97500
Area2,600 acres (1,100 ha)
Website https://www.llela.org/

Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area, or LLELA, is a 2,600-acre park in Lewisville, Texas. [1] It features Blackland Prairie and Eastern Cross Timbers ecosystems, as well as wetlands and hardwood forests. The Elm Fork branch of the Trinity River runs through the park, and it is adjacent to Lake Lewisville, although there is no lake access from the park.

Contents

History

The park was created in the early 1990s from land bordering the newly created Lewisville Lake when a group of stakeholders including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, University of North Texas, the City of Lewisville, Lewisville ISD, University of Texas at Arlington, and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agreed to conserve the land for research purposes and to serve as an outdoor classroom for people in the DFW area. [2]

The Minor-Porter log house, an historic cabin built in 1869, lies on the park's Cottonwood Trail. The house was restored in 2005 and was moved to LLELA and furnished with genuine 1800s artifacts and tools. [3]

Amenities and recreation

LLELA features a visitor's center, over 7 miles of hiking trails, [4] nine primitive campsites, [5] a butterfly garden, and various spots for picknicking, fishing, kayaking, and canoeing. The park offers various guided activities, such as naturalist-led hikes, bird walks, and kayak tours. [6]

Plant and animal life

Due to the variety of different ecosystems that are present in LLELA, there is a diverse array of wildlife in the park, including over 360 vertebrate species. [2] These include mammals such as deer, river otters, and armadillos, and many bird species, including a nesting pair of bald eagles. [7]

Related Research Articles

Lewisville, Texas City in Texas, United States

Lewisville is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States, that barely overlaps with Dallas County, Texas. It is a suburb within the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. The 2000 United States Census placed the city's population at 77,737 and the 2010 Census placed it at 95,290, making it one of the fastest-growing city populations in the United States and the 33rd most populous in Texas. It occupies 36.4 square miles (94 km2) of land and includes 6.07 square miles (15.7 km2) of Lewisville Lake.

Flower Mound, Texas Incorporated town in Texas, United States

Flower Mound is an incorporated town located in Denton and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Located northwest of Dallas and northeast of Fort Worth adjacent to Grapevine Lake, the town derives its name from a prominent 12.5-acre (5.1 ha) mound located in the center of town.

Lady Bird Lake Reservoir in Austin, Texas, United States

Lady Bird Lake is a river-like reservoir on the Colorado River in Austin, Texas, United States. The City of Austin created the reservoir in 1960 as a cooling pond for a new city power plant. The lake, which has a surface area of 416 acres (168 ha), is now used primarily for recreation and flood control. The reservoir is named in honor of former First Lady of the United States Lady Bird Johnson.

Itasca State Park State park in Minnesota, U.S.

Itasca State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, and contains the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The park spans 32,690 acres (132.3 km2) of northern Minnesota, and is located about 21 miles (34 km) north of Park Rapids, Minnesota and 25 miles (40 km) from Bagley, Minnesota. The park is part of Minnesota's Pine Moraines and Outwash Plains Ecological Subsection and is contained within Clearwater, Hubbard, and Becker counties.

Congaree National Park National park in South Carolina, United States

Congaree National Park is a 26,276-acre American national park in central South Carolina, 18 miles southeast of the state capital, Columbia. The park preserves the largest tract of old growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States. The lush trees growing in its floodplain forest are some of the tallest in the eastern United States, forming one of the highest temperate deciduous forest canopies remaining in the world. The Congaree River flows through the park. About 15,000 acres are designated as a wilderness area.

Pukaskwa National Park National park in Ontario, Canada

Pukaskwa National Park is a national park located south of the town of Marathon, Ontario in the Thunder Bay District of northern Ontario, Canada. Established in 1978, Pukaskwa is known for its vistas of Lake Superior and boreal forests. The park covers an area of 1,878 square kilometres (725 sq mi), and protects part of the longest undeveloped shoreline anywhere on the Great Lakes.

Bridger Wilderness

The Bridger Wilderness is located in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, United States. Originally established in 1931 as a primitive area, 428,169-acre (1,732.74 km2) region was redesignated as a wilderness in 1964 and expanded to the current size in 1984. The wilderness lies on the west side of the Continental Divide in the Wind River Range and contains Gannett Peak; at 13,809 feet (4,209 m) it is the tallest mountain in Wyoming. The wilderness is a part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Lake Kissimmee State Park is a 5,930-acre (24 km2) Florida State Park located north of State Road 60, 15 miles (24 km) east of Lake Wales. It contains floodplain, forest, prairie, hammock, flatwoods and Lakes Kissimmee, Tiger, and Rosalie. The park is home to 50 species of plants and animals that are either threatened, of special concern or endangered.

Lake Louisa State Park is a 4,372-acre (17.69 km2) Florida State Park located south of Clermont, in the northeast corner of the Green Swamp and the southwestern shore of Lake Louisa. It is made up of bald cypress, live oak, and saw palmettos. In addition to Lake Louisa, the park contains Hammond Lake, Dixie Lake, Dude Lake, and Bear Lake, along with several smaller lakes.

Sam Houston National Forest

The Sam Houston National Forest, one of four National Forests in Texas, is located 50 miles north of Houston. The forest is administered together with the other three United States National Forests and two National Grasslands located entirely in Texas, from common offices in Lufkin, Texas. The units include Angelina, Davy Crockett, Sabine, and Sam Houston National Forests, plus Caddo National Grassland and Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland. There are local ranger district offices located in New Waverly. It is located in portions of three Texas counties including Montgomery, San Jacinto, and Walker.

Burnaby Lake Regional Park Regional park in British Columbia, Canada

Burnaby Lake is a lake located in Burnaby, British Columbia and is the focal geographic feature and namesake of Burnaby Lake Regional Park. The lake occupies 3.11 square kilometres of land, and is home to a large variety of wildlife. At least 70 species of birds make the lake and surrounding areas their home, and about 214 species of birds visit the lake throughout the year. The park has been managed by the Metro Vancouver Parks Department since 1977.

Wallowa–Whitman National Forest

The Wallowa–Whitman National Forest is a United States National Forest in the U.S. states of Oregon and Idaho. Formed upon the merger of the Wallowa and Whitman national forests in 1954, it is located in the northeastern corner of the state, in Wallowa, Baker, Union, Grant, and Umatilla counties in Oregon, and includes small areas in Nez Perce and Idaho counties in Idaho. The forest is named for the Wallowa band of the Nez Perce people, who originally lived in the area, and Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, Presbyterian missionaries who settled just to the north in 1836. Forest headquarters are located in Baker City, Oregon with ranger districts in La Grande, Joseph and Baker City.

Grapevine Lake Reservoir in Texas, United States

Grapevine Lake is an American reservoir located in the North Texas region, approximately 20 mi (32 km) northwest of Dallas and northeast of Fort Worth. It was impounded in 1952 by the US Army Corps of Engineers when they dammed Denton Creek, a tributary of Trinity River.

Colt Creek State Park

Colt Creek State Park is a Florida State Park in Central Florida, 16 miles (26 km) north of Lakeland off of State Road 471. This 5,067 acre park nestled within the Green Swamp Wilderness Area and named after one of the tributaries that flows through the property was opened to the public on January 20, 2007. Composed mainly of pine flatwoods, cypress domes and open pasture land, this piece of pristine wilderness is home to many animal species including the American bald eagle, Southern fox squirrel, gopher tortoise, white-tailed deer, wild turkey and bobcat.

Bond Park

Fred G. Bond Metro Park is the largest municipal park in Cary, North Carolina. It is also one of the largest municipal parks in Wake County. It is located at 801 High House Road, physically the geographic center of the town. The park has been described as "an oasis in the middle of Cary."

Fairfield Lake State Park State park in Freestone County, Texas

Fairfield Lake State Park is a state park located in Freestone County, Texas, United States, northeast of Fairfield on the shores of Fairfield Lake. The park is 1,460 acres (591 ha).

Lake Bob Sandlin State Park State park in Northeast Texas

Lake Bob Sandlin State Park, is located around Lake Bob Sandlin in Northeast Texas, in the Pineywoods region. The lake lies in Titus, Camp, and Franklin Counties, with a small part in the northeast corner of Wood County. The park covers 639.8 acres of land on the northern shore of the lake in Titus County about 10 miles southwest of Mount Pleasant.

Boyd Hill Nature Preserve

Boyd Hill Nature Preserve is a 245-acre (99 ha) protected area in St. Petersburg, Florida, Pinellas County, Florida. Boyd Hill Park was originally a zoo and botanical garden for the city of St. Petersburg. It has since come to include natural habitats and tropical landscapes along the shores of Lake Maggiore. The preserve is located on the shores of Lake Maggiore (Florida) in south St. Petersburg. It is operated by St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation and includes the Boyd Hill Environmental Center, a bird-of-prey aviary, and more than three miles of trails through a variety of ecosystems. Facilities include a playground and picnic areas. The preserve is used for school field trips and hosts environmental education programs. It is located at 1101 Country Club Way South.

Big Sioux Recreation Area is a South Dakota state recreation area in Minnehaha County, South Dakota in the United States. The recreation area is named for the Big Sioux River which flows through the park. The recreation area is located 4 miles east of Sioux Falls and is very popular for camping, cabin rentals, canoeing, biking, hiking, disc golf, snowmobiling and archery.

Chilkat State Park Alaska state park

Chilkat State Park is a 9,837-acre Alaska state park on a peninsula south of the town of Haines, Alaska between the Chilkat and Chilkoot inlets. Remote and known for the steep 14% grade gravel access road, the park offers campsites with minimal amenities and is open to fishing, hiking, boating, sea kayaking, and sightseeing. The campground is closed from October to mid-May due to winter concerns.

References

  1. "Field Experiences | Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area". www.llela.org. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
  2. 1 2 "LLELA History and Organization | Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area". www.llela.org. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
  3. "1869 Log House | Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area". www.llela.org. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  4. "Hiking and Birding | Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area". www.llela.org. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  5. "Primitive Camping at LLELA | Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area". www.llela.org. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  6. "Guided Recreation at LLELA | Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area". www.llela.org. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
  7. Martin, Amy (2022-03-16). "Where to see bald eagles in North Texas". GreenSource DFW. Retrieved 2022-03-24.