Dallas City Council members visit the “green” (and almost finished) Trinity River Audubon Center

by Laura Seewoester

Mayor Tom Leppert and various other members of Dallas City Council got a little preview of the "green" Trinity River Audubon Center Wednesday morning. The building itself is designed to be environmentally conscience, with a laundry list of green, recycled and renewable features. It's got a built-in rainwater runoff recycling system, incorporates the use of natural light, will have a permeable parking lot, uses recycled insulation, a partially green roof and a lot of native plants and wetlands around the property. This means the building itself will consume less energy and water. The building also has special windows that are sloped at an angle to discourage birds from flying into the glass. (Birds apparently tend to fly into glass because they see the reflection of the sky or the reflection of themselves and try to pick fights with the "other bird" they see)

The Trinity River Audubon Center, located roughly at Loop 12 and I 45 on 120 acres of reclaimed land amidst the Great Trinity Forest, is part of the larger Trinity River Corridor Project. It's also the main location for Audubon Texas, the state program for the National Audubon Society. The center will open in early fall and will provide educational and interactive programs and activities to the community.