There's a reason

They call him the Watchdog.

See Don Young watching out for YOU concerning seismic testing  in Fort Worth here and concerning the Trinity Trees here.

Lone Star sends thanks to DY and all the other Watchdogs out there!!  Keep up the good work!

RIP Trinity Trees

I recently reported how gas drilling companies such as, Chesapeake and XTO have industrialized much of the Trinity River greenbelt in Fort Worth, including sections of the highly prized, Trinity Trails System. One of the first shots fired across the bow of the greenbelt was at a magical little place called, Trinity Trees.

Backstory---In 2007, Chesapeake Energy bought one of Fort Worth's most treasured green spaces known as Trinity Trees. The heavily-wooded 8.33-acre grove sits along the banks of the Trinity River near a popular hike-bike trail that has been used for generations. It contains some of the oldest and largest trees in Fort Worth.

Read the rest of the Trinity Trees story by Don Young on FWCANDO.

Pie in the Sky

Oh wait, no that's not right.

Read the Fort Worth Star-Telegram article,  Elevated lanes no longer part of Airport Freeway expansion plan.

We have a question, if you cover more ground in an area that floods with concrete, what do YOU think will happen when it rains?

The behind-the-scenes decision has been months in the making.

North Tarrant Express is a massive project that will rebuild the existing lanes of Northeast Loop 820 in Haltom City and North Richland Hills, as well as Texas 121/183 -- aka Airport Freeway -- in Bedford, Euless and Hurst. New ramps and frontage roads will also be built.

The developer arranges much of the financing for the project and also retains the right to collect tolls on the managed lanes for 52 years.

The expanded highway will fit within the existing right of way, NTE spokesman Robert Hinkle said. A recent decision to remove dozens of trees in nearby neighborhoods had nothing to do with the change, he said.

Elevated lanes also are a safety concern during the winter, she noted.

What trees?

Read about the Kimball Museum trees (past tense) in the FW Weekly.

“I don’t think [the Kimbell] will be able to replace those trees in a way that replicates the originals,” Birnbaum said. “It will take out the character of a defining feature. I think it was a mistake to build this expansion on the lawn in the first place, but it is very surprising for me to learn that they have taken all of them out, especially when they originally stated they were going to preserve those trees.”