White Rock Lake on March 5, 2022. Photo by Renee Umsted.
New informational signs will be installed at the Old Fish Hatchery at White Rock Lake.
The signs will explain what the area is, its history and the groups that oversee it.
Oncor donated $20,000 to fund the project, and the money is being held by the nonprofit White Rock Lake Conservancy.
Signs already at the entrance of the Old Fish Hatchery, which were gifts from For the Love of the Lake and the Lakewood Service League, will remain.
Wording on the signs to come has been reviewed by local historian Sally Rodriguez, a representative from Audubon Dallas and the City Archivist. The language will be submitted to the Dallas Park and Recreation Board for final approval, likely by the end of the year, says District 9 Park Board member Maria Hasbany.
Long-term maintenance will be taken on by the Park and Recreation Department, along with Oncor, Audubon Dallas and Friends of the Old Fish Hatchery.
A second entrance to the Old Fish Hatchery will be added at the north end, complete with columns and wrought-iron fencing similar to the existing entrance, and the new signs will be installed at both entrances.
Hasbany says the friends group will probably have some money leftover, and the members will have to decide how to spend it. Neighbors interested in joining the friends group can contact the chair, Kathryn Bazan, at kathryn.bazan@dallas.gov.
The project should be completed in the next 3-6 months, Hasbany says.
The Old Fish Hatchery is located at the southwest corner of White Rock Lake. The nature area was clear-cut by Oncor in October 2020, resulting in the formation of the Old Fish Hatchery at White Rock Lake Advisory Committee. Replanting of the area had started by March 2021.
