Dallas city council has voted, for the first time ever, to lend protection to a natural spring in the southern portion for the city.
Big Spring, which is one of the few remaining natural bodies of water in the area, teems with plant life, fish and other creatures. Every minute, 25 gallons of sparkling clean water flow through it, and it order to keep it protected for the future, the council voted to shield it from the development that has choking out many of the other natural water sources in the area.
Naturalist Ben Sandifer and his team, who have worked to preserve the spring, said that they hope that it will be possible to make the area more accessible to people who want to learn more about both it and the wildlife that calls it home. A company that provides printing services can create an assortment of signage that can be used in this type of are that give those who visit it more information about the animals and plants they might encounter.
This is the first time that historic protection has been granted to preserve a natural site and not a building. The effort to do so was led by a grassroots movement of community members, naturalists and members of city council, all of whom felt the site holds great importance for the local ecosystem, the creatures that live in it and the people as well.
