River Legacy Park – Arlington, Texas
River Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit 501 (c)(3), was formed as a unique public/private partnership with the City of Arlington Parks and Recreation Department in 1988. The Foundation was started by a group of visionary citizens who saw the potential of a premier park in land donated to the city by descendants of the Gibbins family – Berta Rose Brown and Margaret Rose May. The initial 376 acres was boosted by additional land donations acquired from the Ryan Companies, Perry R. Bass, and Texas Industries.
The Foundation secured grants and private donations to help the city begin the development of River Legacy Parks, with phase 1 opening in 1990 featuring trails, river overlooks, picnic areas, and a playground. Today, River Legacy Parks is a 1,300-acre urban oasis following the curves of the Trinity River. The Parks’ ecological diversity of bottomland forest, wetlands, and prairies provides abundant habitat for countless birds, fish, mammals, and native plants. River Legacy Foundation continues to work hand-in-hand with the Arlington Parks and Recreation Department to provide funding for the preservation and expansion of River Legacy Parks.
Recognizing a need for an educational facility to ensure future stewards of the parkland, The Foundation began a Nuts About Nature capital campaign in 1995 to build a one-of-a-kind nature center. River Legacy Living Science Center opened to the public in 1996 featuring interactive exhibits, aquariums, and terrariums with native animals, environmental education programs, a gift shop, and nature trails.
Their key initiative is to educate the next generation of environmental stewards using the resources of River Legacy Park and River Legacy Living Science Center. Starting with children as young as 3 years old, their environmental education programs expose children to the wonders of nature and their place in it. Through education, they preserve the Trinity River and its unique ecosystem.
Amenities of River Legacy Living Science Center
- Interactive environmental exhibits
- Aquariums & Terrariums with native animals
- Gift shop
- Nature trails & pond
- Public programs
- Education programs
- Summer Classes
Amenities of River Legacy Park
- 8 miles of paved hike & bike trails
- 10-mile mountain bike trail
- Picnic areas
- Pavilions
- River overlooks
- Restrooms
- Custom playground & playscapes
- Canoe Launch
Following the curves of the Trinity River and stretching across Arlington’s northern boundary, River Legacy Park, offers the beauty of the wilderness with open spaces for your favorite pastime. From botany to bicycling or rollerblading to relaxing strolls through the woods, this 1,300-acre City of Arlington public park has something for everyone. The park’s ecological diversity of bottomland forest, wetlands and prairie provides abundant habitat for countless birds, fish, mammals, and native plants.
Devil’s Cigar
River Legacy Park is one of the few known habitats of the Devil’s Cigar, discovered here in 1991. This unusual, three-inch fungus has an incredible life history and is highly unique because of its ability to make hissing sounds. Known scientifically as Chorioactis geaster, this particular species is from the class Ascomycetes. Information regarding the Devil’s Cigar is scarce. Texas and Japan are the only places where it has been reported. It was first reported in Austin in 1893. The scarcity of this fungus in nature is almost matched by the rarity of references in taxonomic keys, literature, and textbooks.
In River Legacy Park, the Devil’s Cigar grows around decaying cedar elm stumps and can usually be spotted in the fall through December. The velvety brown spindle-shaped tube pokes through the leaf litter up to four inches and eventually splits open forming three to six rays to expose a lighter smooth inner surface. From this exposed inner surface, a smoke-like cloud of spores is released with an audible hiss, thus the name Devil’s Cigar.