If A Tree Could Talk
It would share its history and hope for the future
By Laura Capik
“You wouldn’t believe the things I have seen during the more than 200 years since I put down roots here on the north side of the rugged ridge that overlooks more than 58 acres of a beautiful remnant of the Eastern Cross Timbers.”
© Can Stock Photo / Konstanttin
That’s how a 45-foot-high Post Oak tree in the Sheri Capehart Nature Preserve in Arlington, Texas, would probably reminisce if it could speak.
It might also boast of its 2019 designation as a Historical Tree by the Texas Historic Tree Coalition and its new name, The Caddo Oak, in honor of one of the Native American tribes that lived under its canopy.
The Early Years
“Yes, I was home to the indigenous population,” the tree might note. “From the Clovis Indians who roamed this area 37,000 years ago to the Caddo Indians who were here for 1,200 years, as well as the Cherokee and Tonkawa tribes that lived in and around me. Under my branches they drew water from Village Creek and hunted buffalo roaming the prairie that became Fort Worth, Texas.”
It might also brag that it is the largest Post Oak in Arlington.
“My circumference is 55 inches, and my branches form a 65-foot canopy.”
The Post Oak was “discovered” in October 2016 when local arborist Wes Culwell and members of the Friends of the Southwest Nature Preserve were walking its trails. There has been a human presence here for 2,000 years, according to two archaeological digs conducted by the University of Texas at Arlington.
“I’m in the earliest cartographic description of the Cross Timbers,” the oak might say, noting it was called the Monte Grande in 1789.
In the 1600s through the 1800s, Spanish, French, and American explorers traveled here, looking for resources and trails through the Eastern and Western Cast Iron Forest.
“Historic figures Alonso DeLeon, Damian Massanet, and John Audubon were only a few who might have walked my terrain,” the Caddo Oak could declare.
The tree saw a big change in 1841 with the Battle of Village Creek, then at the battle at Bird Fort in 1843, and the removal of all Indian tribes to Oklahoma in 1859.
Texas Independence in 1836 launched a land rush on the newly conquered lands. Veterans of the Texas Revolution were awarded land patents for their service.
One was David Strickland, who in 1836 was awarded a large swath of land that stretched from the east of the preserve to the west across Village Creek into what is now Fort Worth.
“There were many years of rural life that followed with landowners whose cattle grazed around my trunk,” the oak would recall. “But eventually the boundaries of Dallas to the east and Fort Worth to the west stretched until they reached the cities of Arlington and Grand Prairie, where the southern fingers of the Cross Timbers run down their borders.
“And that brings me to why I must speak of my fears for the future of this land I have loved for more than two centuries. There are issues that may change this beautiful land forever.”
A Future In Jeopardy
When the population of Arlington started to spike in the 1980s, developers began buying any available land for new subdivisions.
“For years, locals enjoyed my land, climbing my bluff, and roaming around the 50 acres of lush, natural growth and wildlife. They called it Kennedale Mountain because of the bluff from which you could see for miles to the west.
“Then one day, my land was purchased, and I was relieved to see that it brought citizens together to ask the Arlington Parks Department to buy it from the developer to create the first nature preserve in the city of Arlington. Fortunately, the developer and the city came to an arrangement, but The Trust for Public Land would be required to buy the land until a bond election could be held to buy it back.
“I don’t understand how that works,” the tree might confess, “but I know in 2005 the land became part of the inventory of the Arlington Parks Department, and after years of restoration, improvements, a great master plan, and a 22-member citizen committee’s guidance, the preserve was opened to the public in 2013. I was overjoyed.”
The historic Post Oak would likely focus on the dedicated patience, resolve, and skill it observed and the difference it made.
Jin Frisinger
Making Friends
In 2013, a few citizens—some who had been involved since the purchase—created a group to work with the parks department to restore the preserve to its original state.
Through invasive, exotic plant control, aquatic habitat restoration, trail development, and public education related to the site’s plant, wildlife, history, and mineral resources, the Friends group created its mission.
“I know I am just an old oak tree, but I know the value of volunteers who share the decisions and workload at a particular park site and how they can make all the difference in the world. I know the solicitude of ownership in a piece of land in their community can change all aspects of what that land can become.”
In only eight years, the preserve has become a model of co-partnership, an economic-development asset, and a natural-habitat greenspace for the entire Metroplex. As the park staff handles the everyday activities of trash removal, repairs, and major projects, the Friends group works on projects that improve and define the restoration of the land to its natural landscape and habitat, safe for wildlife and plant communities.
By working with the parks department and being part of the everyday life of the preserve, the group’s joint projects can be accomplished.
The Friends group will apply for grants to enhance the beauty and quality of the preserve, looking for ones that match a need. Members will tackle the grant paperwork and act when grants kick-start a project.
“You should see the two-acre pollinator meadow at the entrance to the preserve, the Audubon Sanctuary, and hundreds of milkweed seedlings that grants have funded,” the tree would point out.
The Friends have received recognition awards, become part of the Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Great Texas Wildlife’s Trail, and received the 2019 Clide Award for Excellence in Natural Development. The preserve has been certified in the Monarch Registry as a Monarch Way Station, and become a hot spot with the iNaturalist organization, with 12,750 observations with 1,471 species.
The group is also part of a seed exchange with the Botanical Research Institute of Texas for a rare Glen Rose Yucca. The group paid for a day’s training for the park staff for trail building by S&S Trails, where staff members and Friends were taught how to develop, restore, and maintain the four trails that cover the preserve.
“The Friends’ newest project is literally right under my roots,” the tree has observed, explaining that, for centuries, the area around its trunk has been inundated with invasives and poor grasses, so six zones are being worked by the team, with the parks department doing some heavy machine clearing and the Friends group replanting the necessary seeds to bring this area back to its natural state.
Jin Frisinger
It might also confess, “I often eavesdrop on the educational speakers the Friends group brings in from the scientific community to share their expertise. These experts present science and nature topics with direct relevance to the preserve and its history. Many of the members of the Friends group are Master Naturalists. Because of the diverse interests of the members, a wide range of activities are available for outside wild adventures.”
The elderly oak might also explain that this year the preserve was renamed the Sheri Capehart Nature Preserve.
“Mrs. Capehart spent many years on city council and was a strong advocate for natural areas, which includes me! She was a driving force behind the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge and chaired the Environmental Committee for the city.
“This is not the end of my story, but a story that hopefully is happening all over our country. I am not the only tree waiting for a city to come to its aid. I should be able to spend the rest of my natural life safe from being torn down in the call for development or neglect.
“I want to be free to breathe and give shelter to my surroundings and wildlife. I want the opportunity to educate those who come here. I know that my parks department and Friends group will do everything in their power to provide future generations to learn what a natural preserve is, and to learn how to protect me for generations to come. So please come find me and let me share your experience at the preserve.
“Please also take the time to look me up at www.scnpfriends.org or www.facebook/Friends. The Friends are always looking for new ideas and projects. If they can help you get started, please contact them.”
Laura Capik is a member of the Steering Committee of the Friends of the Sheri Capehart Nature Preserve in Arlington, Texas. Reach her at lcapik@yahoo.com.
Donna Darovich, a Friend of the Sheri Capehart Nature Preserve, contributed to this article.