123 Acres of Urban Sanctuary Protected Forever
Around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, development continues to spread outwards across the ranches and prairies that once defined the region. Amid this growth, however, near the middle of Collin County, lies Meandering Trails Preserve, a 123-acre mosaic of scattered juniper and hardwood mottes, open pasture, and creeks. Jeannie Webb Pascale pieced the preserve together over many years and sought to protect her property from the pressures of development.
A Living Fragment
Meandering Trails Preserve is located in the Blackland Prairie ecoregion, a once vast grassland ecosystem covered in tall grasses and wildflowers, broken by forested drainages and streams. Today, most of this ecosystem has been converted to farmland or has been lost to urban sprawl. The preserve’s pastured grasslands, though modified by grazing, still reflect its prairie heritage. The preservation of the property ensures that the historically rural area retains its open character. Its fields are filled with wildflowers and host a diversity of birds, small mammals, and pollinators. This preserve serves as a vital refuge for wildlife that cannot thrive in surrounding lawns or retail districts and underscores why maintaining isolated patches of this ecosystem is crucial. These pockets act as steppingstones for dispersing wildlife, supporting regional ecological connectivity.
This video shows where Meandering Trails Preserve (red marker) falls within the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and the dramatic loss of habitat and open space from urban expansion between 1984 and 2022. It highlights the urgent need to prioritize land conservation, not just in this region, but across Texas. Consider supporting conservation efforts in Texas with a donation today.
Sloan Creek: Lifeblood of the Preserve
With urban development comes a plethora of impermeable surfaces that increases the rate and volume of runoff. Two branches of Sloan Creek flow along the preserve’s boundaries—one along the northern edge and another on the southeastern side. Sloan Creek collects precipitation from upland areas and channels it through this landscape. With the preserve’s intact riparian zones, excess sediment and nutrients are absorbed before entering the larger Wilson creek and Lavon Lake water systems. In heavy rain, its riparian forests can slow the flow of water, reducing erosion and mitigating downstream flooding. The creek’s fringes provide unique microhabitats for amphibians, insects, birds, and mammals. Vegetative buffers create shaded corridors for wildlife navigating the urban perimeter, affording safe passage through what would otherwise be hostile terrain. Surrounding wet soil creates a haven for frogs, salamanders, and toads. By protecting these forested strips, Meandering Trails Preserve ensures that Sloan Creek remains cleaner, cooler, and more ecologically functional than it would in a typical suburban watershed. These benefits help support the ongoing goals of the Lavon Lake Watershed Protection Plan to improve and protect the water quality of Lavon Lake.
Climate Buffer and Regional Resilience
While the preserve’s 123-acres may seem modest compared to the DFW metro area’s magnitude, its ecological functions are proportionally outsized. Grasslands and trees sequester carbon, while riparian forests cool the surrounding microclimate. These features help reduce urban heat island effects, lower energy costs in nearby neighborhoods, and create climate-adaptive land. Moreover, intact soil‑plant systems within the preserve help retain water, mitigating flood peaks during storms. As development increases, so do impermeable surfaces—parking lots, rooftops, roads—which intensify floods. Meandering Trails Preserve acts like a sponge, absorbing, storing, and slowly releasing rainfall in ways urban development cannot.
A Network of Conservation
Just west of Meandering Trails Preserve you’ll find Coyote Meadow, an 18-acre open area. A stone’s throw to the north is the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, a 289-acre oasis that features natural history exhibits and trails through prairies, forests, and wetlands. Across Fairview Texas, you’ll find an array of parks, preserves, and trails that form a network of conserved spaces. Networks like this provide benefits beyond their individual footprint, offering steppingstones for flora and fauna.
A Conservation Success
Meandering Trails Preserve is far more than a patch of greenery, it is a refuge, a water‐filtering sanctuary, a biodiversity reservoir, and a climate buffer within a sea of development. Sloan Creek, nourished by forested riparian zones, runs like a lifeline along the property, delivering ecological benefits far beyond its banks. Protected forever, this natural gem within Collin County reminds us that the legacy of the region can live on in these undisturbed corners.
On behalf of all Texans, we thank Jeannie Webb Pascale for her vision and dedication to conserve our North Texas resources for generations to come.
We also want to recognize one of our most trusted conservation attorneys, Tancig Law, for representing the landowners and negotiating the conservation easement with TLC.
Help protect more properties like this across the state!
Texas Land Conservancy could not do this important conservation work without our members, partners, and supporters. With your support, we can work with more landowners and protect more land across the state from the negative effects of land fragmentation and poorly-planned development.
