Over the last few years, our neighborhood has turned our focus toward preserving our natural environment. Our board is dedicated to maintaining our wildlife, creeks, trees, and water resources.

Our Creeks

Two winding creeks make their way through our neighborhood, and large sycamores, native live oaks, and pecan trees add their touch of beauty. These streams, Dixon Branch and McCree East, are offshoots of nearby White Rock Lake. Known to residents as “the creek,” these small tributaries twist and wind through our neighborhood and provide a habitat for many birds and common species of wildlife such as raccoons and opossums, as well as the atypical urban bobcats and coyotes that sometimes visit our neighborhood streets, mostly during the nighttime hours. Our residents are focused on living amicably with all our wildlife.

Over the past 50-plus years, and largely due to increased volumes of storm water runoff and poor soil management, both creeks have suffered tremendously. In an effort to restore and protect both creeks for future generations, we have begun working with neighbors and various state and local agencies. According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, this is the first effort of its kind in Dallas and one of the first in the state.

In 2011, the aged swimming pool and south parking lot in the McCree Park area were removed by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and were replaced with turf and native trees, thus allowing this space to return as a natural habitat. This area will serve as a buffer zone for this environmentally sensitive area. In the coming months we hope to create a master plan that will help us build and maintain a healthy creek ecosystem and also keep our creek-side homes safe from erosion. The following link provides photographs and ongoing information about our creek project: Highland Meadows Blog

Our Trees

Trees clean the air, create oxygen, and beautify our environment. They also create noise barriers, making our neighborhood streets quieter. They cool the air and ground around them, and they absorb rainwater and cleanse it of toxins. We appreciate our trees!

Highland Meadows is a neighborhood of beautiful trees. For several years, we have undertaken the project of planting new trees, and we are even more focused on our trees after the intense drought and heat of 2010. We are currently working with the Texas Trees Foundation to determine the best locations for planting more trees. This organization recently completed a study of our existing neighborhood trees to determine where additional plantings are needed. In partnership with the Foundation, and with our neighborhood businesses and residents providing funds, we installed 40 new trees along the marginal divider on Northwest Highway between Capri and Grenadier in late 2012.

For more information regarding environmental issues, contact the HMNA Environmental Representative using this contact form or call the HMNA voice mail at 214-967-5081.