Anyone up for a field trip?

Posted by on June 27, 2009 at 11:40 am.

Bison help to restore grass prairie near Lewisville Lake

12:00 AM CDT on Saturday, June 27, 2009

By WENDY HUNDLEY / The Dallas Morning News
whundley@dallasnews.com
Robert Vaughan emptied a sack of “buffalo candy” and called out to a herd of 30 bison grazing peacefully in a field at Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area.

Photos by JIM MAHONEY/DMN

Photos by JIM MAHONEY/DMN

Grazing buffalo are helping to turn back the environmental clock to a time when North Texas was covered by sweeping vistas of grasslands.

“Wup, wup, wup,” he beckoned.

Catching a whiff of the corn mixture, the shaggy, lumbering animals lifted their massive heads and suddenly came to life as they ran toward the unexpected treat.

As they approached, Vaughan quickly stepped aside, giving these deceptively swift animals a wide berth.

“Don’t think they’re tame,” he warned. “Don’t think you can outrun them.”

Vaughan should know. He owns the bison herd that is playing a key role in an effort to restore the tall grass prairie at the learning area, an educational and research preserve along the southern shores of the Denton County reservoir.

The public will get a chance to learn more about the magnificent animals during a bison tour at 2 p.m. Sunday in a section of the 2,000-acre preserve not normally open to the public.

I have been to LISDOLA several times, but I have never been to LLELA.  If the weather is not just absolutely miserable tomorrow, it sounds like a really cool way to spend an afternoon.

-- Weather When Posted --

  • Temperature: 88°F;
  • Humidity: 51%;
  • Heat Index: 91°F;
  • Wind Chill: 88°F;
  • Pressure: 29.88 in.;

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