Annual Martha Lennox Memorial Nature Trail Hike

Lennox Woods Preserve © TNC

Date:
Saturday, November 7, 2009

Time:
1:00 pm

Overview:
The Nature Conservancy invites the public to visit Lennox Woods Preserve to view beautiful fall foliage and pristine old-growth woodlands during the Annual Martha Lennox Memorial Nature Trail Hike.

The Lennox Woods Preserve, donated to The Nature Conservancy by the Martha, David and Bagby Lennox Foundation in 1987, and its cathedral-like canopy of old-growth woods are thought to be typical of the undisturbed floodplains throughout the state prior to the arrival of settlers. The Lennox family, who originally acquired the property in 1863, protected these woods for four generations in an area that even today is still heavily threatened by logging. The first 170 acres were donated in 1987 by Martha, David and Bagby Lennox. Another 206 acres were donated by Martha Lennox and the Lennox Foundation in 1990, after her brothers had passed away, and the preserve was dedicated in May of that same year. 

Lennox Woods is an excellent example of old-growth woodland, containing one of the few remaining examples of fully mature, virgin timber found in the state, some greater than three feet in circumference. The Texas Forest Service aged one post oak on the preserve at over 300 years old and a loblolly pine at nearly 150 years old. 

These biologically diverse woods are not only beautiful but also provide vital habitat and refuge for many rare plant and animal species supported by the waters of the Pecan Bayou, one of the largest undammed watersheds in northeast Texas. The red-tailed hawk, northern bobwhite and great horned owl are just a few of the common bird species found here. The upland forest is mostly dominated by shortleaf pine, white oak and loblolly pine and various hickories while the bottomland hardwood forest includes water oaks, willow oaks and sweetgum. The Lennox Preserve also harbors a diverse fish population including sunfish, perch and shiner.

The tour of the preserve, lead by The Nature Conservancy's Northeast Texas Program manager, will take you along a scenic looping trail on an easy to moderate hike through the various habitats. The first portion of the trail follows the old Albion Road, a wagon road in use from the 1840s until the 1930s, and then descends through pine and hardwood forest to a tributary of Pecan Bayou. From there, it loops back to the main trail, returning to the trailhead. With help from the Red River Chapter of the Master Naturalist Program, the trail now includes plant-identification signs for many species on the preserve.

We hope you can join us for this very special day! For more information or to R.S.V.P. please contact Victoria Curtin at vcurtin@tnc.org or (241) 871-6052.