Pete states, “For more than 10 years, I have participated as an Adopt-A-Shoreline team leader along with other volunteers dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of White Rock Lake Park.  Founded in 1995, For the Love of the Lake has made a tremendous impact on conservation in our community with hands-on projects, most notably picking up litter and recyclables each month.

I am always pleased to have constituents join me for Saturday clean-ups.  If you are interested in receiving notifications of when I will be at the lake, please contact Flo Helton in my Dallas office at Flo.Helton@mail.house.gov or 972.392.0505.”

Join the Ride of Silence

Hello, Chris Phelan here from The Ride Of Silence, www.rideofsilence.org, a short and slow bike ride, 9 miles at less than 12 mph. It starts at 4200 West Lawther at White Rock Lake, May 16, at 7 pm.

This is an important date for our community and we cherish it. Through its people, our town has taken a giant step in the right direction toward cyclist safety. We see this as a very significant event, if only because it is held worldwide on the same day, at the same time. But more so, because it remembers those lost doing what is a legal right.

It’s hard to believe The Ride Of Silence was started right here at White Rock Lake ten years ago. And For The Love Of The Lake was there. The best part is it’s free and open to the public.

On May 21, 2003, the first Ride Of Silence took place to memorialize cyclists that have been killed on our roads. A ride such as this had never happened before. A silent ride where no one talks? And goes slow? Who would show up? A thousand cyclists. That’s who. So many, in fact, both Dallas police and local TV stations were called to the scene (since there’s nothing scarier than a bunch of cyclists wearing lycra).

Since then, the event has grown. It’s grown across the state, across the country, across both oceans, and across the world. It has done what other corporate giants such as Nike, Avon, and beer companies couldn’t do. Even the Komen Run hasn’t achieved what we have done. Last year, The Ride Of Silence took place in over 320 locations worldwide, all 50 U.S. states, 26 countries, 17 Texas sites, and on all seven continents. And not a word was spoken, though a million powerful memories were made and recalled.

This event is held annually, on the same day, at the same time, world-wide; a terrific undertaking for volunteers working without a budget.

 This will be 10^th year for The Ride. I have attached the logo for your convenience, in hopes that you might list it on your web site. Below you’ll find the web site and two youtube videos. Please join us, May 16, 2012, 7 PM, at White Rock Lake in Dallas (Branchfield-Fisher Road parking lot) or in Ft. Worth where the ride will start in Trinity Park, at the picnic pavilion just west of the FWWR track. (contact Scott Strom, scottstrom@hotmail.com).

What types of materials can be collected for recycling?  Just about everything! Think of these five terms: PLASTIC, GLASS, METAL, PAPER, CARDBOARD.

• PLASTIC. Only containers with the recycling symbol for numbers 1-7.  NO plastic bags, NO Styrofoam products, NO chemical containers, NO toys.
• GLASS. Bottles and jars of any color.  For safety, please contain any broken glass in a paper bag before placing in a blue bag. NO window glass, NO light bulbs, NO ceramics, NO mirrors, NO Pyrex, NO fiberglass.
• METAL.  Aluminum, tin, and steel containers. NO aluminum foil, No pie plates, NO parts, NO toys, NO electronics, NO appliances.
• PAPER.  Office paper (paperclips and staples are OK), window envelopes, magazines, catalogs,  paper back books, phone books and brown paper bags. NO rubber bands, NO plastic wrappings, NO hard back book.
• CARDBOARD.  Food and detergent boxes, paper egg cartons, 12-pack drink cartons, folded corrugated boxes, cereal boxes. NO waxed cardboard, NO plastic or foil lining from cereal or cracker boxes, NO pizza boxes or food contaminated boxes.

About STYROFOAM.  The City of Dallas does not accept Styrofoam products or peanuts. The packing/peanuts can be taken to various parcel/shipping businesses for re-use or recycling. Styrofoam may also be placed the garbage for disposal.

Do we need to separate the recyclable items? No. All recyclables may go together into a blue bag.

Come on out to the FTLOTL office at Casa Linda Plaza starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, to collect your clean up supplies. And before trekking out to clean up the lake, you’ll be treated to complimentary Starbucks coffee, delicious orange juice and rich chocolate milk from Oak Farms Dairy, breakfast treats, delicious goodies from Another Broken Egg Cafe, and refreshing Rain Fresh bottled water.

Supplies are provided, including trash bags, recycling bags (courtesy of the City of Dallas Recycling Department), reach-it tools, and gloves. Participate in two consecutive Spruce-Ups, and receive a Second Saturday T-Shirt.

Thanks as well to AmReit (who provides FTLOTL our office space) Bravo to White Rock Lake Weekly for your continued support.  A HUGE round of thanks to all our Second Saturday sponsors!

The For The Love of The Lake office in Casa Linda Plaza, at the intersection Garland Road and Buckner Blvd, facing Buckner and Doctors Hospital near Guaranty Bank. (A note to Sprucer-Uppers: A few parking spaces in front of Guaranty Bank are reserved for bank customers. Please be courteous and leave those spots free for bank customers, as the bank is open on Saturday mornings.)

Second Saturday Shoreline Spruce-Ups are always a worthwhile couple of hours spent as stewards for our great White Rock Lake and Park. We would love to see your smiling faces on Saturday!

Come on out to meet interesting folks, enjoy refreshments, sign-up, and get supplies at the office for a fulfilling time benefiting our city’s lovely Lake and Park.

That’s Saturday, April 14! THIS Saturday. Hope to see you there!

Call 214-660-1100 for more information

To use the map, click Virtual Tour of White Rock Lake.

Currently, the interactive map is flash-based and runs on a PC or laptop.  We are excited to learn that the next version of the map will run on mobile phones and tablets, making it portable.

Come on out to the FTLOTL office at Casa Linda Plaza starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, to collect your clean up supplies. And before trekking out to clean up the lake, you’ll be treated to complimentary Starbucks coffee, delicious orange juice and rich chocolate milk from Oak Farms Dairy, breakfast treats, delicious goodies from Another Broken Egg Cafe, and refreshing Rain Fresh bottled water.

Supplies are provided, including trash bags, recycling bags (courtesy of the City of Dallas Recycling Department), reach-it tools, and gloves. Participate in two consecutive Spruce-Ups, and receive a Second Saturday T-Shirt.

Thanks as well to AmReit (who provides FTLOTL our office space) Bravo to White Rock Lake Weekly for your continued support.  A HUGE round of thanks to all our Second Saturday sponsors!

The For The Love of The Lake office in Casa Linda Plaza, at the intersection Garland Road and Buckner Blvd, facing Buckner and Doctors Hospital near Guaranty Bank. (A note to Sprucer-Uppers: A few parking spaces in front of Guaranty Bank are reserved for bank customers. Please be courteous and leave those spots free for bank customers, as the bank is open on Saturday mornings.)

Second Saturday Shoreline Spruce-Ups are always a worthwhile couple of hours spent as stewards for our great White Rock Lake and Park. Come meet interesting folks, enjoy refreshments, sign-up, and get supplies at the office for a fulfilling time benefiting our city’s lovely Lake and Park.

That’s Saturday, March 10! THIS Saturday. Hope to see you there! 

FTLOTL cares about your safety and greatly appreciates your efforts.   To ensure you enjoy your experience, it is important to take some simple steps for your safety.  Most importantly, watch your step on the often muddy, rocky, and uneven terrain of the lake’s shore.  It is easy to slip and fall.  Wear older, comfortable clothes appropriate for the weather, and wear shoes that are reliable on uneven and often soggy ground.  To protect your back, avoid bending over and use a reach-it stick provided by the FTLOTL for all or most of the trash recovery. Take a break if your hands or wrists begin feeling sore. Bend at your knees slightly when leaning over, carrying your trash bag as it becomes heavier, and when placing it at the trash receptacles.  Be particularly cautious when nearing the water’s edge or moist ground.  Wearing the latex gloves provided by FTLOTL will ensure you do not pick up bacteria from the lake water or trash.  Never handle trash or glass directly, if possible.

If you work inland, be particularly cautious of insects to avoid bites and consider wearing a good repellant especially in the summer and spring months.  When working near trees and where ground cover exists, especially in the summer and fall, look for the three leaves that identify poison ivy where foliage is growing, and the three leaves of poison oak and sumac near and on trees.  Never touch or come too close to these plants.  Anyone can be burned by the oil on their surface.

And finally, drink plenty of Rainfresh water to make sure you don’t get overheated or dehydrated.

When we started cleaning at Jackson Point in 2003, we thought it would be a good excuse to get out and paddle while doing our part to keep White Rock Lake looking good.  Little did we know that we would still be enjoying the lake and still be picking up trash nine years later!

In case you are wondering, that’s 97 Second Saturday Shoreline Spruce Ups thanks to the awesome group of people who answer the call to volunteer with us.

These folks are cut from different cloth — they are hardy, resourceful, and brave — heck, it’s like a great movie, but better.  It’s live, it’s in color, and it happens every month.  We have had as few as two and as many as 40 volunteers  for a cleanup.  Over our time at the lake and using an easy number like 10 people per cleanup, that’s easily a 1000 people that have cleaned over the years!  Just imagine the number of people that we have influenced by just being at the lake and think about the message we are sending!  WOW!

Besides the great job the volunteers do each and ever month, there is the…ahem…TRASH.  Check out the picture of January’s haul — not bad for 14 people!

So, if you like a clean lake and park and want to support For the Love of the Lake with more than just words, please join us for on the next Second Saturday Shoreline Spruce Up.  It’s fun, it’s good for you and the lake, and mostly we would love to see ya!

Come on out to the FTLOTL office at Casa Linda Plaza starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, to collect your clean up supplies. And before trekking out to clean up the lake, you’ll be treated to complimentary Starbucks coffee, delicious orange juice and rich chocolate milk from Oak Farms Dairy, breakfast treats, delicious goodies from Another Broken Egg Cafe, and refreshing Rain Fresh bottled water.

Supplies are provided, including trash bags, recycling bags (courtesy of the City of Dallas Recycling Department), reach-it tools, and gloves. Participate in two consecutive Spruce-Ups, and receive a Second Saturday T-Shirt.

Thanks as well to AmReit (who provides FTLOTL our office space) Bravo to White Rock Lake Weekly for your continued support.  A HUGE round of thanks to all our Second Saturday sponsors!

The For The Love of The Lake office is located in Casa Linda Plaza, at the intersection Garland Road and Buckner Blvd, facing Buckner and Doctors Hospital near Guaranty Bank. (A note to Sprucer-Uppers: A few parking spaces in front of Guaranty Bank are reserved for bank customers. Please be courteous and leave those spots free for bank customers, as the bank is open on Saturday mornings.)

Second Saturday Shoreline Spruce-Ups are always a worthwhile couple of hours spent as stewards for our great White Rock Lake and Park. We would love to see your smiling faces on Saturday!

Come on out to meet interesting folks, enjoy refreshments, sign-up, and get supplies at the office for a fulfilling time benefiting our city’s lovely Lake and Park.

That’s Saturday, January 14! THIS Saturday. Hope to see you there!

Call 214-660-1100 for more information.

And, don’t forget to join us on Saturday, January 14 for Second Saturday Shoreline Spruce Up!