The Lotus Marsh Boardwalk is getting a makeover.
The City of Fort Worth will be making improvements at the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge after having received a $1.5 million grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
The Urban Outdoor Recreation Grant was matched with $1.2 million in City of Fort Worth funds along with a $300,000 donation from Facebook (which has a data center in Fort Worth), raised by the Friends of FWNC&R. These funds will ensure the complete restoration of the Lotus Marsh Boardwalk, covering the replacement of the original collapsed wooden boardwalk, the extension of an accessible concrete trail, restoration of native vegetation and habitat, and installation of interpretive signage.
“This is the largest gift we have ever received, and the largest funded capital project to occur at the Nature Center in the last 50 years,” Friends Executive Director Haily Summerford said in a statement. “We look forward to working alongside the city and Facebook on this important and historic project.”
The 2020 Urban Outdoor Recreation Grant program is funded by a portion of the state sales tax on sporting goods through both the Texas Recreation and Parks Account and the Texas Large County and Municipality Recreation and Parks Account. Fort Worth was awarded 36% of the total statewide allocation from the Urban Outdoor Recreation Grant funds. The department will continue to work with community and state partners to leverage funds through partnerships and grants, according to Park and Recreation Director Richard Zavala.
“Nature is vital to humanity, as the pandemic has underscored,” Holli Davies, community development regional manager for Facebook, said in a statement. “We are proud to support this beautiful boardwalk and all it will provide to Fort Worth residents, visitors, and the flora and fauna that reside there.”
