MIDLAND, Texas — When driving down Wadley Avenue, one of the things that you will notice is Windlands Park. Recently, the park has been under the spotlight due to the growth of the weeds there.
NewsWest 9 reached out to the City of Midland for a comment. A spokesperson with the city sent the following statement:
"Master naturalists have identified Windlands Park as a natural prairie. They have worked with city council, asking for time to educate the public and manage the area to provide protection of plant species, such as the milkweed population, that provides much needed habitat for monarch butterflies. Since Midland has been named a 'monarch city', protecting their habitat is important."
According to the website for Master naturalists, their mission "is to develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities for the state of Texas."
NewsWest 9 reached out to this regional chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists and they said they are working at the moment to address wildlife and community needs. They sent the following statement:
"Several members of Llano Estacado Texas Master Naturalists (LETMN) are serving on a committee in an advisory capacity with the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of Midland, Keep Midland Beautiful, and other community organizations and members to develop the best practices for the management of Windlands Park to balance the needs of the people that use the park regularly such as disc golfers, walkers, joggers, bike riders etc. and the preservation of the natural prairie habitat that was part of the original design of the park. Please note that Windlands is under the direct supervision of the City of Midland and the Parks and Recreation Department. LETMN members serve as advisors but LETMN as an organization does not hold any jurisdiction or management powers over the park."
According to the City of Midland, the disc golf group and the master naturalists group will be meeting soon to discuss management of the prairie area.
For now, mowing will be on hold pending recommendations that come as a result of the meeting of the two groups.