You need a special permit to tour the preserve these days because it’s too dangerous to open to the public. After all, the place is home to bobcats, coyotes, diamondback water snakes, copperheads and other dangerous animals.
Dallas County bought the 260-acre Palmetto/Alligator Slough Preserve near Seagoville in 1994. They spent $361,000 on it with hopes of developing it into another nature preserve for the county. There would’ve been elevated boardwalks, hiking trails and parking.
It’s bisected by Hickory Creek, which empties into Parsons Slough, which then empties into the Trinity River. The preserve also has a manmade lake, which used to be the site of a sand and gravel pit. “As the crow flies, they’re only a few miles apart but geographically, topographically and habitat-wise, they’re all unique,” Sandifer said. “They all have their own complexion and feel to it. One of the most interesting is the Alligator Palmetto Slough Preserve, or the Mary Phinney Wetlands as it’s now called.”
Part of where the place got its original name is native palm trees that grow there, the sabal minor palm trees, or dwarf palmetto.A portion of Hickory Creek was channelized sometime around the 1930s. But the old creek channel was left behind in several areas where large populations of palmetto flourished. Over the years, the land has been used for agriculture and gravel operations.
About 180 years ago, a famous Dallas surveyor named Warren Ferris, surveyed the Alligator Slough property. He submitted his field observations to what was then the Republic of Texas. Sometimes, on the banks of the Trinity River, Sandifer said you can find alligator tracks. But, most of the alligators he’s seen in the area are only about three-four feet long. “So, unless you’re a fish or some sort of waterfowl, they’re not going to bother you,” Sandifer said.Mia Brown, an administrator with the Dallas County Planning and Development Department, said they intend to update the Park and Open Space Plan in the next year or so. The last one was written in 1991.
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