Come and Soar with the Eagles at LLELA
(Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area)
The Friends of LLELA is a 501c3 nonprofit corporation organized to assist in the promotion, interpretation and operation of LLELA. As a fund-raising and service group, the goal of the Friends is to help in the overall operation of the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area through sponsoring events, helping fund projects and raising the awareness of LLELA as an asset to the community and surrounding area.
News & Updates

Friends of LLELA raises funds for a Lewisville Centennial Tree
Our deepest gratitude to all the donors who contributed to the campaign for a Friends of LLELA Lewisville Centennial Tree, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the city’s founding. A portion of membership fees received during the summer and early fall went to the campaign, and some people and groups donated directly to it. Thanks to


The Table Dallas Donates Benches for Friends of LLELA Educational Outreach
Look at these fabulous benches! Friends of LLELA is grateful to The Table Dallas, a congregation that meets at The Mill Street House, for the donation. Notice how they are of different heights, so the benches nest and store easily. So cool! Those are students of LLELA’s Natural Pathways eco-career development group trying them out. These


Members Only Field Trip: Our Northern Neighbors – Nov 15 Sat
Members Only Field Trip: Our Northern Neighbors Meet at LLELA and carpool to Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center and Lake Ray Roberts State Park: Johnson Branch for guided tours. Nov. 15 Sat. – 8 am – 12:45 pm Denton County is home to three amazing natural places, and if you’ve only visited LLELA, you


Join us for LLELA news – Citizen science – Book reviews – Wildscaping
Friends of LLELA General Meeting: LLELA news – Citizen science – Book reviews – Wildscaping November 11 Tuesday Thrive Recreation Center — Sage Room 1950 S. Valley Parkway in Lewisville Doors open for meet & greet 6 pm Meeting from 6:15 to 8 pm Friends of LLELA welcomes all residents from Lewisville and the surrounding


Friends of LLELA lecture: Fall Migration & Winter Birds with Scott Kiester – Nov 22 Sat
Friends of LLELA lecture: Fall Migration & Winter Birds with Scott Kiester Saturday, November 22, from 10 am to noon There is no cost for the event itself, but the entrance fee to LLELA is $5 per vehicle, payable by credit card or Lewisville parks pass. LLELA: 201 E. Jones St. in Lewisville Enter


Volunteer Coordinator & Marketing Materials Coordinator — Be a part of it!
Volunteer Coordinator & Marketing Materials Coordinator Be a part of it! If you’re looking for a rewarding volunteer opportunity, Friends of LLELA has two positions available — and neither requires being outdoors or any special environmental knowledge! Volunteer Coordinator – Work with partner organizations and the public to recruit, retain, and recognize volunteers, including for


September Lecture: Dark Skies Are Essential to the Health of Humans & Wildlife
Friends of LLELA – September Lecture Dark Skies Are Essential to the Health & Security of Humans & Wildlife Saturday, September 27 – 10 am to noon LLELA Education Center 201 E. Jones St. Lewisville TX 75057 — Enter LLELA at the corner of Jones and Kealy. LLELA is not accessible via Fish Hatchery Road


Natural Pathways Open House – Sept 13 Sat
Attention families of high school and college students! This fantastic program has been successful in getting youth on ecological career paths that they are enjoying greatly. Natural Pathways Open House A service learning program for high school and college students Saturday, September 13, 2025 10 to 11:30 am LLELA 201 E. Jones


Please consider Friends of LLELA in your N TX Giving Day choices
Please consider Friends of LLELA among your North Texas Giving Day choices. DONATE. Friends of LLELA is asking for donations to transform and modernize the Visitor Center at LLELA. LLELA receives thousands of visitors each year. We encourage them to stop into the Visitor Center to orient themselves to our trails and learn


Snack Like a Naturalist: Edible Plants & Foraging Basics – Aug 23 Sat
Snack Like a Naturalist: Edible Plants & Foraging Basics Friends of LLELA Summer Lecture Series August 23 Saturday – 10 am to noon Nature has a pantry—if you know what you’re looking for. In this lecture, we’ll share ideas for recipes, discuss the cultural history of local wild foods, explore how to forage ethically without


August Quarterly Meeting: Lewisville dam & nature updates
Friends of LLELA August 2025 Quarterly Meeting Tuesday, August 12, 2025 Doors open for Meet & Greet 6:00 PM; Meeting from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM Lewisville Thrive: Sage Room 1950 S Valley Pkwy, Lewisville, TX 75067 – map The Friends of LLELA welcomes all residents from Lewisville and the surrounding areas at our


Extend the Green with Friends of LLELA & Help Lewisville Plant More Trees
Lewisville is celebrating its 100th Anniversary with a Living Legacy! They are inviting residents to join their campaign to plant native trees in the following parks — Memorial, LL Woods, Railroad, and Fan — as well as the Garden Ridge medians near FM 407 and I-35. Learn more here. Friends of LLELA is helping by


Talk & Demonstration: Terrific Tarantulas! — July 26 Sat.
Talk & Demonstration: Terrific Tarantulas! with Erika Swyryn July 26 Saturday – 10 am to noon Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area LLELA 201 E. Jones St. Lewisville, TX US 75057 Enter LLELA at the corner of Jones and Kealy. LLELA is not accessible via Fish Hatchery Road from Hwy 121. Map apps often get it


LLELA access — detours due to widening of Jones St & North Kealy Ave
Message from City of Lewisville: Efforts to improve East Jones Street from North Cowan Avenue to North Kealy Avenue and North Kealy Avenue from Jones Street to a point 650 feet south of that intersection will result in detours getting to LLELA. First phase of work is scheduled to start on Monday, June 16th, and


Trail Run: Camino De Los Muertos – November 1 Saturday
Trail Run – Camino De Los Muertos November 1 Saturday — Day of the Dead ~ 100k – 6:00 am ~ 50k & 25k – 7:00 am ~ 10k – 8:00 am ~ 5k – 8:30 am LLELA, 201 E. Jones St. Lewisville, TX US 75057 — Corner of Kealy & E Jones. Not


Summer Lecture Series: Desert Ecology and its Influence on North Texas Heat – June 28 Sat
LLELA Summer Lecture Series: Desert Ecology and its Influence on North Texas Heat June 28 Sat –10 am to noon When people think of Texas weather, they often imagine a desert-like environment and are surprised by the humidity and rainfall of North Texas. Despite these differences, the southwestern deserts continue to have a significant impact


LLELA’s Diversity of Bats
by Samra Jones Bufkins, Elm Fork Master Naturalists Texas is home to more than 30 species of bats, with at least seven known to live in Denton County. Texas’s large size, with most of the land privately owned, presents challenges to the study of these critical flying mammals. Their value for insect control and pollination


Talk & Walk: Native Wildflowers & Nature Photography
Talk & Walk: Native Wildflowers & Nature Photography May 31 Saturday – 10 am to noon free with LLELA admission LLELA Education Building take first right after gatehouse, park, walk past picnic tables under trees and veer left Carol Clark, native plants, native bees, and monarch butterfly maven, will speak on Texas Native Wildflowers. Great


Friends of LLELA Quarterly Meeting: native habitats, book review, LBJ National Grasslands
Friends of LLELA May 2025 Quarterly Meeting Tuesday, May 13, 2025 Doors open for meet & greet at 6:00 pm Meeting from 6:30 to 8:00 pm Lewisville Thrive: Dogwood Room 3 — 1950 S Valley Pkwy, Lewisville, TX 75067 – Google maps The Friends of LLELA welcomes all residents from Lewisville and the surrounding areas to our


Mini Sit Birdwatching Fundraiser — May 3 Sat
Friends of LLELA Birdwatching Mini Sit Fundraiser LLELA 201 E. Jones St. Lewisville [Entrance at Jones and Kealy only; not accessible from Hwy 121 via Fish Hatchery Rd] May 3 Saturday — 5:30 am to noon Friends of LLELA Mini Sit Birdwatching Fundraiaer May 3, 2025 ~ 5:30 am to noon. Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area — LLELA


BBQ & Bluegrass fundraiser — May 17 Sat
Friends of LLELA Annual BBQ & Bluegrass Fundraiser May 17, 2025 – 5:30 to 8:00 pm Lewisville’s Thrive Center 1950 South Valley Pkwy, Lewisville, TX 75057 A delightful evening under the stars: Doors open at 5:30 with dinner served at 6:00 and festivities wrapping up at 8:00 Dig into all-you-can-eat BBQ (two meats), two
Donate Now!
Friends of LLELA are completely dependent on donations to support the many projects at LLELA.
