Pamela Muller’s Story
Southlake Resident and Previous City Council Member’s Account of the Bob Jones Nature Center
In the late 1980s, Rosemary Hutchinson, who was educating children on Southlake nature in her school Camp Summer Oaks approached me, as a Southlake council member, to consider a nature center. We did not have the resources at the time, being a small town of just 5,000 citizens and having a budget deficit of $500,000.
It was impossible to start.
When I was re-elected in the mid-90s I had not forgotten the need for a nature center. As many of us remember, the city we grew up in is now covered in cement. Southlake residents like you and I had the vision to preserve an area of the Cross Timbers to show our children and future generations.
With the land secured for a large nature preserve, I made the suggestion to name the land after
Bob Jones, who born a slave in 1850, became a prosperous landowner in the Roanoke-Southlake area and a well-respected rancher and family man. I felt it was a perfect way to honor the brilliant man whose industry brought the surrounding communities together.
My fellow council members agreed, and I made the motion to form Bob Jones preserve. Now a piece of Southlake history is showcased in the wilderness of our most beautiful town.
However, the fight for preservation is not over yet - despite being a Southlake park, the Bob Jones Nature Center and Preserve is managed as a 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization. That means this unique Texas treasure relies of nature lovers and history buffs like you to support our trails, native pollinator garden and many educational programs.
P.S: Did you know that you can support BJNC for free? Find out how - it’s easy!