Trinity Coalition’s Trinity River Paddling Trail was selected as a Texan by Nature Conservation Wrangler in 2019. During each Conservation Wrangler program cycle, Texan by Nature provides up to 6 projects with 12-18 months of tailored support in the form of program management, strategic planning, marketing messaging, metrics capture and analysis, professional content production, and partnership development – whatever is needed to accelerate the project. The information below includes results from the time the project was active in the Conservation Wrangler program. It may not reflect the most current program/project information. Please visit https://www.trinitycoalition.org for the latest.

PROJECT SUMMARY:

The urban stretch of the Trinity River that runs through the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex has historically been inaccessible. For decades the river has become increasingly contaminated by pollutants such as urban and agricultural runoff, illegal dumping, and litter. While the Trinity River water quality conditions have improved, there is still much that can be done to ensure a clean and healthy river remains for generations to come.

7.5 million people in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex depend on the Trinity River water supply for domestic, industrial, and agricultural use. In addition, the downstream population of 6 million people, including the city of Houston, depend on this water source and are directly impacted by the actions of upstream users.

With the support of local municipalities, Trinity Coalition’s contiguous 130-mile Trinity River Paddling Trail is increasing river access by creating countless recreation and education opportunities that foster stewardship by increasing public awareness about the importance of the Trinity River and its associated ecosystems.

Currently, 21 launch sites exist across the following cities: Fort Worth, Arlington, Irving, Carrollton, Lewisville, and Dallas. Trinity Coalition’s goal is to work with cities along the Trinity River to install informational kiosks at each launch site, create additional launch sites to shorten the paddling distance between existing launch sites, and make launch sites accessible for more users.

On October 22, 2020 U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt announced 30 new national recreation trails in 25 states, adding more than 1,275 miles to the National Trails System — one of the designated trails being the Trinity River Paddling Trail. The paddling trail is now listed on the National Recreation Trail’s website.

Trinity Coalition’s future plans extending the paddling trail along the entire length of the Trinity River to its terminus at Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

MISSION:

The mission of the Trinity Coalition is to transform the Trinity River Corridor into a nationally-recognized conservation and recreation area. Trinity Coalition’s programs include:

• Trinity River Paddling Trail – recreation program that focuses on creating connectivity along the Trinity River by working with cities to establish, upgrade, and maintain access to the river for recreation.
• Trinity Waters – conservation program that focuses on monitoring the water quality of the Trinity River and hosting volunteer events for clean-up and conservation activities.
• Go Green DFW – education and awareness program that focuses on eco-tourism opportunities on the Trinity River, while providing educational resources on conservation best practices.

PROJECT IMPACT: 

• Increase in awareness, access, and volunteers will aid in reducing the $8,546,200 spent annually by Fort Worth alone to prevent, combat and clean up litter and illegal dumping, and to keep it from ending up in waterways.
• Dedicated river stewards to monitor and improve the Trinity River water quality and riparian habitat.
• Recreation, education, and volunteer opportunities for more than 7 million people.
• Blue space, such as the Trinity River promotes social connections and recreation which can be beneficial for mental and physical health.

In June 2019, Trinity Coalition, along with Groundwork Dallas, Dallas Downriver Club, North Texas River Runners, and the Trinity River Paddling Association, cleaned up a section of the Trinity River, 56 volunteers removed 1285 pounds of litter from the river! Trinity Coalition is working to build a large volunteer base along the entire Trinity River to participate and contribute to events like this.

Want to get involved with others passionate about paddling and the Trinity River? Trinity Coalition hosts regular paddling events in Dallas Fort Worth, check out their upcoming events on Meetup.

PROJECT NEEDS:

• Funding: Financial support to sustain two river-based staff members, organizational operations, volunteer days, water quality monitoring, educational materials, marketing/communications resources, and paddling excursions.
• Partners: Connections to expand the reach of the project.
• Volunteers: Volunteers for citizen science reporting on water quality and to help keep the Trinity River and its surrounding habitats clean.

TEXAN BY NATURE’S VISION AND SUPPORT:

Texan by Nature is working with Trinity Coalition to broaden awareness and educate the public about the importance of the Trinity River through increasing recreation, education, and volunteer opportunities. TxN is working with Trinity Coalition to make connections to new partners, increase volunteer recruitment, develop informational materials, offer technical assistance on branding and messaging, and more!

Contact Taylor Keys at taylor@texanbynature.org & 512-284-7482 or Teresa Patterson at teresa@trinitycoalition.org if you would like to support the Trinity River Paddling Trail, volunteer, can provide resources and/or connections, are interesting in partnering, or would like to learn more.

**Texan by Nature (TxN) has not inspected any access to and/or condition and/or safety of any access to the Trinity River or the suitability or safety of any recreational activities on/in the Trinity River. Consequently, TxN does not make any express and/or implied warranty of any kind or character and expressly disclaims any and all liabilities arising out of and/or in connection with any person(s) access to or use of the Trinity River for any purpose.**