“Our goal is to showcase how humanity can live in greater harmony with the natural world.”

Lauren Rose Sands
Board Member
John Bunker Sands Wetland Center
.…on the wetland center’s mission as it gears up for its public “WOW” event in November.

The John Bunker Sands Wetland Center in Combine, located 25 minutes southeast of downtown Dallas, is one of the region’s best-kept secrets. Open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, it’s now aiming to share its unique offerings with a “Wings Over the Wetland” WOW event on Saturday, November 16.

The event will feature renowned artists Martin Hill and Philippa Jones, whose work has been highlighted in the BBC series “Nature and Us, A History Through Art.” The artists will create a one-of-a-kind environmental art installation at the wetland center, using native wetland plants “to symbolize the interconnectedness of beauty, creativity, and sustainability.”

The wetland center—which is open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays—is known for its innovative conservation practices that enable it to serve as both a vibrant habitat for wildlife and an important water treatment system serving more than 1 million North Texans., 

Spanning nearly 2,000 acres in Kaufman County, the center is one of the largest manmade wetlands in the U.S., reflecting the vision of the late conservationist John Bunker Sands. Sands, the son of H.L. Hunt heiress Caroline Rose Hunt and Loyd Bowmer Sands, was an executive director of the family-owned Rosewood Corp. in Dallas.  

To help raise awareness about the Combine facility, the center is launching a public outreach and education campaign over the coming year, beginning with the November 16 WOW event. 

“Through art and education, we aim to inspire and provide innovative solutions that reflect our commitment to conservation and community,” said Board Member Lauren Rose Sands in a statement. 

‘Harnessing the power of nature’ to filter and purify water

The center is the result of a public-private partnership between the North Texas Water District and the Sands family, which was designed to address the growing demand for municipal water resources in a rapidly expanding urban environment.

“The John Bunker Sands Wetland Center is more than just a beautiful destination; it is a vital solution to many of the environmental challenges we face today,” said Catriona Glazebrook, the center’s executive director, in a statement. “By harnessing the power of nature, we can provide clean water, support biodiversity, and contribute to flood mitigation efforts.”

Via a process called phytoremediation, the wetland’s native plants, including bullrushes and cattails, naturally filter and purify water, providing up to 90 million gallons of clean water daily. That’s equal to 33 billion gallons annually.

The center added that its innovative approach not only meets critical water needs but does so at a fraction of the cost of traditional storage and treatment facilities.

The center said visitors can explore over a mile of scenic boardwalks, immersing themselves in a diverse ecosystem teeming with plant, bird, and insect life. The wetlands serve as a natural sponge, absorbing excess rainfall to prevent flooding while also offering water during drought conditions, the center said.

More info on the center and the event is available here.

For more of who said what about all things North Texas, check out Every Last Word.

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