Ned and Genie Fritz (pictured here on the left) joined our church 75 years ago on June 12th, 1946. Ned, who died in 2008, and his wife Genie, 97 and still an active member of the church, were instrumental in establishing the Big Thicket National Preserve and wilderness areas in East Texas. Ned founded or co-founded the Texas chapter of The Nature Conservancy in 1964 and, subsequently, the Texas League of Conservation Voters, Texas Conservation Alliance, Texas Land Conservancy, and Dallas Sierra Club.

Ned and Genie Fritz are the citizens who singularly deserve the credit for saving what Dallas has left of the natural Trinity River and were the champions at saving the Texas Buckeye Grove at William Blair Park in Dallas.

In honor of their dedication and accomplishments in Texas conservation, the city of Dallas has renamed the Buckeye Trail the “Ned and Genie Fritz’ trail! The signage for the trail was changed early in the pandemic and our plans to gather the congregation to improve and beautify the trail were postponed.

The effort to improve the trail is now active, and you can help! Please click here to find out more and sign up to help us honor the beautiful natural resource, renamed for our beloved and most deserving congregants!

Volunteer Sign-up HERE

Project Description HERE

About the Re-naming of the Trail HERE