The beautiful, 205-acre Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center at Cedar Hill, a partnership between the city of Cedar Hill and the National Audubon Society, opens to the public with a free weekend of fun and festivities, to be held September 10 and 11. Dallas County, which already hosts the Trinity River Audubon Center, the only county in the country served by two Audubon centers.The event includes workshops, tours, trail hikes, children’s nature play activities, puppet shows, and more. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 12 p.m.to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Located 16 miles south of downtown Dallas, in Cedar Hill, Dogwood Canyon is part of the White Rock Escarpment. The canyon contains the widest variety of rare species in North Texas as plants and animals from east, west and Central Texas converge there. As a result, the Canyon is the only place in the world where one can find certain plant and animal combinations, such as the Black-chinned hummingbird of west Texas nesting in the flowering dogwood tree of east Texas.

In keeping with the Audubon mission, the center is a sustainably built structure, from the architectural and systems design to the selection of eco-safe paints, sealants and other materials. Inside, the center contains two classrooms, a viewing room with tall windows that look out onto the canyon, administrative offices, and a reception/gathering room. The center will begin a full slate of programs after the grand opening. Audubon’s science-based programs improve critical thinking skills and focus on local ecology and habitat study, scientific observation and identification, and stewardship of natural resources. The true stars of the center are the miles of trails that take visitors through the forest and throughout the canyon. A half-mile ADA accessible trail is opening soon next door.

Location: 1206 W, FM1382, Cedar Hill. For more information call 214-309-5851 or visit DogwoodCanyonAudubon.org.