This groundbreaking book should startle those of us who were raised in a time when much of our play was involved with nature and the outdoors.  Technology has become so prevalent that it has reduced our ability to experience nature.  Computers, cell phones and iPods have displaced our children’s interaction with nature. 

How do we win them back?

By using those same computers, cell phones, and iPods to introduce them to the natural world. 

You're currently at the beginning of the Wireless Wilderness tour, created in 2010 by Friends of the LCNP, a non-profit organization.  The United States Patent and Trademark office issued a trademark for term “Wireless Wilderness” in June of 2017 to the Friends group. The goal of this tour (via both cell phone and online) is to help you enjoy the park by understanding more about the ecology of this unique urban forest.

As you walk the trails, you'll see small signs that have been placed at locations of interest.  Just follow the instructions on the sign and use your cell phone to call in for an audio tour to learn more about each location. Alternately, you can browse the links online to both hear the audio tour and view supplemental media for each tour stop.

Have fun in the park!

The Wireless Wilderness Tour was created and is supported by the Friends of The Lorraine Cherry Nature Preserve, a non-profit organization, and narrated by PaulaJo Maske. We hope you enjoy the tour as well as your time at the nature preserve today. 

The Nature Preserve

Originally, this piece of land was part of the vast holdings of William C. Hogg, brother of Miss Ima Hogg, and the original developer of River Oaks. He willed most of his estate to the University of Texas, where he earned his law degree and later served as regent.

When his will was settled in 1939, thousands of acres of property stretching from West Texas to Louisiana passed to the University. The University of Texas owned the property for about 10 years, but then sold it to the Houston Independent School District in 1949. The cost for this 21-acre parcel, as well as the 6-acre parcel where Sinclair Elementary School is now located, was $64,079.63.

Because public money was used for this transaction, HISD had a responsibility to use the property, preserve it for future use, or sell it for a fair market price. Almost immediately, HISD started talking about either selling it or building on it, and continued to do so periodically for the next 50 years. These efforts were countered, time and time again, by neighbors in the surrounding Timbergrove Manor community, who informally named it “The Woods,” and were determined to save the property from development.

In 2005, HISD decided, once and for all, to sell the property at auction to the highest bidder. Local developers were lined up to bid, with one plan calling for the construction of townhomes on this site. Timbergrove Manor residents mounted a massive letter-writing campaign, led by Friends of West 11th Street Park, and persuaded HISD to hold back temporarily. Simultaneously, Friends of West 11th Street Park approached the Houston Parks Board and convinced them to begin negotiating with HISD to purchase the property for the City of Houston.

Without the tremendous effort and vision of the local leaders, the procurement of this nature preserve would not have been possible. The Houston Parks Board negotiated a $9 million sales price for the property to be used as a park. Houston Mayor, Bill White, agreed to provide $4 million in public funds to purchase the property with the understanding that the private sector would raise the remainder. Despite aggressive fundraising by the Houston Parks Board and by the community, there was still a $3.5 million shortfall at the time that the “option to purchase” contract was set to expire in January 2007.

The Houston Parks Board took out a bridge loan in order to complete the purchase from HISD, using five acres of the property as collateral. This contingency plan accomplished three important goals: the entire 20 acres would move from HISD ownership to the City of Houston “on time” at closing; the neighborhood was guaranteed a minimum of a 15.2-acre park; and the additional time was gained to continue the fundraising to pay off the loan. In February of 2007, the land was purchased by the City of Houston, with five acres on the southwest corner used as collateral for a loan of $3.7 million.

In the fall of 2007, thanks to the efforts of State Senator John Whitmire, a $3.75 million matching grant was allocated in the Texas Legislature to fund the remaining 5-acres of the, then named, West 11th Street Park. The Houston Parks Board and the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department worked with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to complete the allocation to pay off the loan and transfer the remaining 5-acres to the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department in February, 2009. The park was officially dedicated on February 21, 2009 as West 11th Street Park.

The Wireless Wilderness Tour was added in 2010 and trademarked in June of 2017. In April, 2018, this site was added to the Buffalo Bayou Loop of the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. In January, 2022, the preserve was added as an official Bird Survey location for Houston Audubon, a rare find as a public, urban oasis where Houston Audubon can track the city’s bird populations.

On June 9, 2021, the City of Houston Council voted to rename the park after the past Board President of Friends of West 11th Street Park. Dr. Lorraine Cherry, a longtime resident of Timbergrove Manor, who played a key role in the late 1990s and early 2000s in preserving the land and getting the City of Houston to purchase the land from HISD. She would be proud of the nature preserve distinction that the new name gives to our urban forest, which was officially dedicated in her honor on October 11, 2022.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the following people for their help in putting together the Wireless Wilderness cell phone tour: 

• Estella Espinosa from the Houston Parks and Recreation Department for initial discussions about the idea of a cell phone tour. 

• Cynthia Otiso and Julie Prasad from OnCell Systems for their help in setting up the phone system.

• Bob Spence of Timbergrove Manor for creating our the Wireless Wilderness logo.

• Maggie and Bob Honig for scientific input on choosing sites and creating the script.

• Gwen Conway from Sinclair Elementary School for input on educational goals.

• Adam Schroeder of 2 Guys Multimedia for technical assistance with the audio portion of the tour.

• Elizabeth Martin of the Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park for providing information about how to set up a cell phone tour.

• LCNP Board members Laura Bradham, Robert Delgado and Jennifer Vickers for redesign of the park website.

The Wireless Wilderness tour was created and funded by Friends of the LCNP, in keeping with our vision statement: 

“to foster the responsible use and enduring protection of this natural habitat and to ensure that everyone, regardless of age, ability, or means, can access and be immersed in the forest to enrich their quality of life, stoke curiosity, and promote learning, appreciation, and enjoyment.”