Search  Advanced Search About Habitats There are a multitude of different habitats suitable for urban wildlife in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area. The pictures on this page are examples of specific habitat types as defined for the purposes of this web site.		Dallas/Fort Worth Area Habitats Agricultural Farm This is land that is used for agricultural production of crops.  Farm land can be in any state of cultivation, harvesting, off-season use, or disuse. Pasture Grassy fields or semi-wooded areas used for grazing by domestic farm and ranch animals. Ranch Property used primarily for the purpose of raising large herds of domestic animals.  Cattle, horses, and sheep are typical in th DFW area. Commercial Airport A parcel of land designed to accommodate aircraft traffic.   Usually equipped with runways, control towers, hangars, aircraft maintenance and refueling facilities, and facilities for passengers and cargo. Business Park An area of commercial development designed to facilitate company offices and light industrial businesses.   Usually comprised of a number of single-story or two-story buildings. High Rise A commercial building four or more stories tall used for house offices of various type.  High Rise buildings are often accompanied by parking lots, parking garages, and landscaped grounds. Industrial/Warehouse Any commercial development designed for industrial, manufacturing or warehousing use. Landfill A placed used for solid waste disposal in which refuse is buried between layers of dirt so as to fill in or reclaim low-lying ground. Mall A large, enclosed shopping complex with retail stores and restaurants.  Usually surrounded by large parking lots and/or parking garges, and landscaped grounds. Retail Any commercial development used for the purpose of retail sales.  Examples include strip malls, gas stations, restaurants, and other stand alone establishments. Community Cemetery A tract of land used as a burial site and memorial park. Church/Civic/School Campuses of churches, schools, libraries, civic, municipal, and government buildings. Downtown Large City The downtown area of a large city.  For the purposes of this web site only downtown Dallas and Fort Worth meet the criteria for this habitat category. Small City The old downtown section of the small cities in and around the DFW area. Military Base A tract of land belonging to one or more branches of the United States military in use as a center of organization, supply, activity, and headquarters. Recreation Golf Course A large tract of property landscaped for playing golf.   Golf Courses are often built near lakes, rivers and other heavily wooded areas. Park An area of land set aside for public recreation.   May include a playground area, tennis courts, trails and other facilities designed to acommondate outdoor activities.  Parks are often built in the low areas near creeks and river as these areas are not appropriate of other uses due to their tendency to flood during stormy weather. Sports Complex Land developed to facilitate atheletic competitions.   Baseball diamonds, soccer fields and football fields are commonly found in DFW area sports complexs Residential Multi-Family Apartments, condominiums, duplexes and any other residential property designed to provide private living space to more than one family. Single-Family In the DFW metroplex Single-Family residences are usually found in large masterplanned subdivision.  This category also includes any other type of single-family household. Thoroughfare Full Access Highway A major thoroughfare were entry and exiting are not controlled by ramps.   Texas Farm to Market Roads, State Highways and US Higways are typically Full Access Higways. Limited Access Highway Typified by the Interstate Highway System, Limited Access Highways control ingress through the use of entrance ramps, exit ramps, underpasses and overpasses.  This type of highway usually has multiple divided lanes and handles a large amount of traffic. Primary Road These are the main roads in a community.   They are often divided with multiple lanes. Railroad A road composed of parallel steel rails supported by ties and providing a track for locomotives.  Train track often run through undeveloped areas in the DFW metroplex providing prime habitat for urban wildlife. Secondary Road Smaller roads that run through residential subdivisions and other areas.  These roads usually facilitate light traffic. Undeveloped Field A broad tract of generally tree-less land usually covered with grasses and brush of various types. Semi-Wooded Undeveloped land that is covered with a mixture of grasses, shrubs and trees. Vacant Lot A Parcel of undeveloped land graded and otherwise prepared for future building.  A Vacant Lot will usually receive regular grounds maintainace. Wooded A tract of undeveloped landed with an abundance of trees as the dominate feature.  In the DFW metroplex Wooded areas are frequently found in close proximity to creeks, rivers and other large bodies of water Water Bog/Marsh/Swamp These are low lying areas of land that are seasonally covered with water.  Marshes are grassy areas flooded with slow moving water.   Swamps occur in more wooded areas.  Bogs are differentiated from Marshes and Swamps by their standing water and poor drainage Creek A small stream, often a shallow or intermittent tributary to a river. Flood Plain A low plain adjacent to a river that is formed chiefly of river sediment and is subject to flooding. Lake A large inland body of fresh water or salt water.   Most of the lakes in the DFW Area are man-made resevoirs and are managed by the US Army Corp of Engineers. Pond A still body of water smaller than a lake.   Many of the ponds in the DFW Area are man-made for use as a supply of water for grazing livestock. River A large natural stream of water emptying into an ocean, lake, or other body of water and usually fed along its course by converging tributaries.   The Trinity River is the most important river in the DFW Area. Storm Water Management Any type of municipal developement designed to aid in flood control and manage storm sewage and runoff.
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