McKinney Parks Foundation

Our Mission is to partner with the City of McKinney to enhance the beautification and maintenance of parks and open spaces, promote community involvement, and provide education about our citys natural environment.

Our Vision is to create a community where residents are actively engaged in preserving and enhancing McKinneys natural spaces, ensuring a vibrant and sustainable environment for current and future generations.

Our Values

1. Community Engagement: We believe in fostering a sense of ownership and pride in McKinneys parks and open spaces through active participation and volunteerism.
2. Environmental Stewardship: We are committed to preserving and enhancing the natural beauty and ecological health of our citys parks and open spaces.
3. Education and Awareness: We recognize the importance of educating residents and visitors about the natural environment and the need for conservation. Our educational efforts will cover the following topics:

• • • Proper waste disposal
    • Natural resources
    • Water conservation
    • Stormwater and watershed protection

1. Collaboration: We strive to work in partnership with the City of McKinney, local organizations, and community members to achieve our goals.
2. Sustainability: We are dedicated to promoting practices and projects that ensure the long-term health and beauty of McKinneys natural spaces.

Integrity and Accountability: We operate with transparency and responsibility in all our actions, ensuring that resources are used effectively to benefit our community.

In 2019, the McKinney Parks Foundation was formed to partner with the city to enhance the beautification and maintenance of the parks and open spaces, promote community involvement and provide education about the wonderful natural spaces in our city.

Sine 2017, the McKinney Parks Foundation (MPF) has built nature trails providing accessibility to the outdoors. We work across multiple parks and easements in conjunction with the McKinney Parks & Recreation Department, including McKinney Greens Parkland, Erwin Park, Towne Lake, Gray Branch Parkland, the Historic Interurban Railway, and Bonnie Wenk.

We have several passion projects, but the one we're most proud of is theEast McKinney Learning Garden, a learning hub in the heart of McKinney's food desert. The East McKinney Learning Garden will begin having consistent volunteer workdays the Spring of 2025.

We have also installedFirewood Kiosks to help educate and provide a sustainable alternative for campers taking trees, limbs, branches, etc. from Erwin Park to burn in campfires. The amount of damage to the live trees along the trails as well as the massive stripping of dead and rotting debris has been extremely damaging to the appearance and ecosystem of the park. The Firewood Kiosks are meant to help circulate local wood and protect McKinney's environment.

We planted 4 acres of wildflowers at Gray Branch Parkland in 2022, and continue to maintain the nature trails and wildflowers of Gray Branch Parkland.

In 2021 we planted over 1,00 trees at McKinney Greens Parkland in order to improve the riparian habitat at the park and improve the water quality of Wilson Creek. You can read about the success on Texan by Nature's webpage.

We regularly partner with local scout groups and organizations (DORBA, Texas Master Naturalists, Keep McKinney Beautiful, Texas Trees Foundation, Texas Conservation Alliance, etc.) to create amenities in McKinney parks and educate McKinney residents.