Arboretum- Lake Kirby Park Funding Appeal

In 2013, Vista Planning & Design was asked to develop a master plan for Lake Kirby Park. One element of that work was to create a children’s nature play space within the existing children’s playground on the east side of the lake near the ball fields. Wedged between the ball fields and the children’s play area was an open space that was planned to be an arboretum.

The Workforce Commission of West Central Texas and the Excelsior Foundation came forward with a very generous donation to fund much of the children’s nature play including a boardwalk through the trees, a dinosaur discovery sand pit, and interpretive signage. Another part of the overall plan was to create a hike and bike trail that circled the lake. Vista Planning & Design organized a team of volunteers from Bike Town and Big Country Runners Club; businesses on Industrial Blvd. The volunteer team blazed the first phase of the trail led by Vista that extended from the Dam road to the north and to the first water crossing to the south, where the new school was built along Maple Street. This was enabled by Bobcat of Abilene, who donated the rental of a bobcat to assist in blading the trail that Vista had flagged. The trail was left natural and is used to this day.

All of this effort caught the attention of Mr. Bill Senter, of Senter Realty, who donated an additional $30,000 to the West Texas Science Center to develop additional features in the park associated with the trail and children’s nature play. In 2024, it was decided between Vista Planning & Design, The Friends of Kirby Lake, a supported group of the West Texas Science Center (501 (c)3 non-profit), and the City of Abilene to develop a small arboretum showcasing native and successful trees for the Abilene region. Vista developed a conceptual plan that shows the list of trees, a trail weaving through numerous picnic tables, a pollinator garden in the areas away from the managed lawn area, a bird-watching station, and interpretive signage.

The Request

A high-level cost estimate has put the price tag for the project at approximately $100,000. This goal has been set for the project to be installed as one phase. With the generous donation from Mr. Senter, the fundraising is off to a great start. Since this inception, another donation has come in at $10,000, bringing in a total of $40,000 to date. This campaign requests the generosity of all members of Abilene to contribute whatever amount is possible to reach our goal. For the thousands of patrons of Lake Kirby Park, this will be a place for picnics, bird watching, peaceful shade during baseball tournaments, a new place for large play area gatherings, and a place to know our flourishing trees.

Please provide donations through our below DonorBox Campaign or Mail checks to:

West Texas Science Center
3478 Catclaw Dr. #102
Abilene, Texas 79606


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