CAUSENO.DC-12-04834CHRISTOPHERBRYANFEARS,
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INTHEDISTRICTCOURT
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Plaintiff,
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VS.
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192
0d
JUDICIALDISTRICT
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SHEFFIELDKADANE,ASCITY
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COUNSILMANFORDISTRICT9OF
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CITYOFDALLAS,MARYBRINEGAR,
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ASPRESIDENTANDCEOOFDALLAS
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ARBORETUMANDBOTANICAL
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SOCIETY,INC.ANDPAULDYER,AS
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DIRECTOROFDALLASPARKAND
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RECREATIONDEPARTMENT,
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Defendants.
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DALLASCOUNTY,TEXASAFFIDAVITOFROBERT
J.
O'KENNONINSUPPORTOFEMERGENCYMOTIONTODISSOLVETEMPORARYINJUNCTIONSTATEOFTEXAS§
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COUNTYOFTARRANT§OnthisdayROBERT
J.
O'KENNONappearedbeforeme,theundersignednotarypublic,andstatedunderoath:1.MynameisRobert
J.
O'Kennon.Ihaveneverbeenconvictedofafelony,amovereighteenyearsofage,ofsoundmind,andcompetenttomakethisaffidavit.Thefactsstatedinthisaffidavitaretrueandcorrect,andwithinmypersonalknowledge.2.I'vebeeninvolvedinbotanicalresearchandhaveworkedforoverthirty(30)yearsdocumentingplantlife,grasslandsandotherflorathroughoutTexas,everystateintheUnitedStates,aswellasallovertheworld.IhavecreatedandmaintainanextensivedatabaseontheplantsandgrassesofTexas.IhavealsocarriedoutbotanyfieldworkinAsia,Australia,
AFFIDAVITOFROBERT
J.
O'KENNONPAGE1
Canada,theCaribbean,CentralandSouthAmerica,andMexico.
In
theseendeavorsIhavediscoveredordescribedmorethanthirty(30)newplantspecies.3.IfoundedtheTexasLandConservancyin1982,anduntilrecentlyservedasitsPresident.IhelpedstarttheNativePlantAssociationofTexaswithLadyBirdJohnson
thirty
(30)yearsago.IalsoserveorhaveservedontheBoardofDirectorsofseveralotherorganizationsinvolvedinlandscapeecologyandconservation,includingtheNaturalAreaPreservationAssociation,theNativePrairieAssociationofTexas(memberfor16years),theFortWorthNatureCenter,theDallasNatureCenter,andtheUsefulWildPlantsofTexasProject.4.Ihavewrittenorco-authoredfivebooksandover100peer-reviewedarticlestreatisesonscientificbotany,including:
FloraofNorthCentralTexas,
thefirstillustratedfloraofanyregionofTexasoradjacentstates;the
FloraandNaturalHistoryofGillespieCounty,Texas;
and,
SchoenoplectusHallii(Cyperaceae),AGloballyThreatenedSpeciesNewforTexas.
Iamcurrentlycollaboratingonpublishingafieldguideofthehawthornsoftheworld,andwritingathree-volumeworkonthefloraofEastTexas.5.Basedonmybackground,knowledge,education,training,professionalassociationsandexperience,I'mknowledgeableintheidentificationofplantspecies,soiltypes,andthestudyandclassificationofTexasnativegrassesandplants.6.Theterm"BlacklandPrairie"referstoacommontypeofsoil.ThetermBlacklandPrairierefersonlytothattypeofsoil,andhasnothingtodowiththetypeofgrassorothervegetationthatgrowsonit.Thereareover12,000,000acresBlacklandPrairiesoilinNorthCentralTexasalone,andtheresidentialsubdivisionsaroundWinfreyPointwerebuiltonBlacklandPrairiesoil.
AFFIDAVITOFROBERT
J.
O'KENNONPAGE2
7.Ihaveover
thirty
yeatsofexperienceandexpertiseinidentifyingplantspecies,includinggrasses,throughoutNorthCentralTexas,andincludingtheWhiteRockLakearea.Assuch,IamveryfamiliartheWinfreyPointareaofWhiteRockLake("WinfreyPoint")8.OnMay2,2012,IvisitedandinspectedWinfreyPoint.Duringmyvisit,IcarefullyexaminedthetypesofgrassesgrowingatWinfreyPoint.Ididnotseeasinglenativegrass.AllofthespeciesofgrassIfoundgrowingatWinfreyPointwerenon-nativespecies.Thefifteenspeciesofnon-nativegrassesIsawarelistedonAttachment2tothisaffidavit.Thesenon-nativegrassesarenotindigenousto,ornaturallyfoundin,thisarea.Amongthesenon-nativegrasseswereseveralvery,veryinvasiveandaggressivegrasses,includingJohnsonGrassandK.R.Bluestem.Suchinvasivenon-nativegrasseschokeoutanddestroyanynaturalornativegrassesandothernativewildflowersandotherflorainthisarea.ThereareothernativegrassareasintheWhiteRockLakePark,butWinfreyPointisnotoneofthem,andthespeciesfoundatWinfreyPointposeathreattotheotherareasofWhiteRockLakethatstillhavenatural,nativegrassesandplants.Thesenon-nativegrassesandplantsatWinfreyPointneedtokeptundercontrolandappropriatelymowedoreradicatedtoattempttopreventtheirspreadtoandthedestructionoftheotherregionsofWhiteRockLakeParkwithnativeflora.9.Asmybackgroundandnumerousotherendeavorsclearlydemonstrate,Iammorethancommittedtolandscapeecology,conservationandpreservation,particularlyofnativeareasandprairiesthroughouttheStateofTexas.However,WinfreyPointisnotapristineBlacklandPrairienativegrassarea.
It
isfarfromit,havingbeenpreviouslyplantedandmowed,withotheractivitiesconductedthereonformanyyears,andithasbeentakenoverbynon-nativespeciesofgtassesandplants.Even
if
leftaloneatthispoint,WinfreyPointwillneverrevertbacktoanaturalornativestate.Thereisnothingunique,naturalorrareaboutthe
AFFIDAVITOFROBERT
J.
O'KENNONPAGE3
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