Everyone loves a drive in the country or a trip to the State Park, but with gas prices rising, not all of us city slickers can afford to drive so far to get our fill of nature. Luckily, Dallas is home to White Rock Lake Park, a recent recipient of the Lone Star Land Steward award from Texas Parks and Wildlife, a first for a public city park. As parts of the park's vegetation have been allowed to grow more freely, animals have also moved back into the area, pushed southward down the White Rock Creek corridor by suburban sprawl. Besides the park's plentiful bird population, including migrating white pelicans and feral green parrots, many species of mammals have been sighted, including red foxes, bobcats and even the occasional white-tailed deer. So grab yourself a guidebook and some binoculars; we'll see you at the lake.