The preserve at 2201 S. Midland Dr. sits right off Interstate 20. It protects a playa lake, with raised boardwalks over the wetland, bird blinds along the edge, and a hawk tower above it all. For years the place was named after the highway. Since 2025 it has been Watersong Wild Space, and the new name is also a fair description of how to use it this season. Once the clocks fall back, the hours that matter here are in the morning.
Admission is still free, and there's a donation box at the entrance. Every program left on the fall calendar starts at 9 or 9:30 a.m.
The Name Now Describes the Water
Texas Highways reported in August 2026 that the preserve dropped "I-20 Wildlife Preserve" in 2025 so the name would better reflect the playa lake it protects for the community. Wes Faris, the preserve's executive director, explained the choice to the magazine:
"'Watersong' speaks to the playa. It speaks to everything that makes the ecosystem and the habitat what it is."
The same article says the new name came with a renewed focus on community programs. The list includes Little Ecologist School and Playtime at the Playa for children as young as 2, STEM programs for K-12 students, adult classes in community science, wildlife and landscaping, and a paid summer conservation job corps for high school students. It also mentions regular yoga and guided walks, with more wellness programs planned.
On the fall calendar, that programming all lands in the morning.
Every Date Left on the Fall Calendar Starts Before Noon
Here is what the Watersong events calendar lists from Oct. 31 through the end of November. All of it is free.
| Date | Program | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Pilates on the Playa | 9 to 9:45 a.m. | Beginner-friendly, ages 13+ |
| Thu., Nov. 5 | Playtime at The Playa | 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. | Free RSVP required |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Yoga on the Playa | 9 to 9:45 a.m. | Beginner level |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Pilates on the Playa | 9 to 9:45 a.m. | Same morning as Playtime |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Playtime at The Playa | 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. | Free RSVP required |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Playtime at The Playa | 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. | Free RSVP required |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Yoga on the Playa | 9 to 9:45 a.m. | Beginner level |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Pilates on the Playa | 9 to 9:45 a.m. | Saturday after Thanksgiving |
The yoga and Pilates sessions take place on a teaching platform and are open to ages 13 and up. Playtime at The Playa is an unstructured outdoor exploration session. It needs a free RSVP, children must have adult supervision, and weather can cancel it.
The Saturdays follow a steady rotation. Yoga and Pilates trade off weekends from Oct. 31 through Nov. 28, so every Saturday in November has a 9 a.m. session. Nov. 14 is the busiest morning. Pilates starts at 9, Playtime starts half an hour later, and a household with a teenager and a toddler could cover both before 11:30.
The calendar has no December events posted yet, and it lists no guided bird walk for this stretch. The holiday notice from last year closed the preserve on Dec. 24 and 25, 2025. Check the calendar again before planning anything past Thanksgiving weekend.
The Posted Closing Time Depends on Daylight
The visit page lists seasonal hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. The preserve is closed Mondays. The FAQ adds the important qualifier. Hours are seasonal and tied to daylight, and they can change for weather, maintenance, education groups or events.
Once daylight saving time ends, an evening walk out here gets short fast. Watersong hasn't posted a separate November schedule, so check its calendar and social channels before heading out after work. Volunteers manage the gates, and the preserve asks visitors to plan on leaving 15 minutes before closing.
Mornings don't have that uncertainty. The gate opens at 8 a.m. under the posted hours, and the programs start at 9 or 9:30. That leaves about an hour to walk the trail before a session begins.
What an Hour on the Trail Covers
The City of Midland's facility listing still uses the old name, and it gives the most complete inventory.
- 3.4 miles of total trail, including 1.35 miles of dedicated ADA trail
- Seven bird blinds and four teaching platforms
- Four butterfly gardens
- A 24-foot hawk tower
- A bridge, raised boardwalks, a pavilion and a parking lot
Texas Highways describes the main walk as a 1.4-mile trail, which is close to the city's ADA figure. Watersong's own visit page names the Quail Trail and describes routes through wetlands, meadows and riparian forest, with observation decks, ponds, gardens and memorials along the way. The hawk tower and blinds were built in partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife, according to the magazine.
The ADA design matters for mornings with strollers or older family members. The FAQ says trails can occasionally become temporarily inaccessible from fallen branches or erosion, and it asks visitors to report problems to [email protected].
What Has Been on the Water This Month
On Oct. 17, 2026, one eBird checklist from the preserve recorded 33 species and 175 individual birds over 1.41 miles. The list included four Blue-winged Teal, a Sharp-shinned Hawk and three Cooper's Hawks. That puts ducks on the playa and two kinds of bird-hunting hawks working the edges, all in the same October walk.
For a longer baseline, eBird's hotspot page for the preserve, still listed as I-20 Pond/Jenna Welch Nature Ctr., shows 251 species across 4,069 checklists from 509 birders. The full site list includes Sandhill Crane, Canada Goose, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk and American Kestrel. Those species have been recorded here at some point. None of them is a guaranteed sighting on any given November Saturday. Midland Naturalists shows up as an observer on the hotspot's Oct. 3, 2026 checklists, so local birders are logging the site regularly.
The mammals have their own following. Texas Highways reported that preserve staff post wildlife photos on Facebook, including a bobcat they call "Jolene" and her cubs. The same article mentions Texas horned lizards moving under the boardwalk, and green herons and ducks feeding after heavy rains. That was a summer report, and how much water the playa holds depends on recent rain.
How a November Saturday Fits Together
Put the pieces in order and a Saturday morning plan works out like this. Get to South Midland Drive near opening time, walk the Quail Trail or the boardwalk loop while the blinds are quiet, then end at the teaching platform for the 9 a.m. session. On Nov. 14, families with small children can stay on for Playtime, which runs until 11:30. The Thursday Playtime mornings on Nov. 5 and Nov. 19 give you the same playa on a weekday, as long as you RSVP.
The one fixed rule is the calendar itself. Watersong asks visitors to check its calendar and social pages for temporary closures, and that applies doubly once the evenings get shorter.
I keep track of Midland's free, quiet places for the same reason I track its comps: they shape what a part of town is like to live in day to day. If a morning at Watersong gets you wondering which parts of Midland are a short drive from the playa, Taylor Dickerson can walk you through it. Let's connect.
