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58 lies in the four million people who use it annually. An average 10,000 runners each day access the Seymour Lieberman Exer-Trail, making it the most popular running trail in the country, says Shellye Arnold, president and CEO of Memorial Park Conservancy. Along with mountain biking, kayaking, tennis, baseball, and picnicking, there's an arboretum, bird sanctuary, and award-winning golf course, designed in 1934. A 2016 biological assessment of the park identified 260 species of trees, shrubs, grasses, and vines proliferating throughout its confluence of forests, grasslands, and wetlands. This unique habitat is a haven for wildlife, attracting 79 diverse mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish, and 60 species of birds. Woltz's intense discovery process included interviewing demographers and park industry leaders, and engaging the expertise of some 75 scientists. Large public and community meetings were held for 18 months to hear what people wanted and needed from the park. Baton Rouge-based cultural historian Suzanne Turner was enlisted to document the park's "WITH 1,500 ACRES OF WILDERNESS AND RECREATION HUBS, MEMORIAL PARK IS DOUBLE THE SIZE OF MANHATTAN'S CENTRAL PARK ... IT'S EXHILARATING TO BE ABLE TO WORK ON SOMETHING AT THIS SCALE." –— Thomas Woltz Arthur Moss' Penguin Arms, 2902 Revere, Houston, designed when the architect was 23 years old. rich cultural history, dating 400 years ago to the Karankawa Indians and encompassing its use as a World War I training camp for soldiers. The Hogg family originally bought the land in 1924 and arranged for the city to buy it back over time as a memorial to Camp Logan soldiers who died in service — hence the park's name. "It's an act of grace to ask the land its full story before you bring anything new to it," Woltz says. "We built the master plan squarely on this research." The plan is monumental in scope and complexity. Highlights include a future land bridge over busy Memorial Drive to provide safe crossing for people and wildlife and a restored network of prairie and savanna that will act as a green sponge to absorb storm water and mitigate flooding. One of Woltz's favorite aspects of the park is Memorial Groves, a 100-acre living memorial to Camp Logan soldiers The new five-acre Hines Lake is essential habitat for wild animals such as migrating birds, ducks, and other waterfowl. Memorial Park's 100-acre Eastern Glades includes wetlands and Hines Lake. The Seymour Lieberman Trail has been extended to a full three-mile loop.