Wes Farris, a representative of the I‑20 Wildlife Preserve in West Ferris, told Midland City Council that the preserve will rebrand next week to Watersong Wild Space and that its board has approved Phase 3 of a master plan to build a 2,500‑square‑foot Watersong Nature Commons.

The announcement came during a brief presentation to the council. Farris said the preserve logged “just over 34,000 visitors” year‑to‑date through a QR code tracking system, up from about 31,000 the previous year, and that roughly 40% of visitors were from outside the region. He also said the preserve hosted “just over 1,200 students” through its early childhood and education programs last year.

The Nature Commons the board approved would include an event center with capacity for about 200 people, an education wing for programs and conservation research, and a community‑science area to house playa research. Farris said the board engaged Kat Jones Consulting of Austin on the rebrand and partnered earlier in the year with Ray Perryman for an economic impact study covering construction and long‑term operational impacts.

Council members who spoke praised the preserve’s visitor tracking and education work. A council member asked about carbon‑capture findings referenced in the impact study; Farris said the consultant’s analysis estimated the site’s carbon capture equivalence to “roughly about 26,000 barrels [of oil],” and that the study used data from similar playas elsewhere in Texas.

Farris said the preserve drilled into options for funding and programming and offered to provide the full impact report to council. No formal council action was required or taken on the presentation.

The rebrand to Watersong Wild Space is scheduled to be effective the week after the council meeting; the board move toward Phase 3 is already authorized, and the preserve will pursue design, permitting and fundraising steps ahead of construction.

The council thanked preserve staff and board members for their presentation and for the preserve’s role in regional tourism and education.