Former Arlington City Council member Julia Burgen is well-known for her environmental activism in The American Dream City.

When her family moved to Arlington in the 1980s, Burgen returned to school at The University of Texas at Arlington to get a master's degree in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis on biology and science. As a grad student at UTA, she wrote a trail guide to what later became River Legacy Parks, a 1,300-acre urban oasis following the curves of the Trinity River in north Arlington.

In 1995, Arlington city leaders were trying to determine how to address chronic residential flooding along Johnson Creek. One proposal was to use federal funding to turn the creek into a concrete-lined channel. Burgen, who was on the Arlington Conservation Council, fought to preserve the creek. She argued that the area should be turned into park land to address the flooding problem. The council decided to approve Julia Burgen's plan with a 5 to 4 vote.

Burgen would go on to make a significant impact on protecting and enhancing the environment here in Arlington, serving as a City Council Member representing District 5 for six years (1997-2003). It's a passion she continues to exude in 2018.

"National parks, national monuments, all of these places are wonderful. They belong to all of us. They are our heritage," Burgen said.

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