$50,625 raised by 6 donors
1% complete
$5,000,000 Goal
Intentional native landscape restoration at the Oakland Cemetery, Dallas, is one of five historic cemeteries in the program
Constellation of Living Memorials
A North Texas Council of Governments CLIDE Award recipient 2025, The Constellation of Living Memorials (CLM) is about bringing beauty, nature, and historical meaning back to forgotten places.
CLM is restoring forgotten sacred cemetery landscapes, preserving historical headstones and the stories they hold—preserving Texas history through the renewal of the very land that shaped it.
The Constellation of Living Memorials is:
• Transforming forgotten historic cemeteries into intentional native landscape restoration to rebuild wildlife habitats and reconnect everyone to local history
• Transforming neglected historic cemeteries into deliberate native landscape restorations to rebuild wildlife habitats and reconnect everyone to local history.
• Protecting remnants of the Blackland Prairie—the ecological foundation that supported early communities and helped build Texas’s cotton and cattle legacy.
• Reconnecting people with the land and ancestors through beauty and a genuine sense of place.
• Creating safe outdoor classrooms where youth can explore their cultural and natural heritage
• Creating spaces where pollinators flourish, history is respected, and healing can happen across generations.
Building a Movement to Honor and Protect Texas’s Past and Future, key supporters:
• Garrett Boone – visioning for conservation and community green space
• Eugene McDermott Foundation – empowering the next generation to care for Texas’s legacy
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – growing a statewide program through: Master Gardeners – Master Naturalists – 4-H youth clubs focused on environmental leadership and local history
• Summerlee Foundation – protecting animals and Texas cultural heritage
• Texas Historical Foundation – aligning land and cultural history of Texas
• Trammell Crow / EarthX – elevating CLM on global stages and media platforms
Esteemed Recognition & National Spotlight:
• Hunter & Stephanie Hunt SMU Texas Impact Enterprise Award, 2024 – Celebrating innovation in social and environmental impact
• New York Times Front Page News, 2024 – Sharing CLM’s story with a national audience as a model for community-rooted ecological restoration
• North Texas Council of Governments CLIDE Award, 2025 – Recognizing CLM for leadership in sustainable development and regional vision
These accolades reflect the growing momentum behind CLM’s mission—and the collective effort to ensure Texas’s cultural and ecological legacies endure.
Julie Fineman President, Friends of the Warren Ferris Cemetery and www.friendsofthewarrenferriscemetery.org/projects
Co-Creator, Constellation of Living Memorials
www.constellationoflivingmemorials.org
Your support for CLM could not come at a more crucial time.
Please give today!
Click Here for Press & Awards.
Onwards and upwards!
Using the success of the Friends of the Warren Ferris Cemetery as a model, The Constellation of Living Memorials offers Texas communities an actionable, tested plan to transform neglected historic cemeteries into climate-resilient native habitats that will honor Texas history and those who came before us for generations to come.
Partnerships and funding to execute the remaining .3 years of the CLM pilot program, and launch the program statewide.
Friends of the Warren Ferris Cemetery is committed to equal opportunity, respectful conduct, and viewpoint-neutral community engagement. We comply with all applicable federal and state nondiscrimination laws and administer our programs without regard to any legally protected characteristic. Welcoming a range of experiences and expertise strengthens our work and helps us serve the public responsibly.
Please contact Julie Fineman to review for the Constellation of Living Memorials Program budget proposal - julie@ConstellationofLivingMemorials.org
Organization name
Constellation of Living Memorials
Causes
Environment & Conservation
Operating Budget
Less than $100,000
Counties Served
Hood, Wise, Tarrant, Somervell, Rockwall, Parker, Palo Pinto, Navarro, Montague, Kaufman, Johnson, Hunt, Grayson, Fannin, Erath, Ellis, Denton, Dallas, Cooke, Collin
BIPOC Serving
Native American, Hispanic or Latinx, Black or African American
BIPOC Leadership
Neither/None
Address
1609 St. Francis Ave.