The innovative partnership supporting 野生盆地.
野生盆地 is co-owned and co-managed by 特拉维斯县 和圣. 爱德华的 University, and is a treasured resource for our entire community.
野生盆地 Wilderness Preserve protects 227 acres of beautiful Texas Hill Country native habitat. The preserve hosts multiple rare and vulnerable species, including the endangered Golden-cheeked warbler. It is also home to St. 爱德华的 野生盆地 Creative Research Center, a field research station located just 10 miles from campus.
About the beautiful Balcones Canyonlands Preserve.
Did you know that 野生盆地 is part of and serves as a gateway to the magnificent and much larger Balcones Canyonlands Preserve (BCP)? The BCP is one of the nation’s largest urban preserves, covering more than 32,000 acres – about 50 square miles. The BCP provides valuable habitat for seven endangered species and 27 species of concern found on the preserve.
所有的 管理工作 at 野生盆地 is conducted in alignment with the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan. 野生盆地 and 特拉维斯县 staff remove non-native invasive species, conduct wildfire fuel mitigation, monitor the populations of protected species, and monitor water quality to help keep 野生盆地 healthy.
从左到右, the founders of 野生盆地 Wilderness Preserve: Margaret Hessin, 露西尔Stegman, Flora (Esther) McCormick, 珍妮特Poage, 弗洛Macklin, 玛莎·哈德逊, and Willa Mae Hardesty.
Austin’s first nature preserve, founded by seven extraordinary women.
野生盆地 owes a debt of gratitude to seven visionary women, who were members of a 1970s environmental group called Now or Never. The organization was established to preserve a natural area for science classes and teacher training. When the master plan for West Lake Hills was completed, it became evident that Loop 360 would be built. The Audubon Society noted that the beautiful and ecologically important area north of West Lake Hills, known as the 野生盆地, was worthy of preservation. The insightful members of Now or Never adopted the establishment of 野生盆地 Wilderness Preserve as their bicentennial project. They worked for years to build support for protecting 野生盆地. 特拉维斯县 took up the cause and purchased land with grants from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to assemble the preserve, finally completing it in 1976. 野生盆地 became Austin’s first nature preserve and was dedicated to the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve 20 years later in 1996.
The Creative Research Center staff.
Barbara Dugelby, Ph.D., Executive Director
Gabriella Pardee, Ph.D., Research Director
Paul Vickery, Environmental Education Coordinator
Trevor Rice, Preserve Manager
Kim Lauritzen, Administrative Coordinator
Elvis Ingram, 野生盆地 Security Officer
Natalie Hester, Director of Development