Environmental Groups – Parks & Preserves

PARKS AND PRESERVES

 

Lady Bird Johnson

Wildflower Center

4801 La Crosse Avenue

Austin, TX 78739
Contact (512) 232-0100
FAX: (512) 232-0156
E-mail: info@wildflower.org
Net: wildflower.org

Purpose: The mission of the Wildflower Center at UT Austin is to inspire the conservation of native plants and landscapes.

Projects/Activities: The Center’s gardens display the native plants of the Central Texas Hill Country, as well as South and West Texas, while the Plant Conservation Program protects the ecological heritage of Texas by conserving its rare and endangered flora. Our online Native Plant Information Network is a database of more than 8,000 native species visited by millions annually about native plants and vendors across North America.

The Center regularly hosts walks and talks and holds annual family nights, native plant sales (spring and fall), and other inspiring and educational activities.

Volunteer Opportunities: Numerous! Call or e-mail for more information.

Newsletters/PublicationsWildflower, members’ magazine; brochures; online educational materials for all ages; online database (Native Plant Information Network).

Dues: Starting at $45/year.

Visiting Arrangements: Open Tuesday – Sunday, 9 AM – 5 PM; or daily 9 AM – 5 PM from mid-March to end of May.  Free for members.  Admission fees vary depending on student status and age.

Westcave Outdoor

Discovery Center

24814 Hamilton Pool Road

Round Mountain, TX 78663

Paul Vickery (830) 825-3442

E-Mail: info@westcave.org

Net: westcave.org

Facebook: facebook.com/WestcaveATX

Purpose: Westcave Preserve is an ecological community of exceptional beauty located on a 75-acre preserve in the Texas Hill Country.  Its uniqueness stems from a semi-tropical grotto cut deep within its sheltered canyon by perennially falling water.  Orchids and cypress trees share the cool, moist, terrarium-like setting while cactus and juniper grow in the hot, dry habitat above the canyon rim.

Projects/Activities: Weekend tours at 10 AM, Noon, 2 PM, and 4 PM, weather permitting.  Weekday tours for organized groups can be prearranged.  In 2012, we integrated the “Children in Nature Collaborative” of Austin and launched a campaign to reconnect children to nature.

Volunteer Opportunities: Projects, docent activities, internships for credit, and more.

Newsletters/Publications: e-newsletter – westcave.org/resources/newsletters.

Dues: From $3-$25, depending on age and program.  See Web site to join.

 

Wild Basin

Wilderness Preserve

805 N. Capital of Texas Hwy.

Austin, TX 78746

Joy Hernandez (512) 327-7622

E-Mail: wbasin@stedwards.edu

Net: wildbasin.org

Purpose: Initially protected in the late 1970s in response to increasing development and habitat decline in west Austin, Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve continues as a legacy for urban wilderness and environmental education in Texas.  Through collaborations with St. Edward’s University and Travis County, Wild Basin serves as a local gateway to the larger Balcones Canyonlands Preserve (BCP) system since its inception in 1996, promoting the protection of eight endangered species, as well as 27 species of concern.

Existing as one of few public preserves prior to the founding of the BCP, Wild Basin’s three-miles of trails remain open to the public, sun-up to sun-down, every day of the year.  The Wild Basin Creative Research Center, with its information and welcome hub, is open weekdays from 9 AM until 4 PM.

We ask that you respect the natural beauty of this hill-country landscape by staying ‘on-trail’ and leaving ‘no-trace’ during your visit.  Bikes, pets, smoking and picnics are all prohibited within the preserve.

Volunteer Opportunities: Trail Guides, office assistants, Land Management/Trail Maintenance, Invasive Species Removal.

Dues: Suggested donation of $3/person.  Additional gifts may be submitted online.

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