The innovative partnership supporting Wild Basin.
Wild Basin 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.
Wild Basin 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 Wild Basin Creative 研究 Center, a field research station located just 10 miles from campus.
关于 the beautiful Balcones Canyonlands Preserve.
Did you know that Wild Basin 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 stewardship work at Wild Basin is conducted in alignment with the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan. Wild Basin 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 Wild Basin healthy.
Austin’s first nature preserve, founded by seven extraordinary women.
Wild Basin 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 Wild Basin, was worthy of preservation. The insightful members of Now or Never adopted the establishment of Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve as their bicentennial project. They worked for years to build support for protecting Wild Basin. 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. Wild Basin became Austin’s first nature preserve and was dedicated to the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve 20 years later in 1996.
From left to right, the founders of Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve: Margaret Hessin, Lucille Stegman, Flora (Esther) McCormick, 珍妮特Poage, 弗洛Macklin, 玛莎·哈德逊, and Willa Mae Hardesty.
Barbara Dugelby, Ph.D., Executive Director
Gabriella Pardee, Ph.D., 研究 Director
保罗•维克瑞 Environmental Education Coordinator
特雷福大米, Preserve Manager
Kim Lauritzen Administrative Coordinator
猫王英格拉姆, Wild Basin Security Officer
娜塔莉·海丝特, Director of Development