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The Natural Areas
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News & Articles

Pass it On

The most precious treasure we possess is the lifetime of knowledge stored in our memory bank.  The most precious treasure the world possesses is the potential in the life of a child.  The greatest resource to sustain the environmental movement is the knowledge gained from lives lived close to the land.  The most effective tool for growing a child with a consuming desire to nurture the environment is the passing of that knowledge to them.

At a recent Explore program in the Natural Areas, an Education Volunteer guided the hands of a young class participant in the grinding of a batch of cochineal insects.  The ground insects would be dissolved in water to produce a dye for yarn that would be wound into a model of a coral snake.  The insects ground by someone else colored the strawberry banana juice we drank that day.  The students will not soon forget ‘bug juice’.  They will remember that the white fuzzy stuff on cactus is the protection around those cochineal insects.

One connection to the natural world that will help grow a child who will enjoy, appreciate and care for that world.  One volunteer who shared his knowledge and ‘passed it on’. 


Got Rocks?

deer

Yes we do! Our Natural Area Parks & the Hill Country have very interesting geology with an important relationship with our water source, the Edwards Aquifer. Dr. George Veni provides information on our geology in the series, "Geology of Friedrich Park".

EVENTS & EDUCATION

Have a Wild Summer!

on hand

Medina River Natural Area's"You Rock! - Get Outdoors" camp registration closes on June 19. Friedrich Park Nature Camps are full for 2009. Click the links for applications & more information.

July 11, 2009

Our Fossil Past
Eisenhower Park
19399 NW Military Hwy
10:00 am - noon

fossil

Clayton Nye, President of the Paleontological Association of South Texas, will present an introduction to paleontology and local fossils. There will be many specimens to view and examine. See Our Fossil Pastfor more info.

July 11, 2009
Bike & Park Safety

Medina River Natural Area
15890 Hwy 16 South
9:00 am - 11:00 am

San Antonio Park Police will conduct a trail and bicycle safety program in the outdoor pavilion. For more info, see Bike & Park Safety.

Society for Ecological Restoration - Texas Annual Meeting

Medina River

Interested in Ecological Restoration in Texas? The San Antonio Natural Areas is hosting the annual meeting for Society for Ecological Restoration - Texas Chapter. Join us in the Hill Country to explore the theme "Water - Agua es Vida" through presentations, speakers and field trips. More information is available here: TxSER Annual Conference.

Voelcker Park Info

Voelcker Park

The City of San Antonio purchased 311 acres of the former Voelcker Dairy Farm to build a major new urban park. You can find more information here:Voelcker Park


OUR MISSION:
1) Preserve and manage San Antonio’s Natural Areas to protect natural ecosystems,
2) Promote inclusive and transformative relationships between people and natural systems.
FLORA & FAUNA

Mountain Lion

mt lion

Mountain Lion (also known as puma, cougar and by other names) is a native animal of Bexar County.  They have always been here and continue to survive in reduced numbers.  As our communities expand and wild areas become more rare, these large cats are being forced into areas they would not normally inhabit.

The Natural Areas are nature preserves.  Our goal is to preserve the natural landscape and its native flora and fauna, including mountain lions.  However, human safety comes first.  For your protection we are providing this information.

Please review the Texas Parks and Wildlife's "Mountain Lions in Texas" for more information and the best reaction for you if you have the rare occurrence of a meeting with this animal.

WHAT'S THAT?

Water Bars

Jayne Neal

If you have hiked the trails of Friedrich Wilderness Park, you couldn't help but notice the interesting humps spanning some of the sloped trails. People have made all kinds of observations about these humps. Some have suggested (I think seriously) they are speed bumps, intended to slow down joggers or control downhill speeds of wheelchairs. The truth is they really have nothing to do with speed control. The purpose of the humps is to help channel water and control erosion.

Over the years, many of the trails had become significantly eroded. Just think about all those feet, most of them human, treading up and down the significantly sloped paths of the park. Years ago, some of those feet belonged to horses! Prior to the time the land was dedicated as a park, it was a ranch and much of the wear and tear was caused by vehicle traffic. The bottom line is (literally!), eroded trails intercept and carry water, water that can no longer flow naturally into the creeks and canyons. The result is further erosion and significant alteration of the area's hydrology.

Here is where water bars (those humps) come in. Properly designed and installed water bars help to channel water off the trails and into the canyons and creek beds. When water is channeled appropriately, it plays an important role in vegetation growth and natural succession, instead of racing down trails, causing erosion and adding to stormwater runoff.

Proper design and construction of the water bars is essential! There is quite an art to water bar building. It requires studying the land, observing what happens when it rains, and a lot of care and labor (Just ask our staff!). Periodically, the Natural Areas' staff organizes trail maintenance days to help teach and implement the art of water bar design and construction. For more information on these projects, please watch this website or contact Natural Area Parks' Crew Leader, Janis Merritt.

Jayne Neal is Park Naturalist for biological studies and United States Fish and Wildlife special projects for Natural Area Parks.

design by woodland company | sponsored by Friends of Friedrich Park

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