TEXAS ANNUAL CONFERENCE
NEWCOMBE TENNIS RANCH - New Braunfels, TX
November 6-8, 2009
Field Trips!
PDF version
All Field Trips are on Friday, November 6. Transportation to and from field trips is not provided. Car-Pooling is STRONGLY encouraged. A Box Lunch is included for Field Trips 1-4.
1. San Marcos River Educational Canoe Trip & USFWS Hatchery -
$35
8:30 AM to 3:00 PM (limit 16 People)
Start your day with a private tour of the USFWS Hatchery from Director Tom Brandt. Learn of the research & captive propagation of several of San Marcos Springs' endangered species. These springs are one of the largest outflows for the Edwards Aquifer. Discover the many restoration plans underway by the River Systems Institute for the San Marcos Springs and the many species found in the springs, including five endangered species; the Fountain Darter, the Texas Blind Salamander, the San Marcos Salamander, the San Marcos Gambusia, and Texas Wild Rice. Have lunch at San Marcos City Park and then enjoy a leisurely canoe trip down the San Marcos River. As you paddle downstream, speakers led by USFWS Biologist Patrick Connor will be stationed along your route to present various riparian restoration topics.
Distance is 20 miles (approximately 20 minutes) each way.
2. Canyon Lake Gorge & Honey Creek State Nature Preserve - $25
8:30 AM to 3:30 PM (limit 20 People)
Enjoy a guided hike through Canyon Lake Gorge with geologist Bill Ward. Learn how the Gorge was created during a flood event in 2002. A cream-colored
limestone crevasse that plunges 80 feet at its deepest spot, the gorge displays the 100 million year-old Glen Rose formation, including a fault line, footprints belonging to quadraped dinosaurs (all moving east to west along what would have been the waterfront) and three-toed dinosaur footprints (evidence of a biped carnivore strolling along the water). This is a physically demanding hike. Proper attire for hiking and adequate physical health is required. Then travel to Honey Creek State Natural Area with TPWD’s Craig Hensley to see the diverse
geology, flora, and fauna that make Honey Creek a
special place. Discover the research that is ongoing
at this Hill Country haven, including a study of
rainfall interception of Ashe juniper and
groundwater recharge. Lunch at Canyon Gorge.
Distance is 13 miles (approximately 15 minutes) to Canyon Lake Gorge, 30 miles to Honey Creek State Natural Area (40 minutes), and 26 miles back to Newcombe (about 36 minutes).
3. San Antonio River Improvement Project & the Missions - $25
8:00 AM to 5:30 PM (limit 25 People)
Explore the crown jewel of the City - the San Antonio River. Listen as Lee Marlowe of San Antonio River Authority tells you about the San Antonio River Improvement Project (SARIP). Channelized in the 1950s, this ecosystem restoration project will restore an 8 mile southern stretch of the river into a quality native woodland ecosystem. You will be guided through the planned restoration phases, which include the planting of 24,000 young native trees, 334 acres of riparian and 113 acres of aquatic habitat restoration. Next, take a tour of the "other side" of the San Antonio Missions - a peek of the ecological side. Greg Mitchell of the National Park Service willl lead you on a guided hike & drive to see what has been and is currently done to restore the native vegetation around the missions, the river, and historic Spanish colonial aqueducts still in use today. Lunch along the river. Please Note - this field trip runs later than other Field Trips and overlaps Field Trip #5 to the Dry Comal Creek Vineyards.
Distance is 40 miles to the San Antonio River (about 1 hour), then 2 miles(5 minutes) to the Missions, and 40 miles back to Newcombe (about 1 hour).
4. Selah Bamberger Ranch Preserve - Johnson City - $25
8:00 AM to 4:00 PM (limit 40 People)
Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve is a 5,500 acre, privately owned ranch that has been described as the largest habitat restoration project on private land in Texas. 36 years ago J. David Bamberger sought to buy the worst piece of ranchland he could find in the Hill Country with the specific intention of restoring it back to functional health. With the removal of woody species and the replanting of native grasses, long absent springs are now near constantly flowing. Overflow from these springs and seeps produces the headwaters of Miller Creek which flows into the Pedernales River, which then flows into the Colorado River, the surface supply for the City of Austin, 60 miles away. Visit the largest herd of the endangered Scimitar-horned Oryx in the world, and see the Chiroptorium, a man-made cave built to house 1 million bats. Lunch at Selah. Distance is 48 miles (approximately 1 hour) each way.
5. Dry Comal Creek Winery - afternoon tour & tasting - $20
5:00 to 6:30 PM (no registrant limit).
Dry Comal Creek Vineyards is located in a small protected valley, nestled in the Texas Hill Country. TXSER has reserved the Vineyards' facilities for a wine tasting and private tour. Whether you consider yourself a wine novice or an expert, the whole point is for you to relax with local wines in a beautiful vineyard after a day of field trips, and to ready yourself for the Friday Social Feast to follow at Newcombe Tennis Ranch.
Distance is 6 miles (7 minutes) from Newcombe.
* Special Note - all other Field Trips except #3 (San Antonio River & Missions) may consider this late afternoon additional Field Trip after their first Field Trip. The #3 Field Trip will be arriving back too late to catch this relaxing opportunity. So Sorry.
Transportation to and from field trips is not provided. Car-Pooling is STRONGLY encouraged. A Box Lunch is included for Field Trips 1-4. Registration is limited. If the field trip you want is full, you will be put on a waiting list. If you have selected an alternate field trip, and a space becomes available on your first selection, you will automatically be moved to the your first choice and notified of the change by the email address you have provided.