(Photo taken by Beckett Postiglione 1/27/2023)

Trevor Rice explaining the history of the Wild Basin Nature Preserve to the class on a chilly Friday morning.

Having grown up in North Austin, I’ve always been familiar with the Wild Basin Nature Preserve and the beautifully managed trails. However, I got to learn a lot from Trevor Rice that I wouldn’t have otherwise known. The Wild Basin Nature Preserve and it’s ecosystems started being of concern when the Northern expansion of highway 360 started underway.  The unique topography and water features, along with the potential threats to the Golden Cheek Warbler also helped to promote conservation of the area. Today, the land is owned and managed by both Travis County and St. Edward’s University.

(Photo taken by Beckett Postiglione 1/27/2023)

Trevor Rice showing the class “Vegetative Gargoyles” along the Arroyo Vista Loop.

Trevor gave the class lots of insight on how day to day trail management looks. In the picture above, Trevor is showing a “vegetative gargoyle” which is usually plant debris or rock that is deliberately placed along the established trail to keep trail-goers on the marked path. A “social trail” is developed when either researchers or citizens wander off the established trail, which degrades the hillside and vegetation. Established trails are carved with a McCleod Scraper and scanned for trash, impacts, or anything out of the ordinary. As Trevor described it to us, “the goal is to keep feet on the established trail. Feet off the trail impacts the land.”