Discovering Westcave: The Natural and Human History of a Hill Country Nature Preserve

In the heart of the Texas Hill Country lies an astonishing place called Westcave Preserve, a 76-acre nature preserve and environmental education facility in western Travis County, near Austin, that provides a sanctuary for the flora and fauna of surprisingly diverse ecosystems.

Westcave has been connecting children and families to nature since 1976, when the nonprofit Westcave Preserve Corporation was established to restore and protect a popular but rapidly deteriorating picnic spot that encompassed a fern-covered grotto, an ancient rock shelter, and a spectacular forty-foot waterfall.

In Discovering Westcave, Chris Caran and Elaine Davenport take readers on a walk through the beautiful preserve, which includes a 3,000-square-foot learning center, unveiling the evolutionary past of its stunning natural features and acknowledging the many people who have been a part of Westcave’s long history. The aim of this guidebook is not only to share the natural and human history of this refuge, soon to be surrounded by one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the country, but also to inspire through environmental learning a continued respect and appreciation for the natural world.

To learn more about The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, sponsors of this book's series, please click here.
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Discovering Westcave: The Natural and Human History of a Hill Country Nature Preserve

In the heart of the Texas Hill Country lies an astonishing place called Westcave Preserve, a 76-acre nature preserve and environmental education facility in western Travis County, near Austin, that provides a sanctuary for the flora and fauna of surprisingly diverse ecosystems.

Westcave has been connecting children and families to nature since 1976, when the nonprofit Westcave Preserve Corporation was established to restore and protect a popular but rapidly deteriorating picnic spot that encompassed a fern-covered grotto, an ancient rock shelter, and a spectacular forty-foot waterfall.

In Discovering Westcave, Chris Caran and Elaine Davenport take readers on a walk through the beautiful preserve, which includes a 3,000-square-foot learning center, unveiling the evolutionary past of its stunning natural features and acknowledging the many people who have been a part of Westcave’s long history. The aim of this guidebook is not only to share the natural and human history of this refuge, soon to be surrounded by one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the country, but also to inspire through environmental learning a continued respect and appreciation for the natural world.

To learn more about The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, sponsors of this book's series, please click here.
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Discovering Westcave: The Natural and Human History of a Hill Country Nature Preserve

Discovering Westcave: The Natural and Human History of a Hill Country Nature Preserve

Discovering Westcave: The Natural and Human History of a Hill Country Nature Preserve

Discovering Westcave: The Natural and Human History of a Hill Country Nature Preserve

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Overview


In the heart of the Texas Hill Country lies an astonishing place called Westcave Preserve, a 76-acre nature preserve and environmental education facility in western Travis County, near Austin, that provides a sanctuary for the flora and fauna of surprisingly diverse ecosystems.

Westcave has been connecting children and families to nature since 1976, when the nonprofit Westcave Preserve Corporation was established to restore and protect a popular but rapidly deteriorating picnic spot that encompassed a fern-covered grotto, an ancient rock shelter, and a spectacular forty-foot waterfall.

In Discovering Westcave, Chris Caran and Elaine Davenport take readers on a walk through the beautiful preserve, which includes a 3,000-square-foot learning center, unveiling the evolutionary past of its stunning natural features and acknowledging the many people who have been a part of Westcave’s long history. The aim of this guidebook is not only to share the natural and human history of this refuge, soon to be surrounded by one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the country, but also to inspire through environmental learning a continued respect and appreciation for the natural world.

To learn more about The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, sponsors of this book's series, please click here.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781623494599
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
Publication date: 10/28/2016
Pages: 256
Product dimensions: 6.40(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author


S. CHRISTOPHER CARAN is a research and consulting geologist, currently working for the Texas Water Development Board. ELAINE DAVENPORT is a writer and journalist who is a Westcave Preserve docent and Texas Master Naturalist.

Table of Contents

Foreword Andrew Sansom ix

Preface Molly Stevens xi

Acknowledgments xiii

About the Guidebook xviii

Introduction: Westcave Preserve, the Crown Jewel of Central Texas xx

Part 1 Visitor's Guide 1

1 A Walk through the Preserve 3

2 Visitor Center and Indoor Exhibits 14

3 Trails and Outdoor Features 30

4 Educational Programs and Activities 38

Part 2 The Place 45

5 Environmental Setting 47

6 Westcave Preserve through Four Seasons 51

7 Geology: Topography and Ancient Bedrock 75

8 Evolution of Westcave Preserve: 250,000 Years Ago to the Present 83

9 Surface Water and Groundwater 95

10 Climate and Weather 101

Part 3 The People 107

11 Archeology and Human History 109

12 Westcave, 1850-1974 116

13 The John Ahrns Era, 1974-2010 138

14 Growing Up at Westcave Preserve Amber Ahrns Gosselin 156

Conclusion: Preserving the Future of Westcave 161

Appendixes: Species Lists 163

A Plant Communities 165

B Plants 171

C Common Mosses 187

D Invertebrates other than Butterflies 190

E Butterflies 195

F Fishes 198

G Amphibians and Reptiles 201

H Birds 204

I Mammals 212

Selected References 215

Index 219

Interviews

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