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Spring Greetings |
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Dont miss the Free April 17 Film Screening of Where Do The Children Play? Find details in our Partnership Developments section. |
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Coming Soon To WestcaveKnow Your Neighborhood: Plants of the Texas Hill Country
May 4, 2008
Learn about the plants of the Texas Hill Country at Westcave Preserve, one of the most ecologically diverse sites in Central Texas.
Registration required
Hours: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Fee: $8 adult
Morning Birding Tour
April 12, 2008
Join us on a rare opportunity to view the variety of birds at Westcave Preserve during their most active time of day. Possible sightings include Golden-cheeked Warblers, Cooper's Hawks, Canyon Wrens, Painted Buntings and Rufous-sided Towhees. Binoculars are recommended for best viewing.
Registration required
Hours: 8 - 10 a.m.
Fee: $5 adult
Star Nights
April 12, 2008
Tour the night skies at Westcave Preserve, a dark sky location convenient to the surrounding metro areas. Program includes slide show and sky viewing through a high-quality telescope and is led by Bill Tschumy with Think Astronomy, www.thinkastronomy.com. Call 830-825-3442 for weather updates.
Registration required
Hours: 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fee: $5 adult; $2 child
Registration
To register for a program, call (830) 825-3442 or e-mail info@westcave.org |
Earth Day is April 22.
Where better to celebrate the weekend before or after than at Westcave? Bring your friends, your family, and a picnic lunch and join us for a weekend tour.
Discover Westcave!Visitation to the grotto is only by guided tour to minimize the impact on this beautiful and fragile site. Tour rates are $5 per adult, $2 per child (under 12), or $15 per family. Free tour admission is offered for Westcave Preserve members. Weekday tours for organized groups and schoolchildren can be arranged by calling the preserve at (830) 825-3442. Additional information on school groups can be found in our Teacher's Resource Guide, available at: www.westcave.org Public tours are offered year-round (weather permitting) on Saturdays and Sundays at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. 
Missouri Violets tucked along the trail
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On the Preserve
Signs of the SeasonAs we walk with them through the Preserve, sometimes we'll ask our younger visitors, "What season are we in?" Of course, they'll know the answer. Then we'll say something like, "How do you know it's spring?" "The days are getting longer," some respond. Others say, "It's getting warmer," or "Flowers start blooming, and trees are growing new leaves," or "There are lots of birds around." They are all correct, and the signs of spring at Westcave are unmistakable.  Mexican Plum blossoms This year, our Mountain Laurels and Mexican Plum trees infused the air with their sweet fragrances beginning in early March. Golden-cheeked Warblers returned to fuss over the best nesting sites. As the slender Red Bud trees and spiny-leafed Agarita shrubs filled with blossoms, Golden Groundsels and Missouri Violets started splashing the canyon trail with bright yellow and pale lavender patches of color. A couple Bluebonnets peaked through the grass, Southern Shield Ferns unfurled new growth, and Columbines began to populate the rocks with their delicately dangling flowers. Bright red Cedar Sages followed, and now the trees are budding fresh young leaves and additional Bluebonnets are starting to emerge in little flocks of indigo. Wine Cups appear, and Deer Pea Vetch blossoms. I could go on, but you should really come see it for yourself. Every season brings transition, but this is arguably the most colorful time to enjoy the Texas Hill Country. Whether you prefer a cool morning stroll or a warm afternoon hike, we encourage you to bring your friends and family out for a weekend tour (10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.) and celebrate spring in this refreshing pocket of wilderness known as Westcave Preserve.
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| What's New?
Middle School Field Study Program Launched
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 For more than 30 years, Westcave has been helping to bond children and nature. This year, with the help of generous support from the Webber Family Foundation, the Preserve is launching a new opportunity for students to engage in an intensive introduction to local plants, animals, water, soil and weather. Observations and experiments will be used to demonstrate how the ecological components are interwoven to sustain the vast diversity of life that makes its home here. A full day (9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.) field study program is currently being piloted. Pre- and post-activities will be added to the program for the 2008-2009 school year. For more information, or to schedule the program for your class, please contact Linda Wofford at linda@westcave.org.
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Partnership Developments
Where Do The Children Play?
You are invited to attend the free Austin screening of "Where Do The Children Play?" on April 17 at 7 p.m. Created for public television, this one-hour documentary examines how the loss of natural play areas impacts the mental and physical health of children. The event will be held at the Mexican American Cultural Center (map).
The screening will be followed by a reception and community conversation on the critical issues presented in the film. To reserve your space, please RSVP to AustinCINC@brightinvisiblgreen.com.
For more information about the film and to see a clip, visit michigantelevision.org
Austin Nature Days
2008 marks the fourth year for Austin 's premier outdoor event, which is a city-wide celebration of Austin 's beauty, vitality and diversity of natural resources and landscapes. A full month of activities will explore the wealth of natural wild landscapes and native habitats that is right in our back yard, but that most Austinites have never seen.
Visit www.austinnatureday.org to find out about these special April opportunities and plan now to join this magical tour of Central Texas.
Children & Nature Network
April 2008 is the first annual Children & Nature Awareness Month. In honor of the occasion, make plans now to attend the free Austin screening of "Where Do The Children Play?" on April 17 at 7 p.m. at the Mexican American Cultural Center.
Children & Nature Network launches the C&NN/ecoAmerica Parents Campaign.
Book tour and release of the expanded second edition of Richard Louv's "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder."
For details about these and other C&NN opportunities, please visit www.cnaturenet.org
Small Middle School Plant Sale
Our good friends at Clint Small Jr. Middle School are having a plant sale on Saturday, April 12th, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Students and teachers have given special attention to providing a selection of native plants as well as nonnative species which are well adapted to growing conditions in Central Texas. Enhance your landscape as you support a great cause.
The school is located at 4801 Monterey Oaks Blvd., just east of Oak Hill. Get directions here.
Calling All Photographers
Hill Country Alliance is offering cash prizes and the opportunity for winning photos to appear in the 2009 edition of the highly-acclaimed Hill Country Alliance Calendar. Take advantage of this opportuity to share your skill as you help document and spread the beauty of this magnificent and unique region by contributing your best photography.
Details on the Capture the Essence of the Hill Country Photography Contest can be found at www.hillcountryalliance.org
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Thank you for reading our eNewsletter. We have received great feed-back from the first two newsletters. We welcome your comments and would love to add your material to our next eNewsletter. Do you have a story to tell about Westcave? Or perhaps you have a photo or your child's drawing of Westcave to place in our next edition. Please send your materials to 
