Nature Preserves

Austin's official love with nature preserves began in 1935, when an area west of Zilker Park was designated as a nature preserve and bird sanctuary. This area now makes up the nearly 80-acre Zilker Nature Preserve. This was made possible by a New Deal program started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt called the Work Projects Administration / Work Progress Administration (W.P.A.). Today, this site is also the home to the Austin Nature and Science Center.

Acquisitions

Acquisitions for the preserves program are derived from four areas:

Purchased properties
Redesigned parkland
Deeded sites
Endangered species habitat

Site Criteria

The preferred site or sites were selected on the basis of the following criteria:

Biological and geological diversity
Presence of rare and endangered species
Minimum size and configuration to be self- sustaining
Cost and number of owners involved
Threat of site disruption

Several sub-types of the Edwards Plateau and Texas Blackland Prairies ecoregions are represented in the Austin area. The first of these is the Balcones Canyonlands section of the Edwards Plateau, which makes up the western portion of the City. The Northern Blackland Prairie section of the Texas Blackland Prairies then makes up most of the eastern portion, except for the areas in the eastern portion directly around the Colorado River basin, which represent the Floodplains and Low Terraces section of the Texas Blackland Prairie. At least one representative sample from each of these sections has been designated as a preserve.

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