Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve offers a guided “First Friday Walk and Talk” hike where guests hike and learn about the unique natural features and history of Wild Basin. The Wild Basin staff leads every hike from 9-11 a.m. The walk is $15 per person, with all proceeds going to the conservation and research conducted at the preserve.
Security officer Elvis Ingram is the first face guests see when pulling into Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve. Ingram can always be spotted flashing a warm smile and cracking jokes with hikers. His main responsibilities consist of checking guests in, informing hikers about the preserve and giving parking directions. Ingram’s face is something regulars look for, making it part of their reason to come back. (Mia Aguirre / Hilltop Views)
Trevor Rice, preserve manager, has only been at Wild Basin for a little over three years, but has worked in Texas Conservation since 2016. “I feel very privileged to tend to (Wild Basin) and to be a steward and be a part of the Hill Country,” Rice said. Wild Basin is part of one of the largest non-contiguous urban preserves in the nation, called the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. (Mia Aguirre / Hilltop Views)
The trail is accessible to all ages and abilities: four guests registered for the Sep. 5 “First Friday Walk and Talk” hike. The trail itself is a leisurely route through the Texas Hill Country, with shaded areas and minimal incline. Rice indicated that when community members are active participants in Wild Basin events they are more inclined to support the cause behind conservation efforts. (Mia Aguirre / Hilltop Views)
Although there are only 2.5 miles of hikeable trails, there are approximately 227 acres of protected land inside the preserve’s boundaries. Trails are tended to for recreation as well as St. Edward’s undergraduate and graduate student research, according to the Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve website. “Come (hike) with the enjoyment of relaxing outside,” environmental education coordinator Paul Vickery said. (Mia Aguirre / Hilltop Views)
As Rice holds the soft and malleable ashe juniper bark, he demonstrates how golden-cheeked warblers create their nests. The federally endangered birds use only this tree’s bark and spiderwebs for construction, making the juniper essential to their survival. “Most of my coworkers are trees and my boss is a bird that lives in this tree,” Rice said. (Mia Aguirre / Hilltop Views)
“The 2021 and 2022 Texas freezes have killed and damaged even the healthiest of native plants and trees,” Rice said. When the water inside of a tree freezes it expands and cracks open the bark and tissue, potentially killing trees like the Texas live oak. As catastrophic climate events occur more frequently, native plants’ populations are greatly impacted, leaving residents of the state more prone to things such as fires and flooding. (Mia Aguirre / Hilltop Views)
Repurposed ashe juniper trees are used as moulding trim for every staircase along the trails; manually installed by St. Edward’s students interning at Wild Basin. These steps were put in place to level out the unevenness of the trail due to flooding and erosion. Ashe juniper trees were picked to frame these steps solely based on their abundance in the area. At Wild Basin, these trees serve purpose in more ways than one. (Mia Aguirre / Hilltop Views)
Chimney swift birds rely on vertical surfaces to build their nests, which is why these artificial replicas of chimneys are put into place. This particular tower is located near the beginning of the trail. These towers are part of a conservation effort to aid the declining natural chimney swift nesting sites among the Texas Hill Country. Although the towers may stick out (pun intended), they are nonetheless essential for maintaining a rich life among the swifts. (Mia Aguirre / Hilltop Views)
Mia Aguirre is a senior from San Antonio, Texas, majoring in communication with a concentration in critical media and minoring in journalism. Mia is interested in multimedia journalism specifically reporting on campus issues and life. Outside of school Mia enjoys going to concerts, cooking for her friends and reading short stories and novels favorite authors being Edgar Allen Poe and Toni Morrison.
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