Our rivers and creeks, even when seasonally low, can all be nature preserves. What luck that the land within Cypress Creek Nature Preserve has remained in its natural state even as Wimberley grew up around it!

If you are brave enough to bundle up and venture out into a cold morning, you can try to discover a native plant that does an interesting trick.

When people tell skunk stories, they usually involve getting sprayed…but by knowing them better, we may appreciate them as the unique and beautiful animals they are.

The moment they feel you staring at them, they usually slide right off their perch and disappear into the water. But not this guy.

The moment of inevitability washed over me like a slow-moving cold front. I would be a river cooter.

An amazing group of energetic, committed Dripping Springs folks banded together to get down and dirty.

Does North America’s tallest bird walk any taller knowing that it was one of the first 74 species listed on the 1967 Endangered Species Preservation Act?

The sighting of a Canvasback duck is always a treat on my photographic trips. Enjoy this beautiful bird!

The Christmas Bird Count that is! It will be held this year in San Marcos on Sunday, December 17! Participation is for anyone and everyone, regardless of skill level.

Our December Magazine cover features an extraordinary scene…a glimpse into a unique wildlife experience.

Economic growth in the 1800s and early 1900s relied on abundant water supplies provided by naturally pressurized flowing artesian wells. But in a rapidly urbanizing Hill Country, the Blanco River and the vast groundwater system to which it belongs are failing. 

Part 1 - The Coloring Book’s 2nd place Exemplary Project win at state rewarded the work of 61 HCMN volunteers. Let’s look at all the activities we’ve been working on. Part 2 - The Coloring Book welcomed young explorers and their guardians to diverse nature locales.

Our video team’s goal is to give folks pride in our natural resources with a mix of humor, wonder, and education.

HCMNs work to conserve and educate others about the wildlife and plants that grow on the Texas landscape. But have you ever looked below the surface—the surface of the water, that is?

The Hill Country Alliance successfully hosted its 11th annual Leadership Summit, From Vision to Action, bringing together Hill Country leaders and conservationists eager to learn from one another. Three HCMNs were invited presenters.

Members of the HCMN had the opportunity and delight to attend the 2023 Texas Master Naturalist Annual State Meeting. There were simply not enough hours to drink it all in!

Remember hearing that distinctive “Bob-White” whistle? When I hear that beautiful sound, I recall long past days of sitting on the porch and whistling the notes in reply.

Here in Hays County and across the rest of the Hill Country, we are rapidly losing our natural grasslands. So it has become even more incumbent on land stewards to protect and restore the ones we have.

Savanna restoration is not only good for conserving the historical biodiversity of central Texas, but also the best management technique for the optimization of our water quality and quantity of recharge back into the aquifer.

Come meet the photographer behind the lens of many of Westcave’s incredible images.