Volunteer Spotlight: Austin Water Wildland Conservation 

In May, several chapter members enjoyed an opportunity to help in the habitat restoration efforts at the JJ&T tract, one of the areas that’s managed by Austin Water’s Wildlands Conservation Division. 

That division safeguards a network of conservation lands for the benefit of water, wildlife, and people. These 49,000 acres, “the Wildlands,” stretch from Cedar Park to Kyle, and their protected woodlands, caves, and grassland savannas benefit our community by safeguarding water quality, conserving habitat for endangered species, and providing recreational opportunities.

The Wildlands includes both the city-managed Balcones Canyonlands Preserve tracts and the Water Quality Protection Lands, which are primarily grasslands in the recharge zone of the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer.

Volunteer opportunities include regular habitat restoration workdays on the Vireo Preserve and the JJ&T tract, invasive removal on the Long Canyon tract, and nursery & seed work on various Water Quality Protection Lands, such as the J17, Little Bear, Maxwell, Parkhouse, Onion Creek, Searcy, and Tabor.