Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve

Description

The preserve was founded in 1974. The preserve maintains 2.5 miles of hiking trails.LocationThe entrance to the preserve is a mile north of Bee Caves Road along the east side of Loop 360. The hiking trails are open everyday sunrise to sunset, usually this is in between the hours of 7am-7pm. The Wild Basin Creative Research Visitor Center is open M-F, 9am-4pm.Bikes, pets, smoking and picnics are all prohibited within the preserve boundaries.HistoryIn 1974 Janet Poague, a Westlake Hills resident and prominent environmentalist, was instrumental in negotiating a developments rights agreement between the City of Austin, Travis County, and Westview Development creating the preserve.Mrs. Poague along with Westview executive Beth Robertson, Mayor Carol McClellan and County Commissioner Ann Richards redrew the master plan of Westview's 1,300-acre Davenport Ranch residential development in order to set aside over 100 acres of the developer's land to protect the sensitive Hill Country environment including habitat for the endangered Black-Capped Vireo and Golden-Cheeked Warbler.In the deal, Westview donated the land to Wild Basin and, in return, the City gave the developer the right to relocate 100 residential units originally planned on the preserve land to its adjacent property. This transaction was one of the first transfers of development rights in the