Working at Balcones

It's hard to call what we do here 'work'.  Not that it isn't physically demanding at times but we do things that we enjoy.  One month into our 3 month gig here we have settled into something of a routine for our 3 day work weeks.

On Monday we go to the three Public Use Areas and clean the vault bathrooms ( not nearly as bad as it sounds) and stock trail maps and interpretive guides in the kiosks and pick up litter.  I am surprised at how little litter there is. It is refreshing to see evidence that the people who visit here have an appreciation for where they are and do their share to keep it clean and as undisturbed as they can while they enjoy it.

[caption id="attachment_163" align="alignright" width="169"] Taking a break on a glorious day.[/caption]

If you want to check out more about the refuge and it's mission you can go to their  website:

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/balcones_canyonlands/ . In a nutshell it was established 25 years ago to provide nesting habitat for two endangered bird species. The Golden Cheek Warbler and Black Capped Vireo. Fish and Wildlife Services manages over 27,000 acres of habitat.

One of the best parts of our job is to walk the trails regularly and not only pick up trash, if there is any, and trim back branches that may be in the way and remove obstacles that have fallen from trees onto the trails.  It is by far the best part of my week.

[caption id="attachment_152" align="alignright" width="300"] Beth and I Assessing Creek Trail[/caption]

A fellow volunteer who is also from Iowa often joins us. Other days we work on other public areas removing branches that are growing out onto the roadway to make passing on the narrow roads easier on the rare occasion that you meet another car while going up one of the access roads.

We have also been tasked with creating a couple of new displays for the Visitor's Center while we are here.

[caption id="attachment_115" align="alignnone" width="300"] Getting ready to transform our Cedar Trunk[/caption]

The fun part is we are working to build them as much as possible out of resources reclaimed from the refuge. I can't wait to show off pictures of the finished products in a couple of weeks. We'll have a tree to display Native Plant cuttings and a Library Table and Book Stand made from Cedar Posts of decades old fence lines that are being removed.

Tuesdays I work in the Visitors Center and get to talk to people from all over the country who are often, experiencing a place like this for the first time.

Tomorrow, Champ and I will go with one of the biologists and plant  Green Sumac saplings in an area that has just undergone a prescribed burn. I am learning so much about how a refuge operates, fire management's role in the success of the species here and all sorts of other things I have never had the opportunity to be a part of.

As the refuge fauna begins to wake up from it's winter rest and birds begin to  migrate from Mexico, everyday is a new experience here.  I am completely taken with all of the different plant species, the very fluid growing season that exists here after 51 years of living in a climate where things grow April to May without much deviation. I marvel at wildflowers waking up in Mid February instead of Mid April

We have some fun projects to look forward to and not only am I looking forward to working on them and leaving my own small mark on this beautiful place after we leave. I  look forward to sharing it with all of you!

Until Next Time...