Friends of Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge

06/19/2026

🌿 BECOME A GUIDED HIKE LEADER
Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge

Do you love hiking, wildlife, and sharing nature with others?

Join our team of volunteer Guided Hike Leaders and help connect visitors with the incredible landscapes, wildlife, and conservation stories of Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge.

As a Guided Hike Leader, you will:

✔ Lead visitors on guided hikes through beautiful Refuge lands
✔ Share information about local wildlife, plants, geology, and conservation
✔ Help visitors experience areas of the Refuge not normally open to the public
✔ Inspire the next generation of conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts

What We're Looking For:

• Enthusiasm for nature and conservation
• Comfortable speaking with groups outdoors
• Ability to hike varying terrain and distances
• Commitment to volunteer service and public education

Training Provided

Selected applicants will participate in our annual Guided Hike Leader Training Program and learn about:
• Refuge history and mission
• Local flora and fauna
• Interpretation and public engagement skills
• Hiking safety and leadership techniques

Make a Difference

Our Guided Hike Program offers visitors unforgettable experiences while helping support the Refuge's conservation mission. Guided Hike Leaders play a vital role in connecting people with the natural world and protecting these special places for future generations.

Apply Today!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyQ2-NMwlkVKDH9Az9Sia3Qc5mdv5hvpZtN2U6RW9A7owETQ/viewform

Questions?
Stephanie Jones
Volunteer Coordinator
[email protected]

06/19/2026

Every time it rains in the Texas Hill Country west of Austin, some of that water disappears into holes in the limestone and begins a journey underground that will end, weeks or months later, as drinking water coming out of a tap in San Antonio or Austin or San Marcos. Most people have no idea this is happening beneath their feet. 💧🪨

The Edwards Aquifer is the primary drinking water source for over two million people in Central Texas, supplying San Antonio, Austin, San Marcos, New Braunfels, and dozens of smaller communities with groundwater that originates as rainfall on the Edwards Plateau to the west and northwest. The recharge process happens through a specific geological mechanism: the Edwards limestone that forms the plateau is riddled with natural solution holes, fractures, and conduits created by millions of years of slightly acidic rainwater dissolving the calcium carbonate rock. When it rains on the recharge zone, surface water flows into these openings and descends rapidly through the karst system into the pressurized aquifer below, where it joins a vast underground reservoir that has been filling and cycling for hundreds of thousands of years.

The vulnerability of this system is as significant as its productivity. Because the recharge happens through open solution holes in the surface limestone, anything that gets into that surface water gets into the aquifer with relatively little filtration. Development on the recharge zone, agricultural runoff, leaking fuel storage tanks, and improperly managed wastewater all represent direct threats to the water supply of millions of people. The fight over development restrictions on the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone has been one of the most sustained and consequential environmental and political battles in Texas history, involving competing interests of property owners, municipalities, environmental advocates, and farmers that have been in open conflict since the 1970s and show no signs of resolution. The water that disappears into those limestone holes is not just a natural wonder. It is the most politically contested resource in Central Texas.

Did you know the Hill Country limestone recharges the aquifer that supplies drinking water to two million Texans? Drop a comment and follow for more hidden Texas infrastructure stories. 👇

06/19/2026

We're excited to hear from Anna Kurtin on Coexisting with Charismatic Minifauna at this year's event. Anna is an Urban Wildlife Biologist withthe Texas Parks and Wildlife in San Antonio. She grew up hiking, biking and exploring the great outdoors! Much of her work has been focused on rare and threatened species. She is passionate about sharing knowledge and tools to protect nature with local communities.

Get your ticket at: https://txmn.org/goodwater/from-balconies-to-backyards-2026/

06/18/2026

Notice: Saturday June 27. Doeskin closed for a special event.

📢 NOTICE: TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF DOESKIN RANCH
Doeskin Ranch will be closed to the public on Saturday, June 27, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. due to a fully registered special event.
We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding as we host this program. Doeskin will reopen to visitors at 12:30 p.m.
Thank you for your support of Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge!

06/12/2026

The National Wildlife Refuge Association applauds House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman and Ranking Member Jared Huffman for introducing H.R. 9250, the Great American Outdoors Act 250 , bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Le gacy Restoration Fund and contin

06/12/2026

06/12/2026

(224/250) The common whitetail is a widespread dragonfly found near waters across much of the U.S. Males have chalky white abdomens and broad black wings. Females are patterned in brown and gold with subtle wing markings.

Watch for these stocky dragonflies hunting mosquitoes, flies and other small insects midair while patrolling territories near water.

Photo: Peter Pearsall/USFWS