The Golden-Cheeked Warbler:
Today in the morning we traveled up to Austin to visit with our tour guide Amanda at Reicher Ranch. Reicher Ranch is 839 acres of pristine land just outside of Austin, Texas and sits on 'Lake Austin'. It is part of the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge. The land was once owned by a Catholic Bishop and was purchased by the city of Austin. The primary purpose of this refuge is to protect the nesting habitat of the Golden-Cheeked Warbler and the Black-Capped Vireo. These are two migratory songbirds that are on the endangered species list due to habitat loss from population growth in this part of Texas. Today we meet up with Jim O'Donnell, a biologist for the City of Austin, to teach our group about the Golden-Cheeked Warbler. To start out the day he taught us how they band birds to check mortality rates and to study the habitat that they live in. They have a different color combination for each bird that they band. To band Golden-Cheeked Warblers they use a recorded Golden-Cheeked Warbler "A" song or territorial song. This lures in both male and females birds and they use a net to capture them. Today they just set the net up and we caught and banded two different types of sparrows, just to see how it was done. After banding the two sparrows, we took a tour of the ranch and got to see the habitat that the Golden-Cheeked Warbler lives in. Overall, I know we all learned a lot about how much a couple little birds mean to people and to preserve them. The City of Austin and the people of Austin want the prime land that is Reicher Ranch to build homes on, but as long as other habitat is being taken out this land will help these birds survive extinction for now, at least.
For more information: http://www.fws.gov/refuge/balcones_canyonlands/
Today in the morning we traveled up to Austin to visit with our tour guide Amanda at Reicher Ranch. Reicher Ranch is 839 acres of pristine land just outside of Austin, Texas and sits on 'Lake Austin'. It is part of the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge. The land was once owned by a Catholic Bishop and was purchased by the city of Austin. The primary purpose of this refuge is to protect the nesting habitat of the Golden-Cheeked Warbler and the Black-Capped Vireo. These are two migratory songbirds that are on the endangered species list due to habitat loss from population growth in this part of Texas. Today we meet up with Jim O'Donnell, a biologist for the City of Austin, to teach our group about the Golden-Cheeked Warbler. To start out the day he taught us how they band birds to check mortality rates and to study the habitat that they live in. They have a different color combination for each bird that they band. To band Golden-Cheeked Warblers they use a recorded Golden-Cheeked Warbler "A" song or territorial song. This lures in both male and females birds and they use a net to capture them. Today they just set the net up and we caught and banded two different types of sparrows, just to see how it was done. After banding the two sparrows, we took a tour of the ranch and got to see the habitat that the Golden-Cheeked Warbler lives in. Overall, I know we all learned a lot about how much a couple little birds mean to people and to preserve them. The City of Austin and the people of Austin want the prime land that is Reicher Ranch to build homes on, but as long as other habitat is being taken out this land will help these birds survive extinction for now, at least.
For more information: http://www.fws.gov/refuge/balcones_canyonlands/
Lake Travis:
As one of two major drinking water reservoirs for greater area of the Austin, we traveled with Amanda to Lake Travis to view lake levels. Created in 1937 by the creation of the Mansfield Dam. At 278 feet tall and 7,089 long, Mansfield Dam holds back the waters of the Colorado River creating Lake Travis. Below the dam, the Colorado River flows into the Lake Austin. This lake's level is held constant year round, mainly for recreational purposes, from pumping water out of Lake Travis. The picture below shows Lake Travis at only about 30% of full capacity. Due the continued drought, seeing Lake Travis so low put the severity of the drought into perspective. Due to continued population growth and slow to change water usage patterns, until more rain falls, the problem will continue to worsen. We also witnessed the effects of the low lake levels on tourism. The picture below was taken from the balcony of "The Oasis on Lake Travis." Built in 1982 and reorganized as a multi-use facility in 2005 after lighting caused a major fire, this structure promotes itself as the "Sunset Capital of Texas" due its location on the bluffs over Lake Travis facing west. Recreational users can dock boat below and walk to the area, but due to low lake levels, this is no longer possible. A majority of the space was for rent or unoccupied and the class felt as this area was an example of a modern day ghost town.
For more information: http://laketravis.com/
As one of two major drinking water reservoirs for greater area of the Austin, we traveled with Amanda to Lake Travis to view lake levels. Created in 1937 by the creation of the Mansfield Dam. At 278 feet tall and 7,089 long, Mansfield Dam holds back the waters of the Colorado River creating Lake Travis. Below the dam, the Colorado River flows into the Lake Austin. This lake's level is held constant year round, mainly for recreational purposes, from pumping water out of Lake Travis. The picture below shows Lake Travis at only about 30% of full capacity. Due the continued drought, seeing Lake Travis so low put the severity of the drought into perspective. Due to continued population growth and slow to change water usage patterns, until more rain falls, the problem will continue to worsen. We also witnessed the effects of the low lake levels on tourism. The picture below was taken from the balcony of "The Oasis on Lake Travis." Built in 1982 and reorganized as a multi-use facility in 2005 after lighting caused a major fire, this structure promotes itself as the "Sunset Capital of Texas" due its location on the bluffs over Lake Travis facing west. Recreational users can dock boat below and walk to the area, but due to low lake levels, this is no longer possible. A majority of the space was for rent or unoccupied and the class felt as this area was an example of a modern day ghost town.
For more information: http://laketravis.com/
Amanda and Andrew's House:
After a morning of learning about the Golden Cheek warbler, Amanda invited us to her house for an amazing dinner and a tour of her home. Amanda and her husband Andrew had the dream of designing and building this sustainable home, living off rainwater, using geothermal energy for heating and cooling, solar panels for additional energy supply and creating a beautifully designed interior and exterior. Their achievements were very impressive as they gave us the tour. Their stated their number one goal in building their how as the creation of a rainwater collection system. This system exceeded their expectations and has provided them with an amble amount of water, even throughout the current drought. During the time period, they have exceeded a third of their collected water. Due to the filtering system, they are drinking water free of any potential pollutants. They provided us a generous mean of Gulf of Mexico caught fish and chicken fajitas (cooked over a fire pit), with a vegetable medley, endless other toppings and margaritas! Andrew and Amanda were incredible hosts with an amazing home, that definitely made for a memorable experience on the trip.
After a morning of learning about the Golden Cheek warbler, Amanda invited us to her house for an amazing dinner and a tour of her home. Amanda and her husband Andrew had the dream of designing and building this sustainable home, living off rainwater, using geothermal energy for heating and cooling, solar panels for additional energy supply and creating a beautifully designed interior and exterior. Their achievements were very impressive as they gave us the tour. Their stated their number one goal in building their how as the creation of a rainwater collection system. This system exceeded their expectations and has provided them with an amble amount of water, even throughout the current drought. During the time period, they have exceeded a third of their collected water. Due to the filtering system, they are drinking water free of any potential pollutants. They provided us a generous mean of Gulf of Mexico caught fish and chicken fajitas (cooked over a fire pit), with a vegetable medley, endless other toppings and margaritas! Andrew and Amanda were incredible hosts with an amazing home, that definitely made for a memorable experience on the trip.