Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve

Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve is a 227-acre preserve in West Lake Hills, west of Austin, founded in 1974 and regarded as the city’s first nature preserve. Created through a local conservation effort led by seven women from Now or Never, it emerged during planning for the Davenport Ranch project, when negotiations helped set aside more than 100 acres of sensitive Hill Country habitat by shifting development rights to nearby land. Today, jointly operated by Travis County and St. Edward’s University, it includes trails, a visitor center, and research and education programs. It also protects important habitat for endangered birds and other Hill Country wildlife as part of the broader Balcones Canyonlands conservation landscape.

Texas · United States