YNN's Drew Moses shows us the landmarks that make Central Texas unique, uncovering the stories behind them Tuesday's on
.
Local Wonders: The Blair Woods Sanctuary
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
At first glance, the
Blair Woods Sanctuary appears as undeveloped tract of land, but it’s much more.
The 10-acre urban habitat sanctuary in East Austin is a haven for native wildlife.
“I would say we have about 80 species of birds that we’ve observed on the property so far and we have about 140-150 plant species out here,” Terri Siegenthaler, Co-Chair of the Sanctuary Committee, Travis Audubon Society, said. “We need to have wild places within our urban areas so that we have wildlife refuges because they need space.”
It’s also a center for educating young minds.
“We start over at Norman Elementary and we teach the botany, zoology, cartography, water quality. Then the following week or two, we bring them to Blair Woods. They’re here about five and a half hours and they actually have to play the role of botanist, zoologist, etc.,” Nancy Manning, executive director of Travis Audubon Society, said.
Volunteers with the Travis Audubon Society have spent years restoring the Blair Woods Sanctuary. Learn more about its history in the video above.
To learn more about volunteer or educational opportunities call (512) 300-BIRD.