National Trails Hike at Ringtail Ridge

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Saturday, June 6th, was National Trails Day. San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance marked the event with two hikes in the morning. The hike at Ringtail Ridge off Ranch Road 12 was led by Tom Watson, biologist and past president of the Hays County chapter of Master Naturalists. Tom led a group of 8 adults and pointed out various plants, both beneficial and invasive. Since the property was previously used to raise cattle and was then occupied by a meat packing business, it is covered in prickly pear cactus, bermuda grasses, and mesquite. The natural wildflowers are beginning to seed and birds of all species can be found among the cactus, chinaberry, oaks, elms, and sugarberry trees.

The hike lasted 2 hours and covered both the half-mile improved trail and the first of 2 miles of single-track mountain biking and hiking trail. The diversity of both the plants and animals found in the 45-acre property led to a variety of questions and an educational experience about the land that is an important ingredient to the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone.