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Parks report: Blue Hole earns Travelers’ Choice award; bat monitoring finds multiple species; $750,000 grant submitted for nature center
Summary
Parks Director Richard Shaver reported Blue Hole Regional Park earned a Travelers’ Choice Award, summer programs saw attendance increases, citizen science recorded possible sightings of multiple bat species at Patsy Glen Refuge, and staff submitted a $750,000 Texas Parks and Wildlife grant for a Blue Hole Nature Center.
WIMBERLEY, Texas — Parks Director Richard Shaver told the Wimberley City Council on Sept. 8 that Blue Hole Regional Park has been recognized with a Travelers’ Choice Award, marking it among the top 10% of attractions on TripAdvisor, and that swim operations and summer camps produced higher attendance and revenue than last year.
Shaver highlighted program growth — Blue Hole Nature Camp and Wimberley Summer Camp attendance rose about 18% year over year and multiple weeks had wait lists — and said the community center saw increased weekday bookings and launched a popular tabletop gaming program.
Ecology and grants: Shaver reported a citizen‑science partnership with the Acoustic Bat Monitoring Program produced 92 audio recordings in June and July; technicians identified possible presence of eight bat species at Patsy Glen Refuge, with six species listed as species of greatest conservation need. “These findings support the ecological value of Patsy Glen,” Shaver said. He also noted an existing free‑tailed bat colony under the Rancho 12 bridge.
Grant activity and capital planning: staff submitted a $750,000 non‑urban outdoor grant application to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on Aug. 1 for a Blue Hole Nature Center. Shaver said public outreach and an online survey will begin as the city enters a discovery phase for the project.
Operations: Shaver said a major leak at the community center was repaired quickly with minimal service disruption. He told the council the department expects to present an annual fiscal report in November.
Why it matters: The awards, ecological findings and grant application position the parks department to pursue conservation, education and tourism objectives and to plan capital improvements.
