Public Use Areas

Trails: Where to Find Them

Balcones Canyonlands is not a continuous piece of land. It is actually fragmented with only 3000 of its 27,500 acres open to the public.

About the NWRS

National Wildlife Refuge System

The National Wildlife Refuge System, within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, manages a national network of lands and waters set aside to conserve America’s fish, wildlife, and plants.

What's Happening at the Refuge

• Proposed Delisting of the Black-capped Vireo

  In the late 1980s the future for the black-capped vireo looked bleak. Only about 350 birds were known to survive in a few locations. Following the bird’s listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1987, the Service began working with the states of Oklahoma and Texas, the U.S. Army, private landowners and non-governmental organizations to protect and recover the vireo. There are now more than 5,200 known birds and more than 14,000 estimated across their breeding range.

  More about the proposal

• Morning Bird Walks

  

  Come join other birders at the refuge for a guided bird walk, learn about how to identify birds and get expert advice on finding elusive species. Walks held weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

  Morning Bird Walks through February

• Balcones Christmas Bird Count

  December 19, 2016

  This is a free event and welcomes expert and beginner birders.

  Event and registration details

• Internationally Important for Birds

  The refuge has been identified as an internationally Important Bird Area, an official designation indicating its unique importance to birds, specifically the golden-cheeked warbler and black-capped vireo.

  IBA Designation