Facility shows diverse Hill Country ecology

For nearly 40 years the Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center, renamed in 2013, has shown visitors the ecological diversity of the Texas Hill Country.

Outside of the Warren Skaaren Environmental Learning Center, which opened in 2003, is a mural depicting the changes to the Pedernales River Valley in which the center is nestled.

"The mural shows how the river has eroded the area over the past 250,000 years," said Paul Vickery, education director for the discovery center. "When visitors walk down the trail from the learning center to the grotto area, they can see the different ecosystems."

Vickery said the learning center, named after the screenwriter of such films as "Batman," "Beetlejuice" and "Top Gun," acts as a transition point between the rest of the world and nature.

"The architects had about two to three years to design the building, and they really wanted to make it as nature-friendly as possible," he said.

There is no cell phone reception at the center, and the building operates with solar energy and geothermal heating and cooling, Vickery said. One of the first things visitors notice is a solar calendar on the floor, he said. A small hole in the roof of the building allows light to shine on the display, indicating the current date and time. On the opposite end of the floor is a diagram of the Fibonacci sequence, a series of numbers commonly found in nature.

Those who hike down the concrete and stone steps of the preserve end up in a canyon created by collapsed limestone layers. At the end of the canyon is a spring-fed waterfall tumbling 40 feet into an 18-foot-deep pool.

"I love to take student groups—especially from the city—down here," Vickery said. "There is no way to describe it except by experiencing it. Sometimes [the groups] will just sit in silence and watch."

Getting children into nature

Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center is taking part in a regional movement to reconnect children to the outdoors, according to the nonprofit's website.

The center hopes to accomplish this by informing families and encouraging them to spend more time in nature. It also assists families in starting family nature clubs by providing resources for families and more.

Education Director Paul Vickery said the discovery center hosts a number of school field trips during the school year, averaging two a week.

Public tours

Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center offers public tours every Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting. The guided tours take visitors from a savanna-like climate to a plant-rich oasis. The tours run at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and cost $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 4–12. The tours are capped at 30 people, and the center recommends visitors come early to guarantee a spot.

Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center, 24814 Hamilton Pool Road, Round Mountain, 830-825-3442, www.westcave.org

Administrative office, 603 W. 13th St., Ste. 2D, Austin, 512-276-2257, [email protected]