Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge located in southeast Burnet County near Marble Falls is 28,000 acres of pristine Texas hill country. The refuge hosts an annual Refuge Roundup to introduce people to the wildlife refuge and educate them on its mission. This year’s event will take place Saturday, October 31, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at refuge headquarters. Visitors are welcome to come in costume as this year’s event falls on Halloween.
Refuge Roundup is a family-friendly event where the great outdoors and conservation take center stage. The event and all activities are free. Visitors of any skill level can try their hand at outdoor sports like archery, fishing, and BB gun shooting. Guests can learn a bit about identifying native plants, recognizing animals by their tracks, and naming birds by sight and sound.
Entertainment includes a birds of prey show demonstrating the prowess of native raptors. Get up close and better acquainted with scaled wildlife, a.k.a. snakes, lizards, and such during the reptile show. Young roundup goers will especially enjoy checking out the very large dirt movers and using a fireman’s hose to extinguish a “blaze.”
Visitors will want to come back and explore the refuge. In addition to the short trails at Refuge Headquarters, Balcones Canyonlands has two trailheads, Doeskin Ranch and Warbler Vista, with miles of trails to trek. Refuge trails are open 365 days a year from sunrise to sunset and are always free. The refuge offers regular ranger-guided hikes and other activities which are also free but require registration.
The park, maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was created to protect the nesting habitat of the endangered golden-cheeked warbler and the once endangered black-capped vireo. In doing so it also protects a large number of species of birds, native wildlife, plants, and even water quality in Central Texas — learn more about these at Refuge Roundup.
Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge is free to visit, open to the public, and offers 10 miles of trails. Being a wildlife refuge, however, pets are not allowed in the park. Refuge Roundup will take place at Refuge Headquarters, 24518 FM 1431, Marble Falls.
