I like jerry parks and rec7/22/2023 ![]() Credit: Brenda Bazán / San Antonio Report Volunteer Nancye Drukker identifies plants on the stream bed of Bessie’s creek, an intermittent stream at the Albert and Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area as part of a baseline survey. With the help of a team of volunteers, Rice and Pugh go out onto the property every few days to collect data, which Pugh then sorts through and organizes. He said he expects the design to be complete and construction to get underway within the next year to 18 months.įor now, Rice and Howell Pugh, the new natural area’s resource specialist, are working to perform biological surveys and water quality testing of the natural area to establish a baseline prior to humans using the site. The contractor will work with the parks department to draw up plans for the natural area’s roads, buildings, wastewater treatment plant and any additional builds, Rice said. ![]() The department has put out a request for proposals for a design contractor and will ideally have one selected by late fall or early winter this year, he said. “That’s a big job, and we are right in the middle of that.” James Rice, superintendent for the Albert and Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area opens a gate to the future park. “Now we have to come up with the design plans, then it’s time to build,” Rice said. Next, an official design is needed before construction can begin, Rice explained. Campsites and backpackingĪ rough footprint of what recreation types the property will include was completed under the natural area’s public use plan last year. That loophole was closed in 2019, making funding for the department more predictable. Prior to 2019, a loophole in state law allowed legislators to use funds from the sporting goods sales tax meant for the state’s parks to go to other uses, meaning the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department operated on an unpredictable budget. One reason has been inconsistent funding for the state’s parks department, which made planning difficult. The process of turning a donated property into a state natural area or state park typically takes years - if not decades, Rice said. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department accepted the donation in 2011, and Rice became the property’s superintendent two years later. ![]() The couple never had children and wanted to make sure their beloved ranch was never developed. ![]() Known for founding the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation, Albert Kronkosky died in 1995 and his wife, Bessie, in 2010. Protecting the property was what Albert and Bessie Kronkosky had in mind when they willed the property, which straddles Bandera and Kendall counties, to the state of Texas. Natural overlooks throughout the property will allow visitors to gaze over miles of untouched Texas Hill Country. The property’s rolling hills also hold the rare sycamore-leaf snowbell, big-toothed maple and Boerne bean, Rice added. Its pristine creeks and streams are extremely sensitive, Rice added. The property is home to several protected species, such as the endangered golden-cheeked warbler and alligator lizard. Like Enchanted Rock and Lost Maples, the number of visitors allowed per day at the Albert and Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area will likely be limited to protect the area from human impact, Rice said.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |