Res 2006-209 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Once the land is purchased from the Nature Conservancy, the land will be dedicated to park land in perpetuity permanently preserving the many unique natural features of the property. The property does include several ponds and creeks. These waters will be protected in this conservation area. Wetlands exist on the property as well natural areas. These too will be protected through conservation areas. Some areas of the park will only be allowed for visitation through tours to help further protect these very sensitive acres. 8. Describe the impacts on floodplain or wetlands. Creeks and ponds in the park do flood during heavy rainfall events. No motorized vehicles will be allowed along trails. Family picnic areas will be scattered in areas outside of the restricted areas. During construction, measures will be taken to mitigate any damages that might occur from this project being built in the flood plain. After proper notification and posting, a public hearing was held to inform the public of such facts as well as all potential impacts of this project. There were no comments received by the City concerning the construction of this park within the flood plain. 9. Does facility development provide recreational access to a natural body of water? a) Is there other resource recreation, e.g. hiking, wildlife viewing structures, interpretive amenities within a dedicated conservation area? Trails and viewing structures with interpretive amenities are planned for the park, but not in sensitive area. 10. Describe any cultural features. Archeological findings within Hays County indicate the presence of Paleo-Indian people near San Marcos Springs at least 8,000 years ago, thought to be perhaps the oldest inhabited area in North America. The excavations at the Timmeron Site, west of Wimberley, reveal that Tonkawa Indians practiced farming in the area as early as 1200 A. D. Many nomadic hunters pursued deer and other game, foraged for wild nuts and berries, hunted buffalo along the prairies and made general use of this area's abundant natural resources; all the while living in semi-permanent encampments along the County's waterways. This land is not known to be historically significant, however no extensive surveys of the park have been done. It is documented that the Tonkawa and Comanche Indians both had numerous camps up and down the Blanco River. In the late 1840's, Anglo settlers started towns and began ranching and farming operations in the immediate area. In 1848, the Tarbox and Brown Stage Coach Line began regular service between Austin and San Antonio. The Old Stagecoach Road (also known as Post Road) is part of the Old San Antonio Road or the Camino Real, the King's Highway. The blazing of the trail came about as the result of three expeditions in the 1690's. Although generally thought of as a single road, it may be more accurate to describe the Old San Antonio Road as a network of