The Land and Water Initiative protects water quality and biodiversity of the Upper Cibolo Watershed through stewardship, leadership, education, and research.

Stewardship of the Upper Cibolo Watershed

The Cibolo Creek recharges both the Trinity and Edwards aquifers, the predominant sources of drinking water for the greater San Antonio region and provides other essential ecosystem services.

The Cibolo Center for Conservation has been the steward of the fragile Upper Cibolo Watershed for over 30 years. The Cibolo Creek provides critical aquifer recharge, and the preserved land along the Cibolo watershed encompasses over 850 acres of adjacent land along four miles of the Cibolo Creek. This land has been conserved through the partnership between The Cibolo Center for Conservation, the Cibolo Conservancy, and the generosity and foresight of the Cibolo Preserve and other neighbors and partners.

The goals of the Land and Water Initiative are to:

• Improve water quality and quantity
• Protect and restore working lands
• Preserve and enhance conservation efforts on public and private lands
• Educate future generations about the environment
• Promote policies and practices related to critical environmental issues

Land and Water Initiative Pillars

 LEADERSHIP 

Through civic engagement, we inspire a green vision for our community, supporting the advancement of environmentally protective legislation such as Low Impact Development, and sensitive zoning.

EDUCATION 

Over our 30-year history, we have engaged experts in environmental education and developed regionally relevant programs. Adult education workshops are led by subject-matter experts to promote sustainable conservation practices on private and public lands.

STEWARDSHIP

The 100-acre Cibolo Nature Center, the 60-acre Herff Farm, the neighboring 650-acre Cibolo Preserve, and other adjacent working lands comprise the Cibolo Conservation Corridor that borders the banks of Cibolo Creek. These lands provide a rich landscape to model best practices in land management and to convene people to conduct important ongoing research.

RESEARCH

Trained community scientists conduct weekly research and host two Wildlife Field Research bioblitz weeks each year. These data inform local decision-making and contribute to regional and national databases such as iNaturalist, eBird (administered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology), Monarch Larval Monitoring Program at the University of Minnesota, and the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment.

Our Partners

Our Cibolo Land & Water Initiative is conducted collaboratively with many partners: