Letters to the Editor
The Cypress Creek Nature Trail and Preserve is a 7.2 acre tract of property along Cypress Creek located less than 100 yards from the Square in Downtown Wimberley. The park property was acquired in 2001 by the City and features a playscape, pavilion, public restroom and walking trail along Cypress Creek. It was Wimberley’s first parkland/ preserve!
The park was controversial at that time due to concerns from private property owners across the creek regarding public access to the creek. So, after petitions and meetings, a compromise was reached. A strict Conservation Easement was placed on this piece of property that specified how the city would protect this highly pristine remnant tract of land. Wimberley Valley Watershed Association was given authority for the Conservation Easement for this property and still holds it to this day.
In 2005 the City acquired a 126-acre tract of land now known as Blue Hole Regional Park. Blue Hole Park and the Cypress Creek Nature Trail & Preserve property connect at an old stone wall at the NE edge of the Preserve. For at least a half a century, there was a trail that traversed along Cypress Creek through the Preserve property to the Blue Hole. Walking through the preserve to Blue Hole property is an invaluable lesson in biodiversity and a picturesque display of the natural beauty that makes Wimberley such a special place.
One of the ongoing complaints from land owners living across Cypress Creek over the years has been that people were entering Cypress Creek illegally from the Preserve. As a longtime Parks Board Member, I know the city implemented the reservation system at Blue Hole to address the main impetus for this complaint (overflow from BH when swimming was at capacity). The reservation system change, along with regular Park staff patrol of the trail in the summer and the addition of temporary signage, solved the issue. Very few, if any, incidents have been reported in the last few years.
However, in June of 2017, a private property owner from across the creek placed an unauthorized sign at the north end of the trail essentially stating the entrance to the preserve between Blue Hole and the Cypress Creek Nature Trail was closed. Due to public outcry, after a month, this sign was removed. The trail re-opened and the parks board began talks with the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association in order to attempt to further address the concerns that prompted the rogue signage.
I was a part of a committee that was formed out of this effort, consisting of adjacent property owners (calling themselves the preservers), 2 members of the parks board, WVWA facilitator, master naturalists, parks director and public works director. This group met on several occasions to come up with a plan that would be best for our community, best for the preserve, and address adjacent property owner concerns. We met on the following dates: 6/29/17,8/8/17, 9/25/17, 10/3/17,1/29/18, 2/8/18, 3/9/18 and 6/19/18.
Taking great efforts to balance a wide range of interests, the group ultimately decided that the main Cypress Creek trail would be rerouted to follow along the bluff (away from the creek) and into Blue Hole Park near the emergency exit of the Preserve (off Old Kyle Rd). This compromise 1) ensured public access to the expanse of their preserve,
2) preserved connectivity between the two parks and downtown, and further addressed private property owners concern about the public accessing the creek across from their properties. An Eagle Scout trail project was proposed to connect the Blue Hole Park to the Preserve. Representatives from the WVWA attended the 6/21/18 City Council meeting in support of the new trail and council approved it. The Eagle Scout trail was constructed and completed in December 2018. The master naturalist group completed the Preserve section of the trail in January under the guidance of WVWA and the parks director. The park’s board toured the new trail last week before addressing the issue on their meeting agenda.
Unfortunately on Thursday morning a few people associated with the preserver group took it upon themselves to close the original trail that follows along the creek. This time, unauthorized signage was accompanied by rock walls, various tree trunks and limbs, and other flood debris that served to blockade the entirety of the trail along the creek bank. This action, as well as the manner in which it was done, was expressly against the recommendations of the WVWA. There was no prior approval or direction from the parks board, city administrator, WVWA or parks director let alone from the public at large.
When community leaders and citizen groups work to find common ground and establish compromises among disparate interests, each party must honor those collective decisions. There are important reasons why the public should maintain access to their pristine nature preserve for education and recreation. There are also ways that we must protect the preserve’s delicate ecosystem and respect neighbors. However, it is counterproductive to use a sledgehammer approach to accomplish some goals when a scalpel is what is needed to address them all. There are responsible ways to funnel pedestrians to the newly established main trail while still allowing public access to the trail along Cypress Creek and this issue should be planned with input from all interested parties, should be discussed in public meetings, and the public at large should have numerous opportunities for input.
As a master naturalist I have volunteered for 8 years giving tours to biology students at the preserve. It is a prime example of a healthy riparian ecosystem and demonstrates how flood debris benefits the environment. The section of trail that was recently closed is a vital area for our instruction and the conservation easement clearly states, “the right to maintain the Property as a nature preserve and to permit visitors to traverse the Property for educational purposes and for aesthetic appreciation of nature…”
We are surrounded by the magic of the natural world in Wimberley. Let’s honor our commitments in our efforts to work together to protect our community’s shared natural spaces. Parkland is a public gift that improves the wellbeing of residents and visitors alike. Let’s embrace these gifts and give thanks.
Christine Byrne