For The Sake Of Local Life And Culture

Horseshoe Bay Nature Park offers visitors an opportunity to explore the region’s natural heritage

By Sarah Yant

Visitors to Horseshoe Bay Nature Park are welcomed at the entrance by a cedar coyote fence bearing the park’s distinctive logo: a purple Texas thistle nestled in the curve of a horseshoe. It’s a fitting symbol for a place whose existence bridges the past and future and strengthens the ties between thriving ecosystems and thriving communities.

Horseshoe Bay, Texas, population 4,500, is perhaps an unlikely candidate for conservation and climate leadership. Nevertheless, this small lakeshore town west of Austin has a growing reputation for trailblazing stewardship efforts. Despite being in one of the fastest-developing regions in the country, Horseshoe Bay is committed to protecting its green spaces and natural heritage. It is a designated Dark Sky Community, recipient of a Texas Scenic City certification, and is a participant in the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge, which creates a habitat for the monarch butterfly. The nature park, which recently celebrated its first anniversary, builds on this promise as the area’s first, dedicated public space for conservation, climate resilience, and nature education.

The ecologically focused land design + build firm Twistleaf led the design development and construction of the park’s first phase. As a seventh-generation Texan raised on my family’s heritage ranch in northeast Texas, my work has always been informed by both a love of native flora and fauna and an understanding of the unique characteristics that shape the state’s conservation efforts. Over 93 percent of land in Texas is privately owned, a factor that contributes to a lack of public green space and highlights the need for creative ways to support private-land stewardship.

Hands Off The Land

The parkland was once platted for high-density development. Strong community opposition to the original zoning spurred the creation of a volunteer Board of Directors that assembled a team of volunteers and experts to bring the nature park to life. Landowners saw the value of preserving the 11 acres and donated its use to become the Highland Lakes region’s leader, connecting people to native plants, wildlife, and conservation.

The project moved from concept to completion in under two years, relying heavily on volunteers and philanthropy. Grassroots, localized efforts took the lead. Non-profit organizations, including Travis Audubon, the Chimney Swift Conservation Association, the Highland Lakes chapters of the Native Plant Society of Texas, Texas Master Naturalists, and Birding and Wildflower Society participated in the design phase led by an environmental planner.

Photo: Borjavisuals

The team conducted multiple site analyses, including detailed reports and photography of existing vegetation, wildlife, views, soils, optimal trail layout, erosion issues, restoration needs, and potential uses. Eight distinct ecological zones were identified, guiding the placement of park features. Contour swales were strategically placed throughout the prairie restoration areas to prevent erosion, capture rainfall, and enrich soil and plant life. Population analyses of resident- and migratory-bird and pollinator species led to features that enhance and preserve food sources and habitat, such as Chimney Swift towers, nesting boxes, beehives, and a watering station and brush pile.

During the design-development phase, the team prioritized locally sourced, contextually relevant materials, keeping constructed elements to a minimum. The aim was to build infrastructure that exists lightly on the land, supporting wildlife and visitor engagement, while remaining as unobtrusive as possible. Cedar split-rail and coyote fencing evoke traditional features of vernacular Hill Country ranch architecture and the characteristic understory of cedar trees in Texas grasslands. Sandstone, Llano River rock, and granite boulders integrate seamlessly with the park’s native stone. A permeable, decomposed, granite walking trail links the eight ecozones and showcases the park’s biological and geological diversity.

Welcome To Nature

In addition to preserving and enriching the site’s natural heritage, the park also engages visitors with opportunities for nature education, recreation, and wellness. Admission is free. An observation deck highlights scenic views throughout the changing seasons. Birdwatchers frequent the bird blind overlooking a neighboring pond, and an interactive analemmatic sundial built by local Boy Scouts invites visitors to tell the time with their shadows. The main Live Oak Loop trail, an easy half mile with little elevation gain and just two sets of steps, is enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities.

Park visitors are informed by ongoing phases of interpretive signage funded by a grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority, which provide on-site information about the native ecosystem and ways to participate in conservation. Interactive materials on the park’s website (designed by Austin-based advertising and public-relations agency lookthinkmake, in collaboration with Twistleaf) complement in-person visits by offering the history and background of the land, native plants, and wildlife species on the site.

Photo: Borjavisuals

Many of these features, including the logo and branding, website, educational materials, professional photography, observation deck, bird blind, and building materials—among other amenities—were made possible entirely through volunteer hours and in-kind donations. Fundraising and planning for future phases of development, including a natural playscape for children, are underway. 

The project has received Texan by Nature certification in recognition of its conservation efforts benefiting people, prosperity, and natural resources in the state. The team also received a 2023 Texas Excellence in Landscaping Gold Award from the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association for leading design-development and construction.

The nature park is a regional model that is inspiring other groups to spearhead community-led stewardship projects. Visitors come to the park for many reasons, and each visitor is invited into a deeper relationship with the region’s rich, natural heritage. By rescuing a piece of this fragile ecosystem from development, Horseshoe Bay has placed nature right where it belongs, at the center of local life and culture.

Sarah Yant is founder and principal of Twistleaf, an Austin-based land design + build studio.