Tag: field trips

Posted on

Field Trip: Jim Rodgers Hiking Trail, May 29, 2022 at 6:00PM

** ARCHIVED POST – LINKS AND IMAGES MAY NOT WORK**

Where: Jim Rodgers Hiking Trail in Southwest Williamson County Regional Park  in Leander.  (Google map)
When: Sunday, May 29, 2022 at 6:00PM

Join us for a leisurely walk along this relatively flat, mulched, 1.7-mile trail and see some of our chapter’s interpretive plant signs. (Read the related blog post here.) Habitat includes oak/cedar/mesquite woods and grass fields. Restrooms available.  All ages welcome!  Our field trips are free and open to the public.

Directions to the park and where to meet: From IH-35, take Exit 256 (RM 1431, University Blvd), go west on RM 1431 for about four miles, and then turn right and go north on CR 175 for about one mile. At the next traffic light, the park entrance will be on the right. Meet at the gravel parking lot on the left just past the traffic circle (next to the disc golf course).

** ARCHIVED POST – LINKS AND IMAGES MAY NOT WORK**

Posted on

New Plant Signs at Jim Rodgers Hiking Trail

** ARCHIVED POST – LINKS AND IMAGES MAY NOT WORK**

— by Kathy McCormack

The Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) Williamson County chapter recently worked with the Williamson County Parks & Recreation Department to install nine new interpretive plant signs along the eastern half of the Jim Rodgers Hiking Trail in Southwest Williamson County Regional Park. Six signs were previously installed along the western half of the trail. Maps for these signs can be found at the bottom of our chapter’s Interpretive Plant Signs webpage.

There is ample parking for this relatively flat, mulched, 1.7-mile trail (plus an additional 0.5-mile walk along the park road back to your vehicle). You can check out the new signs any time on your own, or join us on May 29, 2022 at 6:00pm for an evening field trip on this trail. (See this field trip announcement.)

sign identifying a native plant
Honey Mesquite, Prosopis glandulosa. Photo by Nancy Pumphrey.

** ARCHIVED POST – LINKS AND IMAGES MAY NOT WORK**

Posted on

Field Trip: Native American Seed, Saturday, April 23, 2022

** ARCHIVED POST – LINKS AND IMAGES MAY NOT WORK**

— by Kathy Galloway

  • What: Tour of Native American Seed
  • When:  Saturday, April 23, 2022, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM
  • Where:  Junction, Texas (directions below)
  • Field trip is open to the public. Sign up instructions are below.

ARRIVE at 10:00AM
We will be touring Native American Seed’s facilities located outside Junction, TX. It has been operated by the Nieman family in Junction since 1995 and they grow only seed native to the Texas/Oklahoma/Louisiana region. They have graciously invited us to visit their operation.

You will need to make your own arrangements for carpooling due to Covid-19. Bring a water bottle, hat/sunscreen, hiking shoes.

Please register online at this link. We need your name, cell phone number, email (so we can keep you informed about the trip) and if eating lunch or not, so we can make lunch reservations.

Lunch:  Lum’s BBQ, 2031 Main, Junction

Native American Seed is 137 Miles from Georgetown, TX and takes about 2 ½ hours. Go west on US 29 to US 377 just west of Mason, then follow the directions shown below from London, Texas.

Directions from London, Texas
Traveling south on Hwy 377, Native American Seed farm is approximately 13 miles (from London towards Junction) on the left-hand side. They have three entrances from Hwy 377. We will use the third entrance.

The best landmarks to look for are the county roads.  All three entrances are after CR 312 and before CR 311 on the south (left) side of the road. After you pass CR 312 start slowing down and after you round the bend look for a white fence with sign on right. The next three caliche driveways on the left will be ours. See below for descriptions of the entrances. Use Entrance 3. We will meet at Hacienda Maria, restrooms available.

  • Entrance 1 (Offices / Seed Barn) – orange mailbox. Wide open, no gate, small, faded sign under mesquite tree says River Run Ranch, The Neiman’s. Continue…
  • Entrance2 (Cool River Cabin) – open gate surrounded by a cedar stick fence.  “CRC” and “3791” are lettered on white reflector posts near the gate. Continue…
  • Entrance 3 (Hacienda Maria) – entrance has Spanish style stucco arches directly across from CR 311. Turn left through the entry and follow the  gravel road about ¼ mile. Take first left into visitor parking. Walk trail up to Hacienda.

** ARCHIVED POST – LINKS AND IMAGES MAY NOT WORK**