Goat Cave Nature Preserve

Great nature area. Sara our Goat Cave Guide was very knowledgeable about the preserve and the cave, and even showed us some of the areas where you can see cave goats. Apparently the cave goats feed on bats, so when the local bat population was forced out by housing development, the cave goat population fell off. But now that bats are starting to return, you can see cave goats again! Life finds a way.

Great out door park. Can’t bring dogs. Watch the kids as there are cave openings that they can fall into.

Happy to see a bat cave in the area — great mosquito control. I would like to take my dog for a walk thru the park but I guess I understand the dog limitations (since bats top the list for rabies carriers).

As a Certified Naturalist and avid hiker I thought I would elaborate on Catherine’s review of Goat Cave Karst Preserve. Yes it is a home to bats but a Karst Preserve is so much more than that.
With the drought we are having in Austin I thought this would be a fun educational hike for the kiddos (my Sister’s not my furry ones as Dogs Are NOT Allowed).
We started at the Trailhead with an informational kiosk and as we proceeded down the trail I told them how important it was to stay on the trail to not disturb the Flora and Fauna.
«What is Flora and Fauna Aunt Tara»
«Flora are the regional plants and Fauna are the bugs that maintain the ecosystem. In this area Beetle Rhodine and Millipede Speodesmus are protected Fauna that are an important ecology of the Flora of the cave as well as the bats»
«Bats» my Nieces horrified face.
«Bats eat mosquito’s and you hate mosquito’s?»
«Oh, so Bats are good?»
«Lets move on kids»
Goat Cave itself is covered with a metal gate to prevent humans from falling in and to protect the species inside. At the waypoint «Turnaroud» there is a neighborhood rain water retainment basin. Which leads to the explanation of what a Karst is. Karsts in SW Austin are caves that drain into Edwards Aquifer which provides drinking water to Central Texas. «40% of groundwater contributes to our drinking water.» So I explain how important it is to not use poison on our yards or dispose of toxic waste inappropriately as it might end up in drainoff and end up in our drinking water!
My smart Niece «So, I should not wash Cocoa outside using the Flea and Tick control stuff?’
«Yes, but do not put poison on Cocoa anywhere — wash her with the 100% Organic Vegetable Oil Soap I use on Mia. I will get her some.»
Niece «You are so smart Aunt Tara»
Nephew «Dude didn’t you say there was a place I could skateboard near here»
LOL

Since I moved to Austin mosquito’s have been using me as a buffet. Imagine my surprise when I bought a house all of 1.5 miles from my old house and started noticing I was sitting outside with out my Cajun perfume and not being feasted on. I was baffled. First I thought it maybe had something to do with not being on a greenbelt block. I walk my dogs early in the morning at about 6:30 am. Sure enough every morning I see bats all over the neighborhood at that early hour. A welcome site indeed. Looks like the buffet rules have been swapped and those lovely bats are doing the buffeting. Now in the afternoon my dogs get a second walk at what I thought was a little flood plane with a bit of greenbelt on it. Everyday I walk past this fenced area that I thought was some City of Austin thingamajig. Today I walked around the side to read the second sign. It turn out it’s Goat cave, a bat cave that is being protected & restored. There are several in this small preserve. So this is where all the bats are coming from. Let’s just say I LOVE my neighborhood bats and what a pleasant surprise to see that they live just a few blocks away. I’ll sleep better tonight knowing it’s not just a fluke. Those bats are using my backyard likes it’s the all you can eat buffet.