Headwaters Native Wildlife & Habitat Celebration

The first annual Headwaters Native Wildlife & Habitat Celebration took place on Sunday, October 8 with nearly 400 members of the public enjoying activities on the grounds of the Brackenridge Villa. The festival at the head of the San Antonio River was a culmination of a week of events recognizing World Animal Day, World Habitat Day, and St. Francis of Assisi’s Feast Day.

 

The week kicked off with Healing the Headwaters, a volunteer day focused on ecological restoration of the Headwaters Sanctuary. Meditative walks, a native plant gardening workshop, and a film about ecotheologian Thomas Berry followed. The feast day of St. Francis was commemorated with a Blessing of the Animals & Prayer for Creation ceremony in the Sanctuary with over 70 companion animals in attendance.

 

The culminating festival had family friendly activities focused on South Central Texas ecosystems. Community partners offered educational booths on native plants, pollinators, reptiles, bats, birds, and more. Information on composting, creating rain gardens, and gardening for wildlife were included to encourage members of the public to bring conservation home. A CPS Energy tree giveaway, live animals, crafts, face painting, and drone tours of the Sanctuary were well-received by the community. A Headwaters raffle was supported by local businesses interested in promoting environmental conservation and Texas Public Radio provided media sponsorship. The goal of the Celebration was to bring people to Headwaters that may not have visited before, and educate them in fun, informal ways about the wonders of the natural world. We succeeded!

 

Special thanks to CCVI, the Village at Incarnate Word, and the University of the Incarnate Word Grounds crews for their support in Celebration logistics. We were assisted by over 50 volunteers in the preparation and execution of this event. We are grateful for our Headwaters Village of Volunteers!

 

There was a small booth where volunteers provided items to sell to support Headwaters. There are still a number of items available for purchase. Email info@headwaters-iw.org if you wish to learn more about these items being sold to support our free educational programming.