A new website has been launched to provide information about one of Boerne’s treasures – the 653- acre Cibolo Preserve.

The property sits adjacent to the Cibolo Center for Conservation and is a separate entity.

“To many Boerne residents, the property is somewhat of a curiosity as few know what lies beyond the expansive footprint’s perimeter fencing,” said Leslie Komet Ausburn of Komet Marketing Communications, the firm that handles publicity for the preserve. “Now, an exciting new website will provide fascinating insight into important nature-based research projects taking place on what is known as the Cibolo Preserve.”

The website address is www.cibolopreserve.org.

In 2008, Boerne environmentalist Bill Lende Jr. established the Cibolo Preserve as a private operating foundation to protect and preserve his ranch land and the portion of Cibolo Creek flowing through it. His vision for the preserve was for it to serve as an outdoor laboratory for research projects that explore environmental impacts on areas such as water flow, water quality, aquifer recharge, wildlife populations and migration and native plant life.

Since Lende’s death in 2016, a board of trustees has been entrusted to ensure the work continues through collaborations with the University of Texas at San Antonio, Cibolo Center for Conservation, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, U.S. Geological Survey and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

To prevent human impact from altering research outcomes, the Cibolo Preserve is closed to the general public. However, the organization’s new website now offers the community a chance to learn more about this natural habitat and Cibolo Creek watershed. The website allows visitors to learn how human impact is altering the nature and the Texas Hill Country and how awareness can drive change.

“We are honored to oversee the Cibolo Preserve and all the natural watershed and environmental benefits it adds to this region,” said Candace Andrews, board chairman of the Cibolo Preserve. “We are committed to protecting the preserve’s natural setting and raising environmental awareness in the community.”

In addition to its research efforts, the Cibolo Preserve also supports an annual Lende Lecture series in collaboration with the Cibolo Nature Center and recently presented The Native Plant Society of Texas with a five-year, $50,000 grant to support continued efforts to grow Boerne’s Bigtooth Maple population.

To learn more, visit the website at cibolopreserve.org.