None The Nature Conservancy in Texas Press Releases Search All Press Releases Niki F. McDaniel Senior Media Relations Manager, nmcdaniel@tnc.org, 210-224-8774, ext. 217

Nature Conservancy offers day hiking January 20

FORT DAVIS — January 9, 2007 — The Nature Conservancy’s Davis Mountains Preserve will be open for day hiking Saturday, Jan. 20, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The 32,000-acre Davis Mountains Preserve is a “sky island” ecosystem, providing a home to animals and plants, some of which live nowhere else on Earth. Mount Livermore, a regional landmark, is on the preserve, as well as a spectacular portion of Madera Canyon.

Numerous trails are available for self-guided hiking. Visitors also may join long-time preserve volunteer Pam Gaddis for a leisurely stroll up Elbow Canyon, leaving the McIvor Conservation Center at 9:30 a.m.
 On arrival, participants are asked to sign in at the McIvor Conservation Center, where trail maps and other information about the preserve is available. No pets are allowed on the preserve.

To get to the preserve from Fort Davis, take Highway 118 North past the Davis Mountains State Park and McDonald Observatory. About 10 miles beyond the observatory, the Lawrence E. Wood Roadside Park will be on the left. Just beyond the picnic area, turn left into the Davis Mountains Preserve gate, where there is a small Nature Conservancy sign. Once you enter the preserve, the McIvor Conservation Center is on the left.

Call Diane South at (432) 426-2390, ext. 1, or e-mail dsouth@tnc.org, by Jan. 18 for more information.

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The Nature Conservancy is an international, non-profit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its nearly 1 million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped protect more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. In the Lone Star State, The Nature Conservancy of Texas owns 34 nature preserves and conservation projects and manages another 61 projects through voluntary land-preservation agreements with landowners, The Nature Conservancy of Texas protects 250,000 acres of wild lands and, with partners, has conserved close to a million acres for wildlife habitat across the state. Visit The Nature Conservancy of Texas on the Web at nature.org/texas.