The Total Eclipse will occur in the early afternoon on Monday, April 8, 2024. Since we are in the path of totality, we are expecting large crowds. Here are a few tips so you can make the most of your visit.
Feb. 5 at 9 a.m. Registration Opens for Spring Season of Children’s Vegetable Garden
2024 PHPC Calendar
Rare Plants donated to Butterfly Learning Garden
The John Fairey Garden made a generous donation of numerous species to the Butterfly Learning Center. Project Manager Nicki Apostolow picked up and delivered the donation to the BLC gardens where volunteers helped install the new additions.
"Wildlife Crossings Road Trip" Highlights Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge as Model Wildlife Crossing
Beth Pratt, of the National Wildlife Federation, poses with Park Founder Phil Hardberger and a cut out of P-22, the famous mountain lion that heped raise awareness about the need for more wildife crossings.
On September 19, 2023, the "Wildlife Crossings Road Trip" team stopped at Phil Hardberger Park to see the Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge and to meet Phil Hardberger, Park Founder and former Mayor of San Antonio.
The road trip, which began at the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in Los Angeles, includes stops at nine animal crossings across the country to bring awareness to the need for such crossings.
It is a collaborative effort between the National Wildlife Federation's #SaveLACougars Campaign, Big Cat Voices, ARC Solutions, and The Wildlife Crossing Fund. The team includes Beth Pratt, Regional Executive Director, California of the National Wildlife Federation; Steve Winter, a wildlife photojournalist with over two decades of experience at National Geographic Magazine; Sharon Guynup, an award-winning journalist, photographer, producer, and presenter; and Renee Callahan and Marta Brocki of ARC Solutions (Animal Road Crossing), a multidisciplinary not-for-profit partnership dedicated to ensuring the construction of wildlife crossings where needed.
After the Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge tour, Pratt shared her enthusiasm on Facebook, stating, "Mind. Officially. Blown." She referred to the Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge as the "sister wildlife crossing" to the Wallis Annenberg crossing.
"We have been monitoring your project since its inception, even before ground was broken because it is a remarkable example of an urban wildlife crossing," Pratt said in one of her social media videos. "I'm genuinely awestruck. Our mission extends beyond simply advocating for more crossings like this across the nation; we are also here to gain knowledge. We employed a similar approach with the Wallis Annenberg crossing, such as installing native landscaping on top."
“The Land Bridge has been part of the plans of the park since the get-go,” said Phil Hardberger, Park Founder and former Mayor of San Antonio. ”When the parkland came open for sale, Wurzbach Parkway was already under construction to run through it.”
The Land Bridge was designed to serve both people and wildlife from the beginning. About two-thirds of the width of the Land Bridge is reserved for the animals.
“This is a major urban center, and you preserved nature in the middle of the city,” Pratt said in an interview with Phil Hardberger.
“And it's working,” replied Hardberger. “All the mammal species known in the park have been photographed on the Land Bridge. Now, people are coming from all over the place just to see it.”
Connecting Habitats and Building Safe Wildlife Crossings
The visit by the "Wildlife Crossings Road Trip" team to the Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge underscores the vital importance of connecting habitats and constructing safe wildlife crossings. Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy recognizes that such initiatives are essential to preserving our natural ecosystems, protecting wildlife, and fostering harmony between urban environments and nature.
San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the United States, with a population of more than two million. Phil Hardberger Park is central to the population core. The Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge exemplifies the positive impact that well-designed wildlife crossings can have on our environment and communities.
Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy supports initiatives that promote biodiversity, sustainability, and conservation of our natural world. The visit from the "Wildlife Crossings Road Trip" team serves as a testament to the Conservancy's dedication to supporting these ideals. After their visit, the Conservancy is thankful to become more connected to other U.S. wildlife crossings through our united yet individual efforts to reconnect wildlife habitats through thoughtful design.
“People and animals are both God’s creatures,” said Hardberger. “By fostering connections between habitats and prioritizing the safety of wildlife to prevent collisions between animals and cars, we not only enrich our urban landscapes but our own lives.”
Aug. 1 at 9 a.m. Registration Opens for Fall Season of Children’s Vegetable Garden
New Aerial Images of the Land Bridge!
Vote for PHP Conservancy to win $51,000 to your park!
The Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy can win $51,000 through the Ancira Gives Back contest. Vote for us to win $51,000!! Voting starts today and ends June 8. You can vote once a day, EVERY DAY.
Vote here: anciragivesback.com
Conservation in the Park
Place Spotlight: Oak Loop Trail
By Wendy Drezek, Master Naturalist
The Oak Loop Trail (OLT) has been part of the park since before the park opened. The trail, accessed from the restored Savanna, is a .84-mile unpaved loop under a dense oak canopy. It is a prime example of an Oak/Ashe Juniper ecosystem.
OLT is filled with life. Along the trail, you can see a variety of shrubs and canopy trees, including Texas Persimmon, Kidneywood, Eve’s Necklace, Gum Bumelia, White Brush, Honey Mesquite, and Condalia.
Year-round Tasajillo, Agarita, Twist Leaf Yucca, Prickly Pear Cactus, and Thread Leaf Yucca can be observed. Perennial flowering plants include False Gromwell, Twin Leaf and Lindheimer’s Sennas, Velvet, and Indian Mallows, Frostweed, Prairie Verbena, and Golden-eyed Phlox.
Ever changing with the seasons and weather, you never know what you might find. I have seen wild turkeys, armadillos, squirrels, and a variety of arthropods, reptiles, and birds. If you walk the trail early or late, you’ll also catch a glimpse of deer and rabbits.
OLT Walks
Before opening the park, I was part of a Sierra Club group developing user-friendly wellness walks for people not used to exercising. OLT is a perfect trail for people who don’t see themselves as fit for hiking, and the dense tree canopy provides shade from the sweltering summer heat.
These walks became so successful that in 2012, they became an official fourth Saturday Master Naturalist, Alamo Area Chapter, event series co-sponsored by the Sierra Club, Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy, and San Antonio Parks and Recreation. (Read more about that program here.)
For over a decade now, the Oak Loop Trail has helped hundreds discover nature and their abilities to get out into the park and learn.
Explore the trail with us on these fourth Saturday walks. Learn about rocks, the relationship between soil and plants, sunrise birds, trees and wildflowers, family-friendly insect collecting, landscaping with native plants, writing poetry in nature, how plants adapt for heat and drought, grasses and wildlife. Or watch a recording of some of these programs by clicking the topic below. There’s something for everybody!