USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Texas

Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge

Balcones Canyonlands is a national wildlife refuge located in the Texas Hill Country to the northwest of Lago Vista, Texas. The refuge was formed in 1992 to conserve habitat for two endangered songbirds, the golden-cheeked warbler and the black-capped vireo, and to preserve Texas Hill Country habitat for numerous other wildlife species. The refuge augments a similarly named preserve in Austin called the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge27,626 acresUSFWSTX
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateTexas
Size27,626 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 2
Center point30.5837, -98.0461
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 17)

Boundary map

15 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 6 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge?

27,626 acres, measured from the published boundary polygon. The agency’s own figure can differ where the boundary includes water or inholdings.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge in?

Texas.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 30.584, -98.046. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

How dark is the night sky at Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 17 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge?

6 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Bryson Stage Coach Stop and Roper Hotel.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Description: Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.