Developer Donates Cedar Park Cave Preserves To Nonprofit

CEDAR PARK, TX — Feel like a bit of spelunking for the new year? It might just happen, and you won't even have to leave your city.

As reported by the Austin American-Statesman, developer Fox River Austin Properties has donated the Wilcox Cave Preserve to the Texas Cave Management Association, which plans to open it up intermittently throughout the new year.

The donated land includes three small caves, the Statesman noted, including a pair that serve as habitat to an endangered species ground beelt known as Rhadine persephone.

But hold the (perse)phone and slow your roll, would-be spelunkers. The caves are not the stand-up-and-walk-around type of caves but more the squirm-and-crawl-through variety. Which means that only people with the proper equipment and training will be allowed to explore them.

The preserve is located at the end of West Park Street in Cedar Park. For now, the exact location is under wraps to deter curious trespassers and campers from wandering through, officials said. The caves are located in the midst of development at the locale, an official noted.

The property takes its name from Bertha Wilcox, who once owned a house still standing in the area. Talks are under way to use the structure as a headquarters building or rental unit.

Founded in 1986, the Texas Cave Management Association owns nine cave preserves across Central and Southwest Texas, the newspaper reported. Among those are the Avery Ranch Cave in Austin and the Robber Baron Cave in San Antonio.

Would-be cave explorers hoping to gain the expertise to visit the Wilcox Cave Preserve can go to the National Speleological Society website at caves.org. For those wanting to walk inside a Texas Cave Management Association-owned cave, visit the association's website to learn when the Avery Ranch Cave Preserve, 9420 Creek Drive in Northwest Austin, opens for its annual "cave day." The website is at tcmacaves.org.

>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

Photo credit: Peggy Hollin via WikiMedia Commons