Crescent Bend Nature Park is a 190 acre natural setting within the floodplain of the Cibolo Creek.|
It is located at 12805 Schaefer Road just west of the Cibolo Creek low-water-crossing.
The Park is close to Schertz, Cibolo, Universal City and Randolph Air Force Base.
GIS = 29.5502, -98.2315
|Crescent Bend Nature Park boasts the following outdoor features:|
|Outdoor Observation & Appreciation
Wildlife & Native Plants
|8000 Feet of Decomposed Granite Hiking / Walking Trails
2.7 Miles of Asphalt Walking / Biking Surface
|Access for Fishing|
|5 Picnic Tables
1 Picnic Table is ADA Compliant
|2 Adjacent Restrooms
2 Water Fountains
|30 Marked Parking Spaces
4 Parking Spaces are Reserved for the Disabled
|Canoe Launch Site (future)|
|Guided Tours (future)|
|Pavilion(s) for Group Gatherings (future)|
Nature parks differ from the more familiar city parks in that they give their visitors greater opportunities to experience native species. To accomplish this, nature parks strive to return their lands to the form they had before human influences. It is seldom that this pre-human state can be fully attained, but even getting close to the ideal provides many wonderful experiences. So as you take in the pleasures of Crescent Bend Nature Park, you will also notice that there is overgrowth at the grass level, locations where trees have collapsed into piles of decaying wood, and evidence of the pathways that some larger animals use to move through the area.
Park maintenance is much trickier in a nature park than it is in the more common parks. One might expect a nature park to be self-sustaining. However, there are times that fallen trees need to be moved so that walkways and roadways are not blocked. There are also times when some mowing is required so as to serve the roadways, walkways, fire-breaks, and when some plant species begin to dominate (ie. ragweed). New native growth needs to be encouraged while invading species need to be discouraged.
Crescent Bend Nature Park is located in an alluvial fan. Alluvial fans are generally at the base of hills along waterways. Alluvial fans are caused by the settling out of eroded materials from upstream sources following large flooding events. Our alluvial fan begins near the base of the Balcones Escarpment, as the Hill Country transitions into the Texas Blackland Prairie.
Eroded materials characterize our soils. The soil here is an alkaline clay/loam formation of considerable depth. Our soils, along with the annual temperature spread and precipitation, and the depth of the water table, all influence the native plants that grow here. These plants along with the available water, constitute food sources for the plant-eaters of our eco-system. And they, in turn, influence the carnivore species frequenting our region.
Crescent Bend Nature Park is blessed with multiple habitat types. Cibolo Creek provides an aquatic environment that is bordered by a riparian zone. Further inland there is a pecan bottom that transitions into drier woodlands. Toward the north end of the Park is a grass-filled savanna. These different habitats ensure a diversity of plants and animals.
The recent prolonged drought ended the life of many of the sugarberry (hackberry) trees in the area. However a dead tree is the beginning of many new opportunities. Almost all woodpeckers only make their nests in standing dead trees (snags). Many other wildlife species depend on dead wood for food and shelter. Dead and decaying trees on the ground replenish soils by returning important nutrients.
In a nature park, the fine work of agencies like Underwriters Laboratory and the National Safety Council is much less in play. So it is up to visitors to appreciate and prepare for possible threats. Consider the following challenges:
For these and other hazards, remember the 911 & 311 systems, the buddy system, sunscreen, insect repellants, antihistamines, etc.
Crescent Bend Nature Park is managed by the City of Schertz.
If events warrant, call one of the following phone numbers
|Parks & Pools||210-619-1850|
During Texas's warm weather, snakes can be seen in the area.|
All snakes serve a beneficial role.
Shown below are the four venomous snakes commonly found in the U.S.
Cottonmouth Water Moccasin
Acquisition of the Crescent Bend Nature Park site
was accomplished through FEMA's
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
As such, it becomes Federally-regulated Open Space.
By law, this protection is to be maintained forever.
A short list of the applicable documents
is shown on the right.
Regulations and Guidelines:
Executive Order 11988
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Desk Reference
Acquisition Handbook for Local Communities
44 CFR 206.434
Structures that could aggravate flood water
levels, storage or movement (walled
buildings, fences, etc.) are forbidden.
Being a public park, special effort should be made to
preserve the natural beauty of the countryside,
the wildlife and waterfowl refuges.
|vehicles traveling faster than 15MPH||Posted Sign|
|motorized vehicles traveling off of the paved road surfaces||Posted Sign|
|public use of the park between dusk and dawn|
Interlocal Cooperation Agreement
|not cleaning up after your animal||Schertz Ordinance 95-H-1|
Schertz Ordinance 85-H-16
Interlocal Cooperation Agreement
|illegal activities as per city, county or state laws||Interlocal Cooperation Agreement|
|off-road motorized vehicles|
|sport courts and fields|
|organized sporting events|
|hunting, firearms & fireworks|
|sale of alcoholic beverages|
|rope swings tied to trees|
|camping without permit|
|ground fires without permit|
|horseback riding without permit|
|motor vehicles in creek bed||
Senate Bill 155
SB 155 Analysis
This is the agreement between Bexar County and the City of Schertz for this Park. It includes
assurances for the Park's future by establishing adequate funding and on-site law enforcement.
Mowing policies within the Park are affected by the:
This statute makes it unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill or sell birds listed|
therein ("migratory birds"). The statute does not discriminate between live or dead birds
and also grants full protection to any bird parts including feathers, eggs and nests.
Regarding mowing policies, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act applies to those birds|
in our area that nest at or near the ground level. The parents, eggs and young
associated with these nests could be devastated by mowing operations.
Ground-birds generally select their nesting sites in areas where the vegetative|
cover is at least 12 inches above the surface. Beginning in March, if the
vegetation within any area of the Park grows above the 12 inch height, then
mowing must be suspended in that area until October of that same year.
The following ground-birds can be expected to be nesting within
Crescent Bend Nature Park between March and September:
Without a lot of legal jargon, this site will strive to do no harm, but if a
failing does occur, we expect to be held harmless.
Please help us to assure that the information is accurate, and not excessively sensitive.
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