Sink Creek

Since 2010, The Trust for Public Land has worked with the City of San Marcos, Texas, to acquire over 400 acres of land to add to the City’s Purgatory Creek Natural Area, now one of the largest urban wilderness parks in the state of Texas. The City has a vision of a perimeter, a “green necklace,” of parks and open spaces, the 102-acre tract known as Sink Creek is a key addition to the City’s vision.

Joining the Purgatory Creek Natural Area and the Spring Lake Preserve, amongst other city-owned open space parks and natural areas, the Sink Creek tract offers hiking, bird watching as well as archeological and educational opportunities.

The Sink Creek property acts as a funnel for surface and storm waters into the aquifer, thus supporting water quality and quantity into Spring Lake and the San Marcos river. Centuries-old oak trees stud the rolling meadows and glades of the tract, while limestone cliffs reveal the underlying geologic strata and ancient history of this rugged landscape. As well, the tract’s natural channeling of storm waters in America’s “flash flood alley” mitigates the potential for disastrous flooding within the city and further downstream.

Funding for this property was provided through the US Forest Service’s Community Forest Program (CFP). The CFP is a competitive grant program administered by the Forest Service which offers a unique opportunity for communities to acquire and conserve forests that provide public access and recreational opportunities, and protect vital water supplies and wildlife habitat. Additional funding for the property was provided by Damath Foundation.