Barely a mile from the high-rises of downtown Austin lies an urban oasis: the 1,000-acre Barton Creek Greenbelt. This natural sanctuary features spring-fed swimming holes, over 12 miles of rugged hiking and mountain-biking trails, limestone rock-climbing, and bouldering.

At the end of the greenbelt is the Barton Spring Pool, the most iconic natural swimming pool in Texas. Each year, over 1.5 million people visit the pool, which is fed by four freshwater springs.

Since 1990, the area around Barton Creek has experienced intense commercial and residential development. Between 1992 and 1999, Trust for Public Land purchased nearly 1,000 acres of land in the Barton Creek watershed, transforming a thin stretch of public creek way into one of Austin’s most well-loved greenspaces.

The greenbelt protects the water quality of the Edwards Aquifer and habitat for four endangered species, including the Barton Springs salamander only found in this area.

“The Barton Creek Greenbelt is not only a beautiful and unique piece of property, but it’s also part of a watershed critical to the long-term health of our community and our economy,” said Laura Sykes, project manager for TPL. Conservation efforts like this aren’t possible without the strong, collaborative partnerships we’ve formed with private landowners, public agencies like Austin Park and Recreation Department, and companies like 3M who were all committed to making today’s donation a reality for Austin.”