Colorado Bend State Park Kevin Ferguson, Resource Manager at Colorado Bend State Park since 2007 will speak to the San Saba Bird & Nature Club regular meeting, Tuesday, March 20 at 7pm at the San Saba Civic Center. Kevin will talk about CBSP trails, birding, and general recreational opportunities. Kevin is an Environmental Geographer from Texas State University, San Marcos, specializing in River Basin Management and Geomorphology.Colorado Bend State Park is a 5,328.3-acre Texas state park of the Hill Country region. It was purchased in 1984 and opened to public in 1987. It is representative of the karst features typically seen in the Hill Country, with many sinkholes, caves, and springs.Birders can enjoy viewing some of 155 species of birds found in the park, including specialties such as golden-cheeked warblers, black-capped vireos, and bald eagles. Gorman Falls is an impressive, 60-foot-high waterfall located on the western bank of the Colorado River on the northern end of the park. The Gorman Falls Area includes a portion of Gorman Creek and Gorman Spring which feeds Gorman Falls. The falls’ travertine formations and associated lush vegetation are very scenic. Small travertine dams have formed quiet pools of clear water which support a variety of aquatic communities including one of the purest strains of our state fish, the Guadalupe Bass. The formations and habitat are very fragile so no swimming, wading, climbing or fishing is allowed on/in Gorman Falls, Creek, or Spring. Spicewood Springs Creek flows through a deep canyon on the southern end of the park providing spring fed swimming holes and small waterfall along its course.The park currently offers the outdoor enthusiast access to primitive camping, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, swimming, paddling, birding and wildlife viewing, and guided tours of caves and waterfalls. The park has 26 miles of multi-use trails (hiking and mountain biking) and 4 miles of trail designated as hiking only. When river levels are normal (call for current conditions) paddlers can travel upstream as well as down to explore or access the park by river. When Lake Buchanan is near normal levels, the river is navigable from the park’s boat ramp all the way to the lake, approximately 10 miles. In this area the river is characterized by slow moving water through the beautiful canyon lands of the Colorado, hazards include frequent low water levels and seasonal flood debris.The San Saba Bird & Nature Club will host a bird walk at Colorado Bend State Park on Tuesday March 27, 2012, to lend support to TOS (Texas Ornithological Society) and our state parks. We will limit participants to no more than 15. Details to follow. Please RSVP to Daniel Hodges at hodgesd@pegasusbb.com (512)556-3360 or Jimma Byrd at byrdjimma13@gmail.com (325)372-7615.