Document a granite-dome vernal pool at Enchanted Rock, pool 1, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, public state natural area), 16710 RR 965, Fredericksburg, TX 78624, Llano and Gillespie Counties (2026-08-04)

A weathering-pit vernal pool at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, home to fairy shrimp and rock-pool plants found nowhere else in Texas, has a worn social-trail scar approaching it from more than one direction with no photo record to prioritize a trample-closure. Standard: US Fish and Wildlife Service and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department granite-dome vernal-pool (weathering-pit/gnamma) habitat guidance for fairy shrimp and endemic rock-pool plant communities, plus USDA NRCS conservation practice standard 654 (foot traffic/trail management), applied here to the vernal-pool complex at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Llano and Gillespie Counties, TX, a Precambrian granite batholith of the Llano Uplift. SDG 15.1 and 15.5. Proof: document only observation log plus pool condition note plus GPS plus ranked follow on note Method (US Fish and Wildlife Service and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department granite-dome vernal-pool (weathering-pit/gnamma) habitat guidance for fairy shrimp and endemic rock-pool plant communities, plus USDA NRCS conservation practice standard 654 (foot traffic/trail management), applied here to the vernal-pool complex at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Llano and Gillespie Counties, TX, a Precambrian granite batholith of the Llano Uplift. SDG 15.1 and 15.5.): 1. 1. From the established public trail or the dry rock margin at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, photograph a weathering-pit vernal pool and any braided social trail approaching it, never stepping into the pool or its rim vegetation. 2. 2. Note the approximate pool size, whether water is present, and whether a worn social-trail scar approaches the pool from more than one direction. 3. 3. Photograph the site from a fixed reference point for future comparison, and check the sky for building storm clouds before continuing. 4. 4. Record a ranked follow on note naming the pool for the trample-closure and native-buffer planting crew. Done when: Photo of the pool and any approaching social-trail scar taken from the trail or dry margin; Note of the approximate pool size and whether water is present; Confirmation the pool and its rim vegetation were never entered or stepped into during the survey; Ranked follow on note naming the pool for the trample-closure crew; GPS waypoint of the surveyed pool

Where

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, public state natural area), 16710 RR 965, Fredericksburg, TX 78624, Llano and Gillespie Counties

Pay

$90 proposed

This packet is not funded yet, so this figure is a proposed price and not money waiting in escrow. If a buyer funds it, approved proof settles that price onchain. If nobody funds it, approved proof earns provable credit toward the work instead of cash. You see which before you claim, never after.

Proof

document only observation log plus pool condition note plus GPS plus ranked follow on note

This is exactly what gets it approved. Nothing settles without it.

Level

entry

Open until

2026-11-03

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 45–120 minutes. Method of record: Point-count / transect species survey (Breeding Bird Survey + Xerces pollinator-count protocols)

Bring

• binoculars
• field ID guide or app
• GPS phone
• data sheet / recorder
• timer
• camera

Steps

1. 1. Navigate to the first survey point; record GPS; note start time, weather, and wind (surveys pause in rain/high wind).
2. 2. Wait a settling minute, then run a fixed-duration count (e.g., 5 min) within a fixed radius; record every species seen/heard and the count of each.
3. 3. Photograph the habitat and any species you can; note any threatened/target or invasive species.
4. 4. Move to the next point along the transect (keep points >=200 m apart) and repeat the count.
5. 5. Record total effort (points, duration) and observer.
6. 6. Enter the per-point species lists + counts, GPS, weather, effort, and photos into the proof record; sign.

If it does not match the plan

• Threatened/at-risk or target species observed -> flag for the land steward (with location) for protection planning.
• Invasive species dominant / native diversity very low -> flag for a management plan.
• Rain or high wind -> pause/reschedule; counts under poor conditions are not valid.

What counts as done

• Photo of the pool and any approaching social-trail scar taken from the trail or dry margin
• Note of the approximate pool size and whether water is present
• Confirmation the pool and its rim vegetation were never entered or stepped into during the survey
• Ranked follow on note naming the pool for the trample-closure crew
• GPS waypoint of the surveyed pool

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.