The San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department has documented four species of wildlife crossing the Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge, just months after its completion. The species caught on camera are Virginia opossum, cottontail rabbit, white-tailed deer, and coyote.

In mid-April, staff with the Natural Areas Division of the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department launched a five-year study evaluating wildlife use on the Land Bridge.

"Wildlife have four main requirements for life: food, water, shelter, and space.,” said Casey Cowan, Park Naturalist for San Antonio Parks and Recreation. “And with increasing development, those necessities are becoming more and more fragmented. Habitat corridors like the Land Bridge, greenways, and greenbelts connect wildlife to suitable habitats, like parks or tracts of undeveloped private land. It is important for us to remember that plants and wildlife provide critical ecosystem services, so we need to continue to protect these corridors and undeveloped habitat.”

San Antonio’s Land Bridge is designed for wildlife — and it is working. A study of wildlife crossings by the University of Natural Resources Conservation at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, recommends crossings be a minimum of 50 meters wide (164 feet) at the base and as little as 8 meters (26 feet) at the center to encourage wildlife to use it. Hardberger Park’s Land Bridge is larger; it is 165 feet wide at the base and 150 feet wide in the center.

Food, water, and shelter were also built into the Land Bridge design. Two water bubblers, placed at the wildlife blinds, provide a year-round water source. The trees, shrubs and grasses are all native to the area and attract wildlife searching for food. Equally important, the native vegetation provides shelter, protecting animals from predators as they cross the Land Bridge.

As the vegetation establishes, more animals are expected to use the bridge. Park staff will continue to monitor and track which species are crossing.

In the News:

My San Antonio: San Antonio parks department snaps photos of animals crossing the new land bridge

Texas Public Radio: Animals Spotted Crossing Nation's Largest Wildlife Bridge At San Antonio's Hardberger Park

San Antonio Report: Wildlife captured traversing Hardberger Park land bridge