SAN ANTONIO – Government Canyon State Natural Area is over 12,000 acres, located in northwestern Bexar County.
Texas Parks and Wildlife is in charge of taking care of this area and the species that live there.
Right now, Government Canyon is home to seven different endangered species.
Most of those species consist of spiders and beetles that live underground, including the Government Canyon Bat Cave Spider.
“It’s very rare, but we do have other species as well that exist in other caves around,” superintendent Chris Holm said.
Throughout Government Canyon there are an estimated 50 caves that are known.
The ones over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone are where the endangered spiders live.
The water that filters through forms rock formations. Inside the holes is where the spiders can be found.
“These little pockets open up underground quite extensively and form the caves that are underneath Government Canyon,” Holm said. “After they form you start getting the spiders the beetles.”
The caves and certain areas of Government Canyon are no accessible to the public. It is all in efforts to make sure these species continue to thrive and survive.
Government Canyon has trails open to the public from Friday through Monday.