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Approaching the Brackenridge Park Trails at 3700 N. St. Mary's St., visitors may be reminded of the city landfill.
The entrance to the trails across Mulberry Avenue from Lion's Field has become an area festering with the decay of bacterial matter, soiled food products, greasy snack wrappers and the lingering smell of human waste.
Make-shift boulders intricately carved to form benches are now tagged with "Fernando-N-Ashley M." and a friendly scribbled reminder of "Don't write on bench, Chris N."
Nature must be beside itself.
In an e-mail message posted by Kelly Irvin, public relations manager for the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department, there are about 2 1/4 miles of new base and sidewalk trails within the wilderness area connecting to Lion's Field.
This length does not include the trails or walkways in the Lambert Beach area (Joske Pavillion) or the Koehler area where the San Antonio Zoo and the driving range are located.
According to Irvin, park maintenance cleans the surrounding areas daily.
"Restrooms are cleaned, sanitized and restocked. Trash is removed on the park grounds, to include some river clean-up skimming with nets," Irvin said. "Staff empties trash containers and re-lines; cleans and prepares barbecue pits; the parking lots are blown; the pavillions are washed and prepared."
Irvin said the staff reports that by arriving early Monday mornings, the public may find an accumulation of trash from weekend reservations and visitors because of the park's heavy usage.
However, the staff assured Irvin that they address these issues daily from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
But 300 meters into the paths lined with cedar elms, oak and a few pecan trees, there lies a place where foreign sounds embolden nature's children into activity and the outside world disappears. Small animals form homes out of hallowed neighboring trees decorating their oval, empty bases with beds of leaves, twigs and pecans.
Walkways shoot left and right bending in ornate and elaborate patterns, vying for the next pair of New Balance running shoes to create a cadence below chirping birds, scampering squirrels, buzzing insects and a never-ending breeze that combs the tangles from the tree branches.
Three trail heads have posted maps for each zoned area, as well as a location at the playground at Lion's Field. The signage depicts three distinct trail loops of varying distances, Irvin said, with each corresponding to the three themed trail heads.
Art Professor Susan Budge designed the signage for the trail heads to correspond to four ceramic art pieces displayed in the park, three of which she created.
Budge, along with Anne Wallace, a local independent artist, and Rialto Studio, joined to bring cultural items of old to a new style for the park's patrons.
The lead architect for the project was James Gray, one of three principals and founding partners for Rialto Studio, Budge said.
On July 4, 2005, the grand opening for the art pieces took place.
Budge debuted three pieces, the Anaqua, Acequia and Quercus.
"The Anaqua references the anaqua seed or berry from the tree. It was vital to the early settlers of San Antonio," Budge said. At the time, it was used for medicinal purposes.
The Acequia, the Spanish equivalent for canal, is located off Mulberry Avenue. It represents water.
Further in the park sits the Quercus. Quercus is "the Latin equivalent for oak," Budge said. "The form is in the shape of a live oak leaf, and the middle is the shape of an acorn."
Budge cast tiles with the images of the sculptures. "The markings reference the names of the trails (for hikers). They can see which way keeps them on the path."
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