Barn Swallows, Olympic Pool

During the summer season at the Kerrville Olympic Pool,

swimmers share space with families of Barn Swallows, whose

mud nests are left undisturbed by City staff, providing safe

habitat for this native summer resident.

The nest in this outdoor hallway and above the Men’s locker

room entrance is reused each year by the Swallows, who

return to Kerrville every June after wintering in Central and

South America.

In the evenings, as pool users exit the facility through the

locker room hallway, nesting Barn Swallows swoop in and out

feeding hungry babies who, by summer’s end, are strong

enough to leave the nest and join the evening hunt for flying

insects. Both male and female Swallows build nests and feed

their young.

Swallows feed largely on flies, but will also eat wasps, beetles,

bees, moths, grasshoppers, and other insects. A single

Swallow can consume as many as 850 insects in one day.

Designed and installed by students of Fredericksburg High

School, June 2021:

Emma Stewart Olivia Findley Lexi Sione

Kennedy West Whitney Phillips Journie Valadez

guided by Julie Mangum

Made possible by Big Seed, supporting young creatives

throughout the Kerrville area, with funding from H-E-B.

The earth’s oceans cover seventy-one percent of the

planet. It is estimated that over 700,00 species live in

these waters.

These powerful ecosystems help regulate our

weather and climate, absorb vast amounts of carbon

dioxide, provide much of the oxygen in atmosphere,

and contribute food to a substantial portion of the

human population.

This artistic representation of ocean life reminds us of

the magnificent biodiversity of the natural world, and

of our responsibility to protect and preserve the

natural systems that support us.

Designed and installed by Samantha Bass, Tivy High

School, July 2021, guided by Kristin LaRue.

Made possible by Big Seed, supporting young

creatives throughout the Texas Hill Country, with

funding from H-E-B.

Before the Industrial Revolution, horses were a primary

form of transportation. Populated places were once full

of carriages and wagons, with horses transporting

people and goods across town. As technological

advancements led to the replacement of horses with

automobiles, negative environmental impacts

accumulated. Now, transportation continues to evolve,

as electric vehicles begin to enter the mainstream.

Seven shades of green, highlighted in black and white,

represent new development, new life, and continued

renewal. A waxing moon symbolizes the illuminating

phases of human understanding - blackbirds, the human

phases of advancement including resting and

recharging.

As the evolution of transportation technology moves

toward renewable and sustainable energy sources,

communities and utilities are incorporating infrastructure

that make these advancements possible. This mural is

dedicated by the artist to the Creator who makes all

things possible, including the ability to use knowledge

for advancement, stewardship, and greater ease of life

on earth.

Mural designed and installed by Ren Wright-Trapino and students

Notre Dame Catholic School, Kerrville

This project was made possible by Big Seed, supporting young

creatives throughout the Kerrville area, with funding and support

from the Kerrville Public Utility Board

Tennis and art bring joy to both participants and

observers. Just as the swing of the racket pulls you into

the game, the stroke of a brush can draw us into a scene

and carry us into a story, a journey, or a deeper

understanding of our world. Art has a way of captivating

interest and inspiring others to tap into their own

creativity.

Bright colors can bring light into our lives. Contrasts

between light and dark helps tell a story - sometimes the

story that’s happening between the lines.

Movement is beauty - art is in motion. Within each action

is a power to make us feel something within ourselves,

whether holding a racket or holding a brush. Creativity is

in all of us, if we only find the inspiration to draw it out.

Mural designed and installed by Olivia Findley

Fredericksburg High School, Class of 2022

This project was made possible by the City of Kerrville

Our local streams gather water from precipitation and

from underground aquifers and direct it in ever-growing

progressions toward the Guadalupe River. Here, Quinlan

Creek flows into the Guadalupe about 300 yards to the

south. These waterways are critical habitat for turtles like

the Guadalupe Spiny Softshell and the Red-eared Slider,

for fish like the Blacktail Shiner, and for tadpoles of

numerous frogs and toads.

Local waterways cut through ancient seabeds. Today you

can find fossils of marine mollusks and algae that lived

here in shallow seas in the days of the dinosaurs.

Riparian areas are bedrock qualities of Kerrville’s distinct

natural beauty and local ecosystem. These terrestrial

habitats along streams and rivers form critical food and

shelter sources for many species of birds, amphibians,

insects, and mammals. These are the areas where turtles

nest, ringtails prowl at night, and foxes trot unnoticed

due to their excellent camouflage.

Listen and look for tiny cricket frogs whose calls sound

like marbles clicking together, chattery Carolina wrens

flying around the underbrush, turtles basking on

protruding logs, and owls hiding high in trees. They are

all aspects of a complex food web that relies as much on

nutrients moving from stream to land as it does the other

way around.

Mural designed by Mackenzie Wade

Schreiner University Communication Design, Class of 2018

Funded by the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country