Owl Eyes Cave is one of the lesser known secluded caves of Austin, Texas. Not too much information can be found out about Owl Eyes Cave. This news article will explain what Owl Eyes Cave is.
Owl Eyes Cave is a secluded cave which is isolated and surrounded with miles of natural wildlife in a BCCP preserve in the Four Points neighborhood 6-10 miles northwest of Austin, Texas. Owl Eyes Cave is located in a BCCP preserve which actually part of/in the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan. Now Owl Eyes Cave is located with in the same vicinity as Eluvial Cave, Penn Pit Cave, and Jollyville Plateau Cave are.
Owl Eyes Cave has many limestone fissures and granite features. There are a handful of granite coagulations of smaller rocks in the area. Limestone and granite are the main rock features.
Owl Eyes Cave is known to be inhabited by Tooth Cave ground beetles and Bone Cave harvestman. That is why several Tooth Cave ground beetles and Bone Cave harvestman coexist inside of this cave. Ptentothrix is also believed to exist inside of this cave. (Ref: https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/Documents/R2ES/HCP_TPGFourPoints_19951113.pdf)
Below is some history regarding the history of Owl Eyes Cave.
Owl Eyes Cave was owned by a man named R. Ribelin and was part of his ranch which was Ribelin Ranch for many years. R. Ribelin claimed ownership of Owl Eyes Cave along with his massive ranch. (Ref: Travis County Land Deeds, Volume 9326, Page 1)
Lucia R. Francis and R. Ribelin transferred ownership of Owl Eyes Cave to Ribelin Ranch in 1985 on a warranty deed. R. Ribelin had established Ribelin Ranch as a limited partnership called Ribelin Ranch Partnership LTD earlier in 1984. Around 1985, R. Ribelin filled Owl Eyes Cave with granite boulders as he saw this cave as a potential trap to his cattle. He utilized the sinkholes on his ranch as stockponds for his cattle. (Ref: Travis County Land Deeds, Volume 9326, Page 1)
The earliest known exploration of this cave was done by Mike Warton of Warton & Associates at the very end of 1994. A species of Eidmannella Roewer (Eidmannella sp.) was discovered by Mike Warton of Warton & Associates on December 29, 1994. (Ref: https://www.academia.edu/19112284/NEW_AND_RARE_NESTICID_SPIDERS_FROM_TEXAS_CAVES_ARANEAE_NESTICIDAE_)
Owl Eyes Cave was visited again by an SWCA cave biologist on April 11, 1995 for the purpose of making biota collections. Owl Eyes Cave was considered to contain potential habitat for endangered cave invertebrates, although none were found during biota collections. Remaining features were considered insignificant with respect to endangered cave invertebrates. Now this SWCA cave biologist discovered Owl Eyes Cave is known to be inhabited by Tooth Cave ground beetles and Bone Cave harvestman. However no endangered cave invertebrates were found in Owl Eyes Cave. (Ref: https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/Documents/R2ES/HCP_TPGFourPoints_19951113.pdf)
Mike Walsh and Casey Berkhouse of Texas Cave Conservancy began protecting Owl Eyes Cave in 2004. Several granite boulders were hauled in to cover the 16 foot wide cave during that year even though R. Ribelin filled in Owl Eyes Cave with granite boulders years prior. (Ref: https://digital.lib.usf.edu/SFS0054742/00001)
Now there are many reasons as to why Owl Eyes Cave was filled with granite boulders. Property owners have filled in caves on their property for various reasons. Such as to discourage trespassing in the caves, to fill in potential traps to cattle, to utilize sinkholes as stockponds for cattle, to conceal recharge features in order to avoid potential regulation or controversy, and to legally fill in sinkholes or disconnect them from their drainage areas approved or grandfathered by regulatory agencies in advance of proposed development. The cumulative effects of valid needs to secure caves to protect the public, the caves themselves, and the caves’ inhabitants, together with the needs or desires to fill in sinkholes for other reasons, unfortunately result in much of the public in the area not realizing they live over a sensitive karst aquifer and large areas of important recharge sources being disrupted. Karst preserves such as this provide the public an opportunity to safely view natural karst landscape and help retain some of the original runoff that once contributed to recharge. (Ref: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263425729_Edwards_Aquifer_hydrogeology)
Owl Eyes Cave was filled with granite boulders to discourage trespassing in the cave, to conceal recharge features in order to avoid potential regulation or controversy, and to legally fill in sinkholes or disconnect them from their drainage areas approved or grandfathered by regulatory agencies in advance of proposed development.
Owl Eyes Cave is located at 7501 River Place Boulevard, Austin, Texas, US 78726.
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