Chula Vista Farms

04/14/2026

Sophie Rodriguez Judy Noriega let's be in the parade!!!

04/13/2026

CHULA Belle loves our Animal Control Officer in Helotes!!

This week we're celebrating the selfless men and women who work as Animal Control Officers.
These professionals work tirelessly to keep our community a safer place to live. They enforce the animal ordinances in our cities and counties helping to prevent free roaming pets. They help spread awareness to the public about zoonosis. They investigate cruelty cases. And basically they clean up other people's irresponsible behavior concerning their pets.
We'd like to give a special shout out to Helotes's own ACO Jonathan Klassen. So if you see him this week, buy him a coffee and a taco. 😉 And thank you to all ACOs in Bexar County!

12/22/2025

For the Lady of the Manor......HRH ELIZABETH WINDSOR, in her formative years, enjoying the bond between a lady and her hound
🇬🇧

💔💖💔💔💖

10/05/2025

Cool.

10/04/2025

A bio-what? A bioblitz!

A bioblitz is an event where citizen scientists and/or biologists gather at a specific place and time to document as much biodiversity as possible, usually contributing to a database such as iNaturalist. As we noted in our post yesterday, observation of the organisms within an ecosystem can tell us a lot about environmental health. In general the greater the diversity, the healthier the ecosystem. This past Saturday, Texas Nature Trackers intern Seth Faught conducted a bioblitz here at Government Canyon as part of his capstone project. With help from TNT Biologist Wendy Anderson and a team of Texas Master Naturalist volunteers, Seth ventured into a little-explored section of the property (closed to the public) and collected 317 observations of 174 species of plants, animals, and fungi!

Some of the species identified were of particular interest to your Resource Rangers, including castor bean, a highly invasive plant that was previously unknown on the property. Another plant species, plateau milkvine, is listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Texas – which is great to see here! Even better news was the discovery of what appears to be a black-capped vireo nest! This rare bird only breeds scrubland habitats in central-ish Texas, NE Mexico, and Oklahoma. Most of their breeding activity within GCSNA has only been recorded on the far opposite side of the property which made this discovery especially exciting.

If you’d like to learn more about Texas Nature Trackers and what they do, visit their official website here: https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/wildlife_diversity/texas_nature_trackers/.

And to see the full results of the bioblitz and all of the accompanying photos, visit the link to the iNaturalist Project Page here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/government-canyon-sna-bioblitz-2025?tab=observations

Next time you’re out on the trails at GCSNA, you can use your smartphone upload your plant and animal photos onto iNaturalist to conduct a mini-bioblitz of your own!

10/01/2025

Early schooling

📸 Wayback Wednesday

Education in Helotes began with a modest two-room schoolhouse in 1911. By 1939, the community had established the Helotes Consolidated School District, purchasing land from Mr. Riggs for the future elementary campus.

In 1949, 12 rural schools — including Helotes Elementary and Los Reyes — came together to form the Northside Consolidated School District. This merger set the stage for what would become one of the largest and most respected districts in Texas.

Just a couple of years later, in 1951, a brand-new Helotes Elementary opened its doors, and by 1955 it officially became part of the Northside Independent School District. From chalkboards and wooden desks to today’s modern classrooms, Helotes Elementary has always been at the heart of our community. 🐾💛💙

Fast forward to today, and Helotes Elementary has long been one of the area’s top-rated campuses, proudly holding an “A” rating. 🎉👏 Families from across the district can now even apply for district transfers, making it possible for more students to be part of this tradition of excellence.

Do you or your family have memories, photos, or yearbooks from Helotes Elementary? Share them below — let’s celebrate this piece of Helotes history together.




Pictured: Los Reyes Early School circa 1908
Photo credit: Northside ISD

09/24/2025

we can walk to the Country Club....

Yes - we are now open EVERYDAY! 😀

09/23/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1F5MjiRgo7/

"Beautiful paintings of Old Town architecture and the fascinating historical perspective of each building make this book enjoyable both as a resource and a collection of art." – Donald Darst, National Award-Winning Artist and a Founding Partner of Helotes Gallery.

“The Art of Helotes,” by artist Charles B. James (Cbjames Art) and HSH President Cynthia Massey (CLM Books), is a 48-page, full-color hardcover book featuring Charles’ beautiful watercolor illustrations and stories written by Cynthia about Old Town Helotes’ many unique buildings, people, and businesses. To purchase a copy of “The Art of Helotes,” visit https://py.pl/50XjWX3SDzK.

09/21/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/17CG9Dvhj8/

Reserve your spot on a GSA Connects 2025 Field Trip in San Antonio. Space is limited—sign up today!

09/19/2025

A former FEMA official warns the nation may have to ‘painfully relearn the lessons of Hurricane Katrina.’