San Marcos River Foundation Newsletter - Vol. 15, No. 2
Printed Quarterly on Recycled Paper - April 10, 2005

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

What a first quarter for SMRF!!! In January, we learned from our attorney, Renae Hicks, that the Texas Supreme Court denied the final appeal of the City of San Marcos to review the "bed and banks" case. The appeal was about the permit denial at the Third Court of Appeals. This ends a long effort since 1995, and supports SMRF’s position that wastewater discharged into a river becomes the property of the State and cannot be diverted downstream, diluted with river water and reused, without a water right permit. The moral of this story: perseverance does work!

More good news: just a few weeks ago, as SMRF began an engineering study of the impacts expected from the hotel and conference center proposed on Spring Lake, the City and hotelier Hammonds abruptly announced a change in location. Now to be located near the busy IH 35 and McCarty Lane area, it will be north of the outlet malls and avoid many difficult infrastructure, archeological, and environmental problems associated with the steep Spring Lake site. Thank you, City Council and Mr. Hammonds, for making this wise decision!

Finally, the work of the many study groups on river instream flows, groundwater management, water conservation, and Edwards Aquifer issues has come together in the form of Senate Bill 3, which has now passed out of the Senate Natural Resources Committee. Of course the devil is in the details of exactly how the bill will look, when and if it makes it out of the Legislature. As best as we can tell, it does address some of the critical water resource management issues SMRF has been working on.

I attended the Senate Natural Resources Committee meeting April 11 and those testifying had positive statements about the bill, from environmental interests (Lone Star Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense, Texas Wildlife Association) to water producing interests (Texas Water Conservation Association, San Antonio River Authority, Edwards Aquifer Authority). Since the bill has the support of Senator Armbrister and the Lt. Governor Dewhurst, Texas may just take its first step to get a new law for effective water resource management. Say your prayers for a favorable outcome! ---Jack Fairchild, President

AWARD GOES TO BRANDT AND STAFF

The 2004 Friend of the River Award pictured below (in the print version of this newsletter) with a base of a piece of driftwood from the San Marcos River is a custom made SMRF award. It was given to Dr. Tom Brandt and staff of the National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center on McCarty Lane for their excellent work to preserve aquatic species of the river. This facility is also referred to as a "refugium" because endangered species like fountain darter fish or Texas wild rice plants are placed there when pollution or water scarcity threatens those species. The objective is to preserve enough genetic diversity as well as quantity of each species to repopulate the river after a pollution incident is over or drought passes. The facility staff, part of the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, is always researching ways to make it more likely that the endangered species of this area survive.

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NEW BOARD MEMBERS, OFFICERS

The election of three board members at the annual meeting brought SMRF a new board member, Jason Woods, and two board members who are now serving their second terms---Jon Cradit and Jack Fairchild. Therese Kosary was thanked for her six years of serving as a dedicated board member, several of which were as Secretary of the Board. New officers for 2005 are Dr. Jack Fairchild as President, John Tolbert as Vice-President, Ann Allen as Treasurer and Tom Goynes as Secretary. Monthly meetings will continue to be held at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday, with board meetings held the first month of each quarter. Call SMRF’s office number, 353-4628 for dates and details.

PARTY AND SILENT AUCTION

What a festive annual meeting and silent auction SMRF members enjoyed at the Price Center in early February! A delicious buffet dinner prepared by member volunteers and a 20th anniversary birthday cake were special treats. Every room in the historic building was used by the crowd, ending up in the great hall for the election and award ceremony. (See the photos on the right.) The silent auction brought in well over $3000 with an astonishing array of items from central Texans as well as from coastal supporters. Thanks to all of these generous donors, and also to the loyal members who purchased the items. These purchases supplement grants and dues to help SMRF continue to protect the river. (Check this newsletter mailing label now to see when your last donation or dues was received, and please correct any errors found by calling 353-4628).

Members and friends of SMRF are also urged to thank these generous donors when they see them:

• John Van Ness of Austin Outdoor Gear and Guidance (IH 35 near 32nd St. exit) who donated a new kayak
• Bill Minor of Tideguide Outfitters (www.tideguide.com) who donated a two night San Antonio Bay kayak trip
• Aransas Bay Charters’ private tour boat, the Jack Flash which gave a birding/bay tour trip for six at the coast www.texasbirdingcentral.com
• Capt. Tommy Moore of the Skimmer, www.rockportadventures.com in Rockport/Fulton who donated four whooping crane tour tickets
• Rio Raft Company of Sattler, which gave an exciting raft rental for four on the Guadalupe
• Botanist Minette Marr who donated two botanical inventories for the buyer’s lot or land
• Andrew Sansom who donated his two beautiful books, Texas Past and Texas Lost
• Marcus Hernandez of Guides of Texas www.guidesoftexas.com who gave a professionally guided fishing trip on the San Marcos River
• Sink Creek Day Spa which donated a one-hour massage with sauna and hot tub at their lovely place www.sinkcreek.downloadz.us
• Aaron Arguien of LA Landscaping who donated three antique rose bush
• A weekend "Diving for Science" class in Spring Lake at Aquarena’s scuba training class
• Two hour canoe trip on the San Marcos River by John Hohn
• Two plane trips over the river by Jack Fairchild
• A one-hour flight for two by Glenn Longley in his small plane
• Six CD’s of canoeing music by Music River which were donated by Anne Olden,
• Custom inscribed brick in the Veramendi Plaza memorial walkway donated by Dr. Gwen Smith
• Four long scarves and four pairs of earrings hand-made by local artist Cathy Croom
• Two beautiful oil paintings by Sally Cummings
• Calendars by Nat. Park Svc. from Jon Cradit
• Vintage Aquarena memorabilia donated by Sherwood Bishop

Members bid vigorously against each other, below, in photos in the printed version of this newsletter. Dr. Tim Bonner on the left, presents the Friend of the River Award to Dr. Tom Brandt at the annual members meeting. (See article re award, page 1.) President Jack Fairchild prepares to cut the 20th anniversary cake, Executive Director Dianne Wassenich stands by to help serve it, and everyone sings happy birthday to SMRF after dinner. Below, the buffet supper is enjoyed in the renovated 1893 Room, where the SMRF office is in the choir loft of the historic and beautifully renovated chapel, part of the Price Center in downtown San Marcos. (Photos were in the printed version of the newsletter.)

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FORMER HOTEL SITE TO BE PRESERVED?

The San Marcos Daily Record recently noted that many city and county officials are taking a look at the possibility of preserving the hilltop site first planned for the hotel and convention center. Since this land drains toward the river and Spring Lake, and is so close to the springs, this sounds like a great idea that SMRF could support. Stay tuned for any further news on this project, and how to help.

APRIL IS RIVER AWARENESS MONTH

How will you celebrate? There is a SMRF Board meeting at Logan’s at 6:30, Wednesday, April 27. But better than attending meetings is visiting the river as much as possible, while flows are good and strong, the water looks so clear and blue, and the weather is great. Plan on doing it often this month!

VOLUNTEERS HAVE FUN ON THE LAKE

It is not possible to boat on Spring Lake, unless volunteers wish to join the hardy group that works on water hyacinth removal each 4th Saturday, year ‘round. For the next few months, that date can be marked on your calendar so you keep that Saturday morning open: May 28, June 25 and July 23. Bring your own boat if you want, but be sure to wash it off so no exotic plant material arrives with you. Life jackets and paddles are needed, or you can use those stored at the aquatic plant nursery, where volunteers meet at 9 a.m., at the far end of the parking lot. There are also boats available to use, or one can work from the bank. Read the instruction sheet and sign the liability waiver before starting. There is plenty of hyacinth for all!

RIVER CLEANUPS GALORE

The San Marcos River has some great volunteers cleaning it up year round. The big spring cleanup of 90 miles of river was cut a little short this year by the dangerously high flows in March. The upper portions that were cleaned yielded several dump truck loads nonetheless. Thanks go to Tom Goynes who with his wife Paula, coordinated the cleanup once again for the 26th year. Canoe clubs from around the state participated as well as many locals.

SMRF provided the thank you dinner that night, and our major underwriters were Hochheim Prairie Mutual Insurance and Southwest Plumbing, who covered most of the costs of supplies. Many other businesses and groups contributed time, goods, or money for the cleanup or dinner. These include the Lions Club, Pecan Park Retreat, TG Canoes, Spencer’s Canoes, Shady Grove Campground, Centurytel, HEB, Hughson Meats, Jardine’s BBQ Sauces, Cuevas Produce, Price Seniors Center, and the Root Cellar Cafe.

Cooks, servers, and bakers for the dinner include Alan and Leslie Redwine, Mr. and Mrs. Purswell, Tom Roach, Ann Allen, Sarah Carlisle, Florence Dodington, Pam Spooner, Betty Watkins, Amy Kirwin, Linda Keese, Cathy Croom, Roland and Kay Denney, Lisa Cradit, Sue Evans, Minette Marr, Jane Latham, Sally Hotz, Al and Linda Green, Christy Long, Marie Fairchild, Natashia, Louise Goldman, Kay Moore, Lisa Korth, and Hillary Huddleston.

The mountains of trash were recycled as much as possible by Green Guy Recycling, and the rest was disposed of by the City of San Marcos, Alan Cummings, City of Luling, and Guadalupe County. Troy Swift helped Goynes with the pickup and transfer of the trash from the road crossings. All of these folks worked together to clean up the river so everyone can enjoy it a little more this summer. Thank them when you see them!

The Dive Shop and City also sponsored a great cleanup in April involving many dive clubs, to get the underwater trash in particular. And Bobcat Build, the Texas State University students’ volunteer day, sent a team to help SMRF cleanup Willow Creek. (See photo on back page.) If you missed all this, watch for future cleanups in SMRF’s weekly email updates. Sign up by emailing wassenich@sanmarcos.net.

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HIDDEN SPRINGS TOUR

Thanks to property owners of the beautiful springs off Post Road, past Lime Kiln Road, SMRF had a springs tour in February, with Glenn Longley of the Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center leading it. The DuPonts and the University own the land that Sink and Rattlesnake Springs flow from. Pictured below in the printed version of the newsletter is Rattlesnake Spring, which is like a full pond this year, and connects directly with the aquifer. Dye tests by the Edwards Aquifer Authority show that water flows within a few hours to Spring Lake and the river from this site.

RIVER CENTER AT SAN MARCOS SPRINGS

The River Center at San Marcos Springs is well on its way after lots of structural and other kinds of problems have delayed the project. The River Center will be in the historic hotel at Aquarena. A great model of the first floor, which will be an educational exhibit space, is in the Aquarena gift shop, so be sure to stop by to see it. Meanwhile, through all the construction delay, Aquarena has been busy with many visitors, including hundreds of students coming from central Texas schools. SMRF has used $30,000 granted by Texas Parks & Wildlife (TPWD) over the past year to pay for school bus trips for these students to come from underserved school districts to enjoy water system lessons at Aquarena Center.

A wastewater lift station construction project at the old hotel caused SMRF some concern recently. Gravel being used to fill a hole (around the lift station near the anthropology warehouse on the back road to Aquarena) caused sediment to severely cloud a spring in the middle of the lake, in front of the old hotel. The University, working on the lift station, stopped filling the hole for a few days. They consulted with Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) and TPWD and decided to use washed gravel to fill the hole. They also put an alarm and an automatic switch on the lift station so that if the pump ever stopped working, they would be alerted, and the second pump would kick in. Further safeguards against sewage spills are being suggested by EAA for consideration.

Because of heavy rains for the past year, the entire Aquarena property and the golf course has become quite a wetland this year, all the way up the slough and Sink Creek. It makes everyone think about what other wastewater lines and lift stations might be in contact with springs, all over the properties in that area, and what we can do to keep leaks from happening, perhaps with liners in old sewer lines. SMRF’s February tour of the springs past Lime Kiln Rd. along Post Road left everyone amazed at the big pools of water at Sink and Rattlesnake Springs. (See photo and article on p. 4.)

EARTH SHARE WELCOMES SMRF

One Environment, One Simple Way To Care For It

Earth Share of Texas now represents San Marcos River Foundation in workplace payroll donation plans throughout Texas. Earth Share of Texas represents 70 local, state, and national conservation organizations in payroll deduction plans throughout Texas. All state employees, city employees in San Marcos, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston, many other public employees like University staff, and employees of many leading private sector employers, including Dell Inc, Green Mountain Energy, American Airlines, Hewlett Packard, and Vignette, already have Earth Share of Texas groups as part of their charitable choices.

Donations may be designated to one or more organizations, or an undesignated gift to the environment can be made to Earth Share of Texas. General gifts to Earth Share of Texas are divided evenly among participating organizations.

The staff at Earth Share of Texas can help you learn more about your payroll deduction plan, or can help you with the steps needed to start an environmental giving program at your workplace. For more information, visit Earth Share of Texas on the web at ww.earthshare-texas.org, call 1-800-GREENTX, or email estx@earthshare-texas.org.

LONG-TERM WEATHER PREDICTIONS

El Nino weather patterns made 2004 the third wettest year since rainfall records were first kept in Austin, starting in 1856. Rains caused high floods on the Blanco and San Marcos rivers. LCRA’s meteorologist says El Nino is predicted to fade away to a more neutral weather pattern by this coming summer. Some researchers think that the sun-spot cycle, expected to be low this summer,

could cause El Nino to not just fade to neutral, but rather reverse all the way to a La Nina weather pattern. In the past, La Nina patterns meant drought for Central Texas. Get ready. Mulch your flowerbed and trees, and even lawns, before it gets too hot.

MEMORIAL TREE PLANTING ON CHEATHAM FOR BRANDON GONZALES

The family and friends of Brandon gathered to plant a cypress tree in the new wetlands area on Cheatham St. across from Rio Vista Dam recently. Pictured below in the printed newsletter is the group, including his dogs Nico and Blu, with whom he often enjoyed the river parks. The dogs are held by his mother Juanita and his girlfriend Nikki Casares in the group photo. His father Ben Gonzales is standing behind Juanita and his sister Carolyn is holding the trunk of the tree on the right. In honor of Brandon’s birthday, Janie Peterson coordinated this birthday memorial to SMRF, with donations from employees of ValMark Chevrolet of New Braunfels as well as Chuck Nash Chevrolet of San Marcos, where Brandon worked with his dad. Brandon died in an auto accident last summer. He grew up spending time with his grandparents at the river, since their house was in the neighborhood that is now the city park system, so this tree location is special to the family. His sister Carolyn read a short essay about Brandon at the tree planting, and all agreed that his sense of humor and his love for his family were the things that they remembered him for. Friends and family will enjoy watching this cypress tree grow in coming years, and thinking of Brandon when they see it. The tree was grown from seeds of a local cypress by Madrone Nursery.

RIVERBANK RESTORATION AND TREE PLANTING BY STEVE SMITH’S FRIENDS

In April many SMRF members and friends of Steve Smith gathered in the Wildlife Habitat park between Cheatham and IH 35 to plant a variety of trees, understory plants and grasses to restore an eroded river bank section. (See photo in printed version of newsletter.) The planted area is fenced to protect it until it is established. Most of the plants were donated by Madrone Nursery on Lime Kiln Road. The group collected memorial donations, and talked of Steve’s days in college in San Marcos, helping Kyle Hahn start Green Guy Recycling, and Steve’s relentless sense of humor. Steve later worked with SMRF members on the pilot Crypto removal project (a Sri Lankan water trumpet plant that is invading the river below San Marcos) for U.S. Fish & Wildlife. He later worked at the Balcones Canyon lands doing controlled burns, and ended up moving west to do the same, working in Utah and other parks on his "dream job". He met Amber and married, and they had baby Opal. They were with him driving through Death Valley to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime display of wildflowers this year after the rains, when they were all three killed in a head-on collision by a drunk driver. SMRF sincerely appreciates these memorial donations.

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GRATEFUL FOR GRANTS, DUES AND DONATIONS FIRST QUARTER OF ’05

SMRF was happy to announce that Patagonia, the national clothing company, granted $2,500 for the water right project this quarter. Also the Magnolia Charitable Trust granted $3,000 for the water right project as well, in honor of Lucy Wray Todd. These grants, coupled with donations for that project, keep this important effort going forward to preserve adequate flows in the San Marcos River all the way to the coastal estuaries. State-wide attention was focused on SMRF’s forward-thinking project by the water documentary shown on every PBS station in Texas, Water: Finding a Balance. It was narrated by Walter Cronkite and filmed by Lee Smith of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. A DVD will be placed at the public library so that those who missed it can check it out overnight.

Recently at a press conference about Senate Bill 3, the water bill, the legislators mentioned that "their work on environmental flows stemmed from the SMRF permit controversy". So it is good to know that SMRF’s efforts to educate everyone about the perils our rivers and estuaries face, are having an effect. The water right project will need funding for several more years, as it goes through the courts.

Donations in the form of purchases for silent auction items in January netted over $3000. Many members paid dues this quarter. (Check mailing label on front of newsletter to see if dues have been received, and call 353-4628 with any corrections.)

Much appreciated are the new Lifetime Members, Susan and John Schmidt. Lifetime members can ignore the mailing label reminders.

Under the category of "special donors", Treasurer Ann Allen has continued her practice of paying dues for her four children, who enjoy the river when they come to visit her home downstream of Martindale on the river. For all these loyal and generous members, SMRF is grateful.

SMRF also needs volunteer hours to help pay the rent at the Price Center. Call 353-4628 to give an hour now and then, gardening or doing odd jobs.

CLEANUP ON WILLOW CREEK

Pictured in the printed and mailed to members version of the newsletter are the Air Force ROTC students from Texas State University who put in a hard day of work as part of Bobcat Build, assisting SMRF members Tom Wassenich, Jack Fairchild, VeraWood Cruz, and Ben Garza of San Marcos Athletic Club. The group cleaned up a very trashy tributary to the river, Willow Creek under IH 35 and along its feeder roads, and through neighborhoods. Bobcat Build volunteer students also assisted the Greenbelt Alliance in trail work, and Minette Marr with hyacinth removal at Aquarena, among other projects. About 2000 students in all worked in the community on volunteer jobs that day.

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