RESA is the River Education and Stewardship Alliance organization from Texas State University that was formed in September of 2023. Their vision is to be a source of education, outreach, and resources to support a healthy and resilient San Marcos springs, river, and watershed that is respected by Texas State University students, staff, faculty, and visitors.

Lopez explained the startup of the organization happened as questions arose regarding a lack of attention being paid to the environmentally sensitive area in upper Sewell Park known as the Headwaters. People began to wonder why this environmentally sensitive area was not receiving the same maintenance scrutiny as Sewell Park across the nearby bridge. It didn’t take too many conversations with responsible parties until a group began to coalesce and monthly meetings began. The group then looked at the apparent absence of university policies and general knowledge about the Headwaters area as an opportunity to create a platform which would fill that public information gap at Texas State and other San Marcos communities. 

“We do need to be clear that RESA is not an advocacy group. We are here to share the policies and practices already in place at Texas State University,” Lopez noted. “For example, Texas State University is a permittee in the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP). The EAHCP is a very-well operated program carefully monitoring and researching the water quality and endangered species in and around the Headwaters location. During the summer months, there can be intense recreation there, so one of the more important items on RESA’s to-do list will be informing the public how they can help preserve the environmentally sensitive nature of the location.”

The endangered Texas wild-rice plant, fountain darters and San Marcos salamanders are all found in this San Marcos River location on East Sessom Drive across the street from the Freeman Aquatic Biology Center. People enjoying the river there can trample riparian plants which then can cause bank erosion and lead to harm of endangered species habitats.

With the students at Texas State being a primary audience for this messaging, it made complete sense for RESA to involve students in its membership and leadership. Noah Powell, the current RESA student leader, is a master’s degree student in applied geography in natural resources and environmental studies.

“I began attending the RESA meetings last summer, and I found that the faculty and staff wanted students to not only be the face of the organization but to lead it as well,” Powell noted. “So, when the previous student leader graduated, Dr. Lopez asked me to step into that position and I agreed. One of the most important things we do is collaborate with other organizations like the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of San Marcos, the EAHCP and many departments at Texas State. That type of group effort really does help us get a lot of work done toward RESA’s goals.”

The EAHCP team was one of the first groups RESA approached to begin their work. Lopez explained that the signs regarding ecosystem protections in Sewell Park were outdated. Mark Enders, who is the EAHCP lead for the City of San Marcos, and Kristina Tolman, an EAHCP senior coordinator, worked with RESA in getting the signs designed and installed. The park educational signs are now in multiple languages and even some braille descriptions of the endangered species are included.

As RESA has progressed in its activities and participation, the group was recently rewarded with a Texas State Environmental Services grant of almost $20,000. The plan for those dollars is to accelerate information outreach work to include a student-designed logo/brand, expanded social media presence and a “RESA awareness” campaign which will be featured throughout Texas State information monitors, possibly some buses and other types of pop-up signage opportunities. 

“While we are spending some time in developing our look and recruitment efforts, we haven’t overlooked those chances to plug into campus events,” Powell said. “For example, the Texas State River Fest event is coming up in April and we will have an educational presence there. This year we proactively contacted the organizers of River Fest and invited them to present at a RESA meeting. They explained what River Fest was going to look like this year and we discussed some ways to make the festival more river-friendly and sustainable. One tangible result of that meeting was the development of a one-page information sheet about the river, springs and endangered species protections the festival organizers could use in their own festival promotions.”

With a projected attendance of more than 5,000 people, RESA volunteers will also be helping with litter clean up after the event. Additionally, this year the San Marcos River will be open to festival goers and RESA will assist in “roping off” with buoys some endangered species habitat areas to prevent incursions into those environmentally sensitive locations along the river.

“In looking ahead, we definitely want to maintain and expand our opportunities with the EAHCP since it is one of the largest environmental programs happening in the Edwards Region,” Lopez concluded. “The riparian restoration efforts are ongoing throughout the San Marcos watershed and RESA will be a great group to help provide volunteers for that type of hands-on work. And as RESA grows, our information efforts regarding the endangered species and habitat protections will expand as well.

“With the San Marcos River being such a central element of life in this city, the community is constantly looking at ways to balance ecosystem improvements with ensuring students, families and visitors can enjoy this beautiful river and surrounding natural areas. One of our biggest dreams is that RESA can emerge as a key facilitator in how we succeed at creating the best of both environmental and recreational worlds. We know there are many students who are passionate about the San Marcos River. And we think RESA can be that vehicle to help them channel those desires in productive ways. While we took our time in getting this organization off the ground, I feel we are now very well positioned to make some giant strides in the very near future.”

You can learn more about RESA at: www.meadowscenter.txst.edu/research/water-conservation/resa.