Trail Crew at Work Dec. 1 was a busy day on the trails. Minos in Upper Purgatory got a lot

This month we celebrate the colors of fall in San Marcos. Through early December, color could be found all around

For its project in collaboration with SMGA this semester, Professor Colleen Myles’ Interpretive Geography class created a Natural Areas Passport,

The holiday season is said to be the most wonderful time of the year! We enjoy festivities, traditions, and family

Kenny is originally from San Antonio and moved to San Marcos in 2002 to attend Southwest Texas State University. He

There are the predictable signs, like the incremental change from green to gold on the cedar elm and soapberry trees

Fall is typically the time when our native plants put on their last big show for the wave of butterflies

BANDANAS ARE BACK A big thank-you to SMGA member and Great Springs Project* staffer Kenny Skrobanek for the beautiful design

Lauren is from San Antonio but has frequented San Marcos and other Texas natural areas since before she could walk.

The San Marcos Christmas Bird Count, now in its seventh year, will be held on Sunday, December 18. If you

“Those take forever to come up,” a member of SMGA’s Team Flora said when I mentioned I was once again

Whether it’s droughts, floods, sizzling temperatures, or record-setting Arctic blasts, any extreme weather condition can cause havoc in our Natural

Given the lack of rain this summer and fall, it isn’t always easy to find good photo subjects, but these

Monarch Fest & Native Plant Sale Come and enjoy the activities, buy some native plants, and stop by the SMGA

The kids and I recently took a trip to the library and checked out several books, including Great Things to

In 2020 Virginia retired as a Managing Director at SS&C Technologies, leading a Relationship Management Team of 18 globally.  She

If you imagined you’ve been swarmed by clouds of small butterflies in recent weeks, well, you aren’t imagining. Depending on

River Guardianship Symposium The theme for this year’s event “was on blue [river-based] and green [greenspace area] trails and how

As we learn more about living mutualistically with nature, we find an increasing number of things in our lives that

New York Times, Aug. 12, 2022 At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Americans flocked to the outdoors in greater

Hiking has never been more popular than it is now. Given that so many people are working from home, they

The event celebrating the creation of River Recharge Natural Area, located at the north end of Bishop Street, was an

Building and maintaining trails is hard, sometimes dangerous work, especially for someone who doesn’t know a McCleod from a hatchet

Our Outside/In column features books about ways to discover, enjoy, protect, and advocate for natural areas and the protection of

Welcome to Our Newest Board Member! Olivia Palomares recently joined the SMGA board to complete the one-year term of Lisa

At the July SMGA board meeting, former president and trail crew member Mark Taylor presented a report on the work

Ben, his wife Cori, and son Zach have lived in San Marcos since 2007. A karst hydrogeologist by training, Ben

** Note: SMGA contributed a letter of support for a Texas Parks & Wildlife grant application, which resulted in an

This month, we’re celebrating the opening of our newest natural area, River Recharge Natural Area (RReNA). As part of this

Naturescape Photo Competition Have you taken photos in any of our natural areas? Do you have a shot you particularly

This account comes from Mark Taylor, former SMGA president and member of SMGA Trail Crew-zer Team. Joining him were current

SMGA is happy to announce the addition of a seventh natural area to the San Marcos Greenbelt. Known for years

Previously, trail names in the natural areas were engraved into cedar posts, with the lettering filled in with paint. For

SMGA, in collaboration with Roughhouse Brewery, is excited to announce the release of Hoppy Trails! Come and join us on

Geneva Gano grew up on a farm in Central Washington State, where she participated in 4-H and rode horses. She

The start of our hiking journey as a family was a way for us to bond with our children, reconnect

In partnership with the San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance, Hays County Master Naturalists, and Hays County Master Gardeners, the City of

Last December, Dr. Yihong Yuan in the TXST Geography Department reached out to me for a project she could assign

This month’s photos celebrate the richness and diversity of the birds that pass through Central Texas during the spring migration,

Cindy moved to San Marcos almost 30 years ago, after having caught a glimpse of the beautiful, crystal-clear San Marcos

Naturescape Photo CompetitionHave you taken photos in any of our natural areas? Do you have a shot you particularly like?

This has been a busy spring at the bird boxes in Prospect Natural Area. So far this year, 6 of

SMGA OFFICERS ELECTED Congratulations to SMGA’s newly elected officers: President—Diane PhalenVice President—Jon CraditTreasurer—Eric Weeks MARK TAYLOR HONORED Congratulations also to

Believing that creation care is central to its theology, the Episcopal Church has for years encouraged its members to work

The Great Springs Project to Build a 100-Mile Hike-and-Bike Trail from Austin to San Antonio   Scott Way grew up

“It smells . . . (long pause) . . . purple,” our daughter proclaimed the first time she encountered a

On Friday, April 1, members of the Upper San Marcos Watershed District (USMWD) board met with several SMGA board members

A native of Philadelphia, Rich Warms received his PhD in anthropology from Syracuse University and has been an anthropology professor

When the San Marcos Green Alley Initiative was first proposed more than two years ago, the San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance

Our adventure to Blanco Shoals Natural Area focused on a mindful hike through the trail and exploring the banks of

We set off on an adventure to hike Schulle Canyon, which is nestled in a quiet neighborhood close to Texas

With spring emerging leaf by leaf, now is the time to begin taking note of what’s sprouting or blooming on

NEW TRAILS COMING IN BUIE TRACT Magnificent oaks dotting the landscape; Kenny working on the single-track trail; sidewalk behind the

Olivia Palomares is a Digital Marketing Manager at ClosedLoop.ai. Though her company is based in Austin, Olivia has resided in

Grab your binoculars! We now have a bird viewing station in a San Marcos natural area. After approval by the

SMGA was approached a few years ago by Texas State University researchers wanting to learn more about how membership in

In June of 2021, otherwise known as Mid-Pandemic, Texas State student Ian Long approached SMGA about doing an internship with

Grasses are hard—not literally, of course, but in a taxonomic sense. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve turned

Thank you! Congratulations! We’ve been busy! More congratulations to Volunteer of the Year Monique Tschurr & Community Partner Wake the

What do you photograph when there’s nothing to take pictures of? That’s the dilemma photographers face in a brown winter

TENDING BIRD BOXES Interested in birds and/or participating in collecting data for an ongoing study? Rebekah Rylander has been studying

Melissa Katz was born and raised in Southern California. She received a BS in physiology from UC Davis and graduated

I love pulling weeds. Consequently, walking through our small woods, I can’t help myself. If I see beggar’s lice (Torilis

The slate of candidates who have agreed to serve as members of the SMGA Board are Alan Holzgrafe, Matt Lewis,

SMGA members Mark Taylor, Ben Taylor, and Joel Barks are currently working with students in Texas State University Professor Yihong

  I stopped in Spring Lake Natural Area for a short walk before going to the grocery. Along the way

Bees are some of the most effective pollinators of wild and cultivated crops in Texas. Without them we wouldn’t have

Our adventure to Ringtail Ridge was one of our favorite family hikes so far. This trail is located off Old

Register to join the San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance Board and your fellow members for the 2022 SMGA Annual Meeting from

SESSOM CREEK PROJECT SMGA has continued to work with the Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) staff to restore the landscape in

Vulnerable—that‘s how we’ve all felt at varying degrees in the time of COVID.  And just when we thought we had

This year’s Christmas Bird Count was held on a blustery, cold December 19th. The annual event has been conducted in

After a night of ringing in 2022 together, my family decided to continue the celebration, jump-starting our New Year’s resolutions

The past year has been challenging for SMGA, and for pretty much everyone else on the planet. However, we and

Our Outside/In column features books about ways to discover, enjoy, protect, and advocate for natural areas and the protection of

Todd is a Methodist pastor who leads the ecumenical United Campus Ministry at Texas State. In addition to college ministry,

Despite limitations imposed by the pandemic, roughly 45 SMGA volunteers have contributed several thousand hours of their time. Vice President