The Great Springs Project: A Nonprofit with a Vision

Perhaps you’re familiar with the Emerald Crown Trail proposal spearheaded by SMGA. This regional trail would link Buda, Kyle and San Marcos with one another, and hopefully with the Violet Crown Trail being developed by the Hill Country Conservancy south from Austin. Check out the Violet Crown Trail, and the Emerald Crown Trail master plan, at the links below.

Well, think on an even larger scale: How about a national park-scale continuous corridor of greenways and trails linking Austin and San Antonio? That’s the mission of the Great Springs Project (GSP), a nonprofit that is working to preserve land in sensitive areas near Central Texas’ major springs while connecting communities with trails. In San Marcos, the GSP has assisted the San Marcos River Foundation and SMGA, partnering with the city to acquire and preserve a greenway loop around San Marcos. Our local success serves as an example for the work under way in Comal County and other areas to achieve GSP’s laudable goal.

Learn about GSP’s background and work in a recent edition of The Rivard Report: https://therivardreport.com/great-springs-project-envisions-a-network-of-trails-from-austin-to-san-antonio/

And check out GSP’s website: https://greatspringsproject.org/ 

Violet Crown Trail website: https://violetcrowntrail.com/ 

Written by Mark Taylor, former SMGA president, Trail Crew member, and SMGA liaison with the Emerald Crown Trail Project