GBRA Uses TPWD Grant To Educate VISD Students About The Guadalupe River Watershed

“We want the students to gain an appreciation for local water resources. At this particular field trip, we are introducing students to the San Marcos River…”

GONZALES, Texas — The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) in partnership with the Victoria Independent School District (VISD) is offering more than 180 high school Aquatic Science students two outdoor field trips to Palmetto State Park 10:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Nov. 15-16, 2017. The field trips are made possible by a $44,000 grant to GBRA from the Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) Community Outdoor Outreach Program (CO-OP).

“We want the students to gain an appreciation for local water resources. At this particular field trip, we are introducing students to the San Marcos River,” said Cinde Thomas-Jimenez, GBRA’s environmental education administrator. “This will be achieved through participation in environmental education activities as well as outdoor recreation activities.”

Thomas-Jimenez explained that students will rotate through five stations: water quality, which includes gathering and classifying macroinvertebrates and using sophisticated water quality sensors; kayaking; fishing/seining; outdoor cooking; and nature walking/bird watching.

These outdoor learning sessions are geared to help students with the following:

• Understand the connections between freshwater and saltwater resources in the Guadalupe River Basin.
• Demonstrate an understanding of water quality through analysis of data.
• Demonstrate knowledge of aquatic flora and fauna in freshwater and saltwater sources.
• Gain an appreciation for water recreation in fresh and saltwater sources.
• Demonstrate skills involved in water quality monitoring.

GBRA is one of 39 organizations to receive funds from the TPWD’s CO-OP Grant. TPWD awarded nearly $1.5 million to organizations and agencies statewide.

GBRA Communications and Education staff disseminates press releases to local media and posts accordingly on the press release page of GBRA’s website: www.gbra.org.  Information also is shared on GBRA’s social media accounts through Instagram and Twitter “@GBRATX” and Facebook at “GBRA of Texas.”

The GBRA was established by the Texas Legislature in 1933 as a water conservation and reclamation district. GBRA provides stewardship for the water resources in its 10-county statutory district, which begins near the headwaters of the Guadalupe and Blanco rivers, ends at San Antonio Bay, and includes Kendall, Comal, Hays, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Gonzales, DeWitt, Victoria, Calhoun, and Refugio counties.