River Restoration Project

Agressive invasive non-native plant species targeted in restoration project.

Long-term monitoring and protection

Texas State University and the City of San Marcos are committed to long term maintenance of the restoration sites. Volunteers with the San Marcos River Foundation and Aquarena's Diving For Science Volunteers will continue to work along the river and underwater, with multiple river "clean ups" annually, coordinating with the University and City on the highest priority needs for volunteer assistance along the river. These volunteer teams will be available to continue the native plant care and invasive plant removal along with Aquarena Center's Lake Maintenance Staff, City of San Marcos 'Adopt-A-River" volunteers, student organizations and the surrounding community. Federal, state and local agencies will provide technical support as teams continue restoration down river.

Aquarena Center Cleanup Programs

The unique and critical habitat of Spring Lake requires a carefully managed habitat conservation program. The San Marcos River Foundation (SMRF) works with Aquarena to provide regular water hyacinth, elephant ear and asian iris removal the first and third Wednesday of every month from 4pm-6pm and the 4th Saturday at 9 am-noon. Volunteers meet at the Wetlands nursery at Aquarena. Expect to get wet and dirty so dress accordingly. For more information contact: SMRF

San Marcos River Restoration

Funded by a National Fish & Wildlife Foundation 5 star grant and a National Park Service, Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program grant, Aquarena has partnered with the City of San Marcos, San Marcos River Foundation, Lion's Club, American Youthcorps and local volunteers to remove exotic plants from sink creek, the Wetlands at Aquarena and Spring Lake.

Volunteer painstakingly removes invasive elephant ears along wetlands boardwalk and Spring Lake.

Approximately 6600 square feet of riparian shoreline has been restored to native plant species. Non-native plant species (hydrilla, elephant ear, water hyacinth and honeysuckle) are a tremendous threat to the ecosystem of the San Marcos River, creating exaggerated shade levels, causing plant decay, decreased oxygen and fish kills. Additionally these non-native species are poor bank stabilizers, contributing to excessive bank erosion. Chinese Tallow and Ligustrom are two non-native trees that have been targeted for removal on the hillside adjacent to Aquarena and Spring Lake.

Stewardship Camps

The San Marcos River Restoration project is an ongoing innovative partnership among multiple public and private sector entities in the fields of education, resource management, and recreation. The objectives of the project are two fold: habitat restoration and service learning camps. Two service learning camps were held at Aquarena focussing on junior high age adolescents. During these camps, students learned about exotic species and their negative affect on habitats. Students combined their stewardship activies, assisting in the removal of japanese honeysuckle, water hyacinth and elephant ears in the Wetlands at Aquarena, while honing their canoeing skills, replanting native species, and learning how to control ersosion. Students were rewarded for their hard work with fun recreational activities, including kayaking and tubing on the San Marcos river.

Restoration Nursery

Aquarena Center's Lake Maintenance staff with the assistance of Diving for Science Volunteers converted the abandoned "Wetlands" Nursery into a restoration nursery incorporating flow-through plant tanks that directly resseed surrounding wetlands. Approximately 4000 native plants, including horesetail rush, bulrush, spike rush and American water willow were propagated and transplanted throughout the Wetlands Boardwalk using cages to protect them from predators such as nutria, turtles and birds. The same "flow-through" method was used to convert a large pond, beneath the former sky ride from the Aquarena Springs theme park, into a plant refugio that reseeds directly into Spring lake enhancing natural growth cycles.

River Systems Institute

Aquarena Center

Online Resources