Trail Connect V
Monday November 6 | 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. | LBJSC Grand Ballroom
Join Texas State University and
Great Springs Project
for an afternoon with experts and enthusiasts engaging in panel discussions, collaborative brainstorming sessions, and a shared commitment to environmental conservation.
Event Agenda
3:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Check-In & Exhibits Open
3:30 p.m.
Trail Connect V Kick-off Welcome with Texas State University President Dr. Damphousse
3:45 - 4:05 p.m.
Texas State University - Open Space and Trails
4:10 - 4:40 p.m.
Mutual Benefits of Conservation and Growth
4:45 p.m.
Closing Remarks with Henry Cisneros
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Professional Networking Happy Hour + Exhibits
RSVP
Panel Discussions
Texas State University - Open Spaces and Trails
Join Garry Merritt, CEO of Great Springs Project as the Moderator with Andy Sansom, former Director of Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, and Gordon Bohmfalk, Director of Facilities Planning Design Construction, for a discussion on open spaces and green-ways at TXST.
Mutual Benefits of Conservation and Growth
Opening Keynote Speaker
Dr. Kelly Damphousse
Dr. Kelly Damphousse was named the tenth president of Texas State University on April 21, 2022, after a unanimous vote of The Texas State University System Board of Regents.
Before joining Texas State, President Damphousse served as chancellor of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro for five years. He previously served as associate dean and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma.
President Damphousse began his academic career as an assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and then at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, before joining the University of Oklahoma faculty. He is an accomplished scholar, having earned the title of Presidential Professor of Sociology at the University of Oklahoma based on his extensive research on terrorism, substance abuse, and the criminal justice system.
Panelists
Garry Merritt
CEO of Great Springs Project
Thad Rutherford
President & CEO of Southstar Communities
Dr. Andy Samson
Founder of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment & Professor of Practice, Department of Geography
Will Conley
Interim President of the Greater San Marcos Partnership
Gordon Bohmfalk
Director, Facilities Planning, Design & Construction - Texas State University
Hernan Jaramillo, PE, CFM, LGPP
President, Project Principal & Senior Project Manager for Bain Medina Bain, Inc.
Closing Keynote Speaker
Henry Cisneros
Henry Cisneros’ community-building career began at the local level. After serving three terms as a City Council member, in 1981, Mr. Cisneros became the first Hispanic-American mayor of a major U.S. city, San Antonio, Texas. During his four terms as Mayor, he helped rebuild the city’s economic base and spurred the creation of jobs through massive infrastructure and downtown improvements.
Mr. Cisneros is Chairman of American Triple I, an infrastructure investment firm based in New York. He is also a Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors & Joint Owner of Shank Williams Cisneros & Co., L.L.C, and Principal of Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC. a national municipal and corporate finance firm. Mr. Cisneros founded CityView in 2003 and continues to actively invest in its projects. CityView is a partner in building more than 100 communities in 13 states, building more than 7,000 homes with a total value of over $5 billion
Great Springs Project
Great Springs Project is working to create a greenway of protected lands between Austin and San Antonio over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone. This green corridor will be connected by a network of spring-to-spring trails, linking the four iconic springs of Central Texas: Barton Springs, San Marcos Springs, Comal Springs, and San Antonio Springs. Great Springs Project works to unify existing local efforts to address the most critical water, land, wildlife, and public health challenges facing the Central Texas region.
Uniquely Texan
The Edwards Aquifer, a naturally occurring subsurface reservoir capable of storing and yielding significant quantities of water, is one of the most permeable and productive sources of potable groundwater in the world.
The entire Edwards Aquifer extends along the narrow belt of Balcones Fault Zone from the north of Georgetown through Austin, San Marcos, New Braunfels, San Antonio, Hondo, Sabinal and Uvalde to Brackettville. This limestone aquifer is separated into three portions by groundwater divides at Kyle in Hays county and at the Colorado River. The central portion, from Kyle to Colorado River is referred to as the Barton Springs segment.
A major problem facing the Edwards Aquifer is the threat of overdrafting the average annual recharge and maintaining natural springflows, especially during times of extreme drought. Springflows from the Comal and San Marcos Springs provide water for the tourist and recreation industry, critical habitat of several endangered species, appropriated water use downstream on the Gulf Coastal Plain, and the San Antonio Bay ecosystem.
Sponsors & Supporters
