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UGRA to Build Partnership with Guadalupe-Blanco
River Trust
Kerrville,
TX, October 27, 2004 –
The
Upper Guadalupe River Authority Board of Directors today approved
establishing a partnership with the Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust. The mission of the Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust
(the “Trust”) is to promote and encourage the conservation, stewardship and
enjoyment of the land and water resources of the Guadalupe River watershed, while maintaining its unique and irreplaceable
natural heritage. UGRA President Janet Robinson said, “We are very excited about working with the
Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust to further stewardship of the Upper Guadalupe watershed.” Trust President Pam Hodges thanked the UGRA
for their support of the Trust and stated, “We have a commonality of
interests and purpose revolving around stewardship of the watershed. Working together, the three organizations
will be more effective in that mission.”
Todd Votteler, Executive Director of the Trust, said, “Our new
partnership will create a land and water trust that is supported by both
river authorities and is devoted to the conservation of the entire
river. This will make the Trust a
unique conservation organization within the State of Texas.”
The
Trust facilitates the voluntary conservation of resources within the
Guadalupe watershed, which is under increasing pressure from development and
fragmentation. UGRA’s decision to
partner with the Trust was driven by the fact that the flow of clear, quality
water in the Upper Guadalupe is directly dependant on the health of the
watershed. According to Greg Etter, UGRA
General Manager, “This partnership will create synergies and be of
substantial benefit to the Upper Guadalupe and Kerr County. Voluntary
conservation and sound land management by private landowners are the keys to protecting
and enhancing water quantity and quality in the Upper Guadalupe.” The Trust and UGRA will be working closely
together in Kerr County. UGRA will
be naming a Kerr County representative to sit on the Trust’s Board, which
will be expanded to eight members. Final
approval of the partnership by the Trust and Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority
(“GBRA”) Boards will occur in November.
Further information about the Trust, which was established by GBRA in
2001, can be found at www.gbrtrust.org.
The UGRA Board was also briefed on the results
of UGRA’s annual bacteria monitoring program.
This year’s results once again showed the Upper Guadalupe to be in
good shape for swimming, with few exceptions. UGRA and the Volunteer River
Monitors combine to sample 32 swimming areas on a weekly basis during the
swimming season. Samples are analyzed
in UGRA’s state-of-the-art environmental laboratory. The Volunteer River Monitors Program was
successfully initiated in 2003 and expanded in 2004. The response to the call for volunteers has
been positive, and UGRA plans to continue the Program in 2005. Etter expressed thanks to the volunteers,
saying, “Volunteer monitoring plays an important role in understanding and
protecting the River that means so much to the people of Kerr County.”
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UGRA aspires to be respected for its efficient, responsive and
forthright stewardship of the Upper Guadalupe River and its tributaries.
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