Today we’d like to introduce you to Jon Cradit.
Hi Jon, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance was formed about 27 years ago to design, build, and maintain hike and bike trails on city owned natural areas. The City owned large tracts of hill country natural area to protect the city from flooding and protect the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone to keep rain water flowing to the springs. The natural areas could not be built on or, what some would call, developed. Therefore, it was a great opportunity to build nature trails and get families, civic groups, and individuals outside to enjoy natural and build support to protect the natural resources.
We now have over 30-miles of trails in ten different natural areas. This was done totally with volunteer labor and donations, with a large support from the City Parks and Recreation Dept. Besides trail building we do outreach and environmental education. When the Great Springs Project trail gets to San Marcos we will tie our current trails into it.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There were a few challenges the first few years but then we got into a rethem. Now we have a great team of volunteers and a dedicate board of directors. We also have a great working relationship with the City PARD.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a retired karst hydrogeologist and a caver by hobby. This gives me an appreciation for protection of the Edwards recharge zone, natural drainage systems, and nature as a whole. All of this is rolled into building trails on in the natural areas.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
As more people move into the area there will be more pressure and a larger demand from folks to get outside and decompress.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://smgreenbelt.org
Image Credits
(I wish I knew before hand that you would want photos. I don’t have any on the laptop)
In the photo I attached are:
Jon Cradit (orange), Brandon Smith, Greg Moore. Beginning the construction of the kiosk at River Recharge Natural Area.
