Restore the spring-run corridor's dry bank, site 5, the public Wetlands Boardwalk and Spring Lake shoreline nature trail, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment (Texas State University, public education and research facility), 201 San Marcos Springs Dr, San Marcos, TX 78666, Hays County (2026-08-04)

The survey above found a bare, eroding, or litter-strewn dry bank along the San Marcos Springs spring-run corridor, and coordinated dry-bank native planting protects the water quality feeding habitat for the San Marcos salamander, the Texas blind salamander, and the fountain darter. Standard: USDA NRCS conservation practice standard 580 streambank and shoreline protection plus conservation practice standard 342 critical area planting, applied here to the San Marcos Springs spring-run corridor feeding the upper San Marcos River, one of the largest and most biologically diverse spring systems in Texas and habitat for the San Marcos salamander, the Texas blind salamander, and the fountain darter, Hays County, TX, dry-bank work only, never a spring-opening approach. SDG 6.6 and 15.1. Proof: meadows or parks coordination confirm plus before after photos plus species and count record plus GPS Method (USDA NRCS conservation practice standard 580 streambank and shoreline protection plus conservation practice standard 342 critical area planting, applied here to the San Marcos Springs spring-run corridor feeding the upper San Marcos River, one of the largest and most biologically diverse spring systems in Texas and habitat for the San Marcos salamander, the Texas blind salamander, and the fountain darter, Hays County, TX, dry-bank work only, never a spring-opening approach. SDG 6.6 and 15.1.): 1. 1. Confirm the site and work plan with Texas State University Meadows Center staff or City of San Marcos Parks and Recreation staff before starting; this is spring-opening-adjacent habitat, extra care required. 2. 2. Photograph the bare, eroding, or litter-strewn dry bank before starting, from the same vantage used in the survey. 3. 3. Hand remove litter and hand plant native riparian species in soil pockets on the dry bank above the waterline, hand tools only, never approaching a spring orifice or entering the water. 4. 4. Hand mulch the plantings and photograph the restored stretch from the matching before vantage, recording species and count. Done when: Confirmation the stretch and planting plan were coordinated with Meadows Center or parks staff; Before photo of the bare, eroding, or litter-strewn dry bank; Confirmation work stayed on the dry bank above the waterline, no spring orifice was approached, and the water was never entered; Native riparian species and count recorded; After photo of the restored stretch from the matching vantage

Where

the public Wetlands Boardwalk and Spring Lake shoreline nature trail, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment (Texas State University, public education and research facility), 201 San Marcos Springs Dr, San Marcos, TX 78666, Hays County

Pay

$290 proposed

This packet is not funded yet, so this figure is a proposed price and not money waiting in escrow. If a buyer funds it, approved proof settles that price onchain. If nobody funds it, approved proof earns provable credit toward the work instead of cash. You see which before you claim, never after.

Proof

meadows or parks coordination confirm plus before after photos plus species and count record plus GPS

This is exactly what gets it approved. Nothing settles without it.

Level

advanced

Open until

2026-09-03

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 30–60 minutes. Method of record: EPA dry-weather / AMD field screening

Bring

• GPS phone
• pH meter or strips
• conductivity meter
• ammonia + iron test kit as specified
• surfactant screen if specified
• gloves
• camera

Steps

1. 1. Navigate to the outfall/reach; record GPS; photograph it, capturing any visible flow or staining.
2. 2. Note whether flow is present in dry weather (yes/no).
3. 3. Measure and record pH, conductivity, and each specified analyte per kit instructions.
4. 4. Log any color, odor, floc, or aquatic-life observation.
5. 5. Enter all readings with units, GPS, time, and photos into the proof record; sign.

If it does not match the plan

• Dry-weather flow present with elevated conductivity/ammonia/surfactants -> flag suspected illicit discharge for the responsible agency.
• pH < 6 with visible iron floc -> tag suspected acid mine drainage; recommend metals lab panel.

What counts as done

• Confirmation the stretch and planting plan were coordinated with Meadows Center or parks staff
• Before photo of the bare, eroding, or litter-strewn dry bank
• Confirmation work stayed on the dry bank above the waterline, no spring orifice was approached, and the water was never entered
• Native riparian species and count recorded
• After photo of the restored stretch from the matching vantage

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.

The standard this serves

Watershed Health. A watershed is everything the land pours into a stream, and the stream keeps the record. The EPA's bioassessment method reads that record through the small creatures living in the gravel: mayflies and caddisflies mean clean water, only worms and midges mean trouble. Mastery looks like a person who can wade one riffle with a net and tell you how the whole valley is doing. That skill is built sample by sample. This packet is one of them: one site, one careful count, one entry in the long record of a stream.