2008 Annual Report
Bexar Land Trust spent much of 2006 building the organization, strengthening its financial base, and increasing its visibility. 2007 found broader recognition of Bexar Land Trust’s role in the community and greater receptivity to its goals. The completion of three pilot community gardens and the purchase of two new conservation easements under the City of San Antonio’s (COSA’s) Proposition One Aquifer Protection Program made 2007 a year of results. In 2008, Bexar Land Trust put a new face to the public with the name Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas. Strategic alliances and a strengthened e-presence added to the recognition of the organization. Green Spaces helped preserve 20,000 acres under Proposition One and added 12 new gardens to the community.
Land Conservation Efforts
Aquifer Protection Program Preserves 20,000 Acres: The year began with the expectation that Green Spaces would help preserve approximately 20,000 acres in Medina and Uvalde counties through its work with COSA on the Proposition One Aquifer Protection Program. That goal has been accomplished with closings on the Moore, Hammond, Brucks, Koch, and Oefinger properties.
Mitigation Opportunities Increase: The need to survey a meandering boundary slowed the mitigation efforts on two pieces of property that were set aside in mitigation of ongoing improvements to the San Antonio River. The San Antonio River Authority and COSA have almost completed the survey, and all the details for holding of the easement should be finalized in 2009.
Private Landowners Clamor for Conservation Easements: 2008 saw an exponential increase in the number of landowners contacting Green Spaces about the possibility of protecting their lands. Dean Bibles, chair of the Land Committee, joined Julie and Land Conservation Manager Grant Ellis on the initial site visits to properties in Helotes, north Bexar County, and Uvalde. Julie, Grant, Amy Whitley, and John Waugh viewed potential easements in Medina and Uvalde counties. Julie and Grant investigated additional properties in Guadalupe and Comal counties. Several of the landowners are interested in compensation for their easements, and others see the benefit of the federal tax incentive for conservation. A plan has been made for preserving in 2009 many of the lands first viewed in 2008.
Grant Ellis mustered a team of experts to investigate a potential donated easement in Uvalde County in December. The experts included Harry Schafer, Dean Bibles, Lynn Kitchen, Richard Heilbron, Amy Whitley, and Amy Galvin.
Community Garden Network Grows to 15: Fifteen different gardens across San Antonio now form the core of the Green Spaces Community Garden Network. There are now thousands of people involved with the gardens as core members, garden volunteers, and participants in activities at the gardens. Linda Hardberger, chair of the Community Gardens Committee, continues to advocate for the gardens and attract gardeners, many of whom receive the benefit of resources, experience, and volunteers garnered by Angela Hartsell, community garden coordinator. Twelve new gardens were nurtured and funded with the support of the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation, the Lattner Family Foundation, and Les Dames d’Escoffier in 2008.
The gardens vary in size from a quarter of a quarter-acre lot to eight acres. They stretch across the south, east, and west of San Antonio and into a 25-year-old suburban north-central neighborhood, High Country. They vary in style and content as well. For example, Denver Heights Garden, with its naturalscape, comfortable benches, and gazebo provides an attractive park-like setting for users of the Denver Heights Community Center. The new East Side Garden, like the Presa St. Garden, is primarily a vegetable garden.
Green Spaces Programs
Picture Your World Engages More Kids: The Picture Your World Youth Photography Project has increased in popularity due to the effective management of the program by its director, Sherry Christensen, and the increased coverage of the program by the San Antonio Express-News, which continues to support the program with grants of ads. Michael Goldstein has been the Board’s chair for the program. H-E-B and USAA Federal Savings Bank continue to provide funding for the weekend workshops and the photo contest. The Boeing Company has added its support this year by donating two laptops and funding classes for students of elementary schools in the San Antonio Independent School District and the Edgewood Independent School District.
The well-attended program attracted families to Crownridge Canyon, Cibolo Creek Ranch, Landa Library, and Green Gateways Conservation Easement. Photographers for the program include Lisa Mittler, Melanie Rush-Davis, and Joan Frederich. Naturalists are Patty Pasztor, Holly Camero, and Paul Cox. The photographic exhibit associated with the city-wide youth photo contest took place at the San Antonio Central Library and traveled throughout the summer and fall to other libraries in the system.
Public Lectures Resonate with the Public: Green Spaces inaugurated its first public lecture of the year along with its new name at Trinity University on Earth Day. Professor Kelly Lyons and Trinity University’s Biology Department collaborated on that event. David Taylor, a nature writer, expounded upon his craft.
As part of the UTSA Great Cities Dialogue Series and Green Spaces’ Public Lecture Series, the UTSA School of Public Policy, Professor Francine Sanders Romero, and Dean Jesse T. Zapata hosted Dr. Thomas Lovejoy of The Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment. More than 400 people attended the lecture, which was recorded by Ernie Villareal and broadcast on Texas Public Radio’s Newsmaker Hour.
Professional Seminars Teach Landowners: In lieu of a professional seminar this year, Julie Koppenheffer presented a session on conservation easements to approximately 250 lawyers at the Texas Bar Association’s Advanced Real Estate Course in July. She also organized and moderated a segment on Green Spaces for Sustainable Neighborhoods for the COSA Community Development Summit in September.
Angela Hartsell, community garden coordinator, made presentations to numerous groups including one at the SoL Center which was videoed for posterity. She organized a series of six workshops for community gardeners, drawing upon experts from the Master Gardeners; SAWS; Board members, Albert Fernandez, Jr., and Beth Bender Wells; and the gardening community at large.
"Hometown Grown" Proves Food is Always a Draw: Texas Public Radio, sponsored by Rackspace Managed Hosting, covered the airwaves with promotional ads and provided the venue and the food for the “Hometown Grown” workshop in which a phalanx of local organizations partnered with Green Spaces and TPR to spread the word about gardening. This event marked Green Spaces’s first collaboration with the Culinary Institute of America. Calvin Finch of the San Antonio Water System discussed best watering practices; Rosina Newton – AKA The Bug Lady – discussed the good, the bad, and the ugly bugs; and Valerie Sponsel, a botanist at UTSA, spoke on propagating plants. Finally, Thea Platz with the Texas Master Naturalists discussed wild edibles.
Rebranding
At the Board Retreat at Mayor Phil and Linda Hardberger’s lake house, Lionel and Kathy Sosa helped the Board clarify Green Spaces’s mission statement and arrive at a new name that better communicates what the organization does. Thus, Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas was born. The mission remains the same: to facilitate, advocate, and educate for the preservation of land, natural resources, and our historical and archeological heritage. However, the expression of the mission has been simplified: to keep more of South Texas green.
Jill Giles of Giles Design, Inc., came up with an iconic and simplified logo. Juan Proaño of Plus Three redesigned the Web site to provide an updated and interactive portal to the Web world. Dianne Powell and Mary Byrd at Sellmark continue to help let the public know about Green Spaces’s events, activities, and accomplishments.
The name and activities of Green Spaces Alliance have increasingly caught the attention of the public. The San Antonio Express-News has provided high-quality coverage of the community gardens and Proposition One programs. Texas Public Radio’s 53 on-air promos for the “Home Grown” event and others for the Dr. Lovejoy lecture made more people aware of Green Spaces’s mission and activities. The San Antonio Current, Scene in SA, blogs, commercial radio stations, Trinity Broadcasting Network, and WOAI have all featured Green Spaces's programs.
Grants and Awards
Series of Grants Support Community Gardens: The Kronkosky Charitable Foundation (KCF) remains a strong supporter of the Community Garden Program. In December, 2008 KCF provided a $100,000 grant for administration of the program and six to eight new gardens. In May, the Lattner Family Foundation provided funds for the Community Garden Program that enabled Green Spaces to expand the program beyond the city core.
New Funders and Old Support Picture Your World: USAA Federal Savings Bank continued its long-term support to the Picture Your World Youth Photo Project. The Boeing Company helped to expand the PYW program into the public schools with its grant.
Bank of America Honors Green Spaces: Green Spaces was honored with the $200,000 Neighborhood Builder Award from Bank of America, a grant that goes to support the operation of the organization. A further honor in 2008 was the Heritage Education Award from Preservation Texas.
Infrastructure Grants Provide Benefit: Green Spaces received support for infrastructure improvements from the Myra Stafford Pryor Charitable Trust grant administered by Frost National Bank.
Entering the E-Age
The Marketing Committee of George Muellich, Sonya Dawson, Beth Wells, Dean Bibles, and Terry McDevitt joined by Lionel Sosa decided to use the Internet rather than paper to communicate with members and the community as much as possible. Thus, the bi-monthly e-communications to over 2,500 correspondents began. These communications provide Green Spaces’s members and supporters with more timely information than the quarterly newsletters did previously. The new Web site invites interaction from the public as does Green Spaces’s presence on YouTube, Flickr, and Facebook.
Staff and Consultants
Grant Ellis joined Green Spaces in April as its first full-time land conservation manager. Claudia Harding pitched in on promotional and development activities during her tenure as an intern from August through November. Katie Peebles was promoted to administrative manager in November in recognition of the level of her contributions to our e-presence and grant writing.
Bookkeeping, marketing, and management of the Picture Your World Youth Photography Project continue to be accomplished with the help of outside consultants.
Board
2008 Executive Committee Stays Active: The Board has been very active in 2008. The executive committee – Michael Hernandez, presdient; Dean Bibles and Beth Wells, vice presidents; Amy Whitley, secretary; Albert Fernandez, Jr., past president; and Jim Horan, treasurer – met monthly except for October and November when a plethora of Green Spaces board meetings and activities dislodged the meeting schedule.
Board Oversees Multiple Programs: Linda Hardberger’s Community Garden Committee met periodically to make strategic decisions in the selection of new gardens for the Starter Grant Program. Vice President Beth Wells has remained a stalwart member, contributing her skills to the events and activities of the organization. John Lunde organized a well-considered search for complementary Board members. Dean Bibles headed the Land Committee.
Events Reach New Heights: Betty Berchelmann organized Legends of the Land at Los Patios. Her concept of Native American dance and storytelling alongside Salado Creek perfectly embodied the spirit of Green Spaces. Sonya Dawson stepped onto the Board and into the role of chair of the Green Spaces Gala held at the home of Advisory Board member James Lifshutz. A crowd of 300 people gathered at Willow Way to enjoy the evening outdoors among the webs of history and nature.
Conclusion
The year 2009 begins with many opportunities and the usual challenges. Green Spaces is currently working with 18 landowners who own 18,000 acres of land. The Community Gardens Program is growing and should grow even faster this year due to strategic alliances that will spread gardens for food sustainability to the individuals who need them the most. The number of youthful participants in the Picture Your World Youth Photography Project is expanding thanks to increased publicity and word-of-mouth accolades. Green Spaces’s responsibility as a steward of the environment continues, and with growing support we anticipate even greater progress.