Headwaters at Incarnate Word Inc

Habitat Restoration Program:The Headwaters Sanctuary: We share a sacred responsibility to care for God's creation. The San Antonio area is undergoing rapid urban growth, climate stressors, and biodiversity pressure. One 53-acre oasis in downtown San Antonio remains-the Headwaters Sanctuary. Sheltering the Blue Hole, the primary spring of the San Antonio River, the Sanctuary is protected in perpetuity by a conservation easement agreement. Headwaters is committed to the preservation and restoration of this urban refuge.The Headwaters ecological restoration vision plan addresses the need for an unfragmented native habitat corridor to support diverse native wildlife and migratory species in a growing urban center while simultaneously providing visitors with a connection to nature. In 2024, the Headwaters staff and our community volunteers engaged in the practical, hands-on restoration and protection of local natural resources within this corridor. Headwaters offered supervised volunteer sessions every Wednesday, Saturday, and frequently Friday mornings throughout the year, pausing only for extreme summer heat in mid-July through August. Headwaters staff and dedicated volunteers prepared and maintained trails, cleared debris, removed invasive species, and planted and maintained native plants. A total of 575 volunteers contributed 4698 service hours to Headwaters Stewardship Programs.Bird City San Antonio - Partner Organization: Headwaters habitat restoration work continued to support Bird City San Antonio certification requirements. Headwaters shared habitat restoration progress with Bexar Audubon South Central Texas representatives throughout the year. Headwaters is pleased to partner in this far reaching effort to protect and improve native habitat in the San Antonio area. Headwaters Earth Care 2024 A Year of Achievements, Plans, and Hope: Ecological Succession Continues: Prolonged drought and high spring/summer temperatures continue to stress our Hackberry trees, which produce desirable berries for wildlife. The forest transition has accelerated under these climate stressors. Yet, we do see signs of recovery amid this change. Native saplings and understory plants are responding. Dayflowers, Pigeonberry, Bluewood Condalia, Lotebush, and Turks Cap flourished this year. We continue our habitat restoration work to reduce the invasive plant population, augment the native seed supply, and provide more resources for our local and migratory wildlife. Along each trail, we view the land healing.Invasive Plant Management Program: Invasive plant species threaten the health of our forest by competing with native trees and suppressing understory species propagation that local and migratory wildlife require for sustenance and shelter. Wind, water, and birds introduce invasive seeds from neighboring properties to the Sanctuary. In 2024, Headwaters removed over 34,508 invasive plants, bringing the total removed since fall 2019 to 127,622. Headwaters has worked 54% of the Sanctuary (27 acres). In 2025, removal work on an additional 9 acres will deliver 72% of the Sanctuary initially cleared of invasive plants. Volunteers and Headwaters staff execute this multi-year program with limited assistance from hired tree crews as funds are available.Forest Floor Restoration Project: Native grass seed has been cast onto the forest floor, creating a more robust native seed bank to compete with invasive seeds present. Pedestrians can view Inland Sea Oats and Wildrye grasses along our pedestrian trails. Native grasses support insects, birds, and small mammals by providing foraging materials, food sources, and host plants. These drought-tolerant and deep-rooted grasses help reduce erosion, increase carbon sequestration, and improve soil health.The Circle of the Springs Garden Program: Headwaters continued to maintain the Sanctuary's 80-foot diameter Circle of the Springs Garden, composed of 16 planting beds with 43 native pollinator plant species to support local and migratory wildlife. The Buttonbush, Heartleaf Hibiscus, Apache Plume, Desert Rue, Lindheimer's Muhly, Dwarf Barbados Cherry, Datura, and Gulf Muhly were exceptional this year. In 2025, Headwaters will upgrade the drip irrigation system and install QR code signage to make garden and prairie plant information available to visitors.Native Prairie Program: After 2.5 years of preparation, the field surrounding the garden has been seeded with 13 grass species to establish a native short grass prairie. The area will remain fenced to protect the young grass plants from curious visitors until fully established. The prairie will provide food and nesting materials for wildlife, a significant addition to our habitat corridor along the migratory flyway.Butterfly and Bird Population: Volunteers completed North American Butterfly Association surveys in June and October 2024. The Headwaters Fall survey reported 31 butterfly species (53%) of the total species reported in all San Antonio survey sites. Headwaters monitors the species and population counts year to year, noting the habitat changes and environmental stressors. After each 2nd Friday Bird Walk, our Bexar Audubon guides file an eBird report. Since spring 2016, our docents have recorded the Headwaters Bird Walks to eBird.Volunteer Support: Over 621 volunteers contributed 5,296 service hours to support our Earth Care Mission. Our 2024 community support included members of the Texas Master Naturalist; River Aid San Antonio, Incarnate Word High School; Native Plant Society of Texas; Ronald Reagan High School, University of the Incarnate Word; Boy Scouts of America; Trinity University; St Anthony Catholic High School; Stantec, Inc.; United States Air Force; Young Men's Service League; Teens Give Back; Edgewood Fine Arts Academy; Our Lady of the Lake University; San Antonio Gaelic Athletic Club; HDR; University of Texas at San Antonio; Texas Conservation Corp; Bexar County Youth; Maestas & Associates, LLC; National Charity League, Texas Invaders, Salsa Squad; Salesforce; Culligan Southwest, Inc.; Lockwood, Andrews, and Newnam, Inc.; San Antonio Christian High School; Young Men's Leadership Academy; Engineers without Borders USA; EOG Resources; Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance; Kappa Delta Chi Society; Pape Dawson Engineers, United Health Group; and Wellmed Medical Management, Inc.2025 Headwaters Plans: Water for Wildlife Project: A solar-powered wildlife water station near the new native grass prairie will operate in 2025. The project is a collaborative effort between Headwaters and an engineering class from the University of the Incarnate Word. Community donations and a gift from The Skiles Foundation funded the project.Donated Services (In-Kind) received for 2024 amounted to $154,768.

Environmental Education Program: During volunteer service sessions, Headwaters offered practical knowledge and guidance in land stewardship. Public response to our Sanctuary-guided bird and nature programming was strong. Community and school tours included a brief history of the ministry of Headwaters Sanctuary and an overview of our habitat programs. 2025 Guided nature walks, presentations, and tours will remain free and open to the public. Sanctuary wildlife and phenology survey work will continue. Our Environmental Film Series will resume when a facility with parking is secured.Donated Services (In-Kind) received for 2024 amounted to $3,173.