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• Project Description The City of San Marcos is requesting a $24,909 TPWD/CO-OP grant to support the Outdoor Environmental Education Access Initiative, a special project of the San Marcos Nature Center that is designed to engage at-risk San Marcos youth in interactive outdoor environmental education, recreation and community service. TPWD grant funds will subsidize summer camps, day trips, and outdoor learning activities for underserved youth in San Marcos. There will be no cost to participants to ensure universal accessibility. The project's outdoor service component will engage and guide youth (ages 6 -17) in the creation, development and maintenance of habitat for our Butterfly House, which is currently under construction in the gardens directly behind the Nature Center building. Funded in part through a grant from the Mitchell Foundation, the Butterfly House will provide a beautiful habitat for 7 species of butterflies with plants, a walkway, fountains, housing for the caterpillars, and educational signage to teach visitors about the butterflies in our area. Another component of the outreach will be to take the entire sixth grade in the San Marcos Consolidated School District on a field trip to teach them about the ecological sensitivity of the San Marcos River to include trips to the Federal Fish Hatchery, Wastewater Treatment Plant, San Marcos River, and San Marcos Springs to learn about river ecology, endangered and invasive species, and water quality. The sixth grade will be taken two classrooms at a time over a period of five days in small groups to experience this unique educational opportunity. The City of San Marcos' Parks and Recreation Department will finance $17,823 in personnel costs from budgeted funds and will sustain the project after the TPWD grant period ends - no match required. The City's financial contribution represents 28% of the total project cost. Volunteer support valued at $19,890 has also been committed to the project, which will be carried out in partnership with TPWD, Master Gardeners, San Marcos CISD, the San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance, Youth Services Bureau, the Boys and Girls Club of San Marcos and other community-based organizations. 0