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The entire community will benefit from having a Wilds cape at the Interpretive Center. The City of San Marcos is currently working on acquiring more greenspace and this project is an essential step in educating the public about the importance of greenspace and what can be done with those areas once acquired. The Pride School, a San Marcos High School challenge program designed for students who need directed guidance, will playa leading role in our wetland restoration project. The Native Plant Society is planning to sponsor one raised bed for the Wilds cape program, and we have the support of the Master Gardeners and the Master Naturalists of Hays County. Priority Funding Elements Aquarena Center, located at Spring Lake (headwaters of the San Marcos River) pulled in 125,000 visitors in 1998, of which 40,000 were school groups. We estimate a higher number of visitors, as well as continuing visits, because of our proximity to IH-35, our diverse educational opportunities, and long-range programs. For just the local schools alone, there are 2700 elementary, 2740 junior high, and 1900 high school students. With the support of local groups, such as the Pride High School, the Native Plant Society, Hays County Master Naturalists, Hays County Master Gardeners, San Marcos Art League, San Marcos River Foundation, and the Heritage Society, we should be able to draw in a large community base of the San Marcos area. The population of the City of San Marcos is roughly 60 percent Hispanic, the majority of which is lower-income families. Our programs will be geared toward the local and regional schools, and the local community. In addition, our programs will closely mirror the Texas Parks and Wildlife Program relating to Wildscaping. We will also be promoting other recreational opportunities that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department promotes, such as nature walks, fishing, birding, nature photography and nature education (these are similar to TPWD's Nature Trackers, Rare and Wild Texas, and Texas Critters programs). Some of our school programs will be patterned after the Project Wild.program, which Texas Parks and Wildlife sponsors. All grant money will go directly to materials to develop the Wilds cape program. The City of San Marcos will cover overhead expenses (see budget). The City of San Marcos will commit to the project with in-kind services of $19,830 dollars, as follows: · Soil-$15/yard total 100 yards.... $1500 · 40 plant identification signs at $25/piece.... $1000 · Mulch for trails through the Wildscape @ $15/yard for a total of 1000 yards... .$15,000 · 100 labor hours... $1000. · Rebar 3/8 of inch in diameter for a 1600 square feet area. . .. $80 · Overhead expenses....$1250 · The Lower Colorado River Authority has awarded the City of San Marcos $25,000 dollars to develop kiosk signs throughout the nature trail system which originates at the Wildscape area.