The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University and BlueTriton Brands, Inc., have launched an expanded three-year partnership to continue working together to ensure the long-term sustainability of Texas’ water resources.
Building on the successes of their five-year partnership, BlueTriton, a packaged water company, and the Meadows Center will scale community science efforts across the state and enhance sustainability education onsite at Spring Lake in San Marcos.
“We are excited to continue our support of the Meadows Center,” said Trey Mixon, natural resource manager for BlueTriton and OzarkaÒ 100% Natural Spring Water. “Their leadership in water stewardship, management and sustainability aligns very well with the work we do at BlueTriton and we look forward to collaborating on future projects, including our scholarship awards and the incredible Texas Stream Team.”
Over the next three years, the Meadows Center’s Texas Stream Team program will recruit and train community scientists to mobilize longterm monitoring efforts in targeted regions of Texas, including near bottling plants operated by BlueTriton. Texas Stream Team, one of the nation’s longest-running and most successful community science programs, leads a network of more than 11,400 trained community scientists who monitor and report monthly water quality and environmental data for waterways across the state.
“The nature of the state’s water crisis is of such magnitude that collaboration across sectors, disciplines and boundaries is the only way we can drive lasting positive changes for our natural resources,” said Robert Mace, Ph.D., executive director of the Meadows Center.
He said, “This unique partnership shows what is possible when companies and conservationists work together to tackle our state’s growing freshwater challenges.”
Community scientists serve as the first line of defense for the state’s natural resources, documenting baseline data for waterways and sounding the alarm should there be a concern that would impact local communities.
These services have proven invaluable in protection efforts, especially in smaller communities where professional resources to evaluate environmental conditions are lacking.
“Texas Stream Team offers its training free of charge to ensure our program remains accessible to all interested in assisting with our water quality monitoring efforts, so the support from partners like BlueTriton is critical to the program’s resiliency and continued success,” said Aspen Navarro, community science program coordinator for the Meadows Center.
She said, “Thanks to BlueTriton’s support, Texas Stream Team will be able to expand its outreach efforts, provide more resources to groups across the state and increase our impact throughout Texas.”
The partnership will also support an expansion and redesign of the environmental education exhibits located throughout the Meadows Center’s Wetlands Boardwalk at Spring Lake, with a special focus on water sustainability.
Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth that provide flood protection, improve water quality, and yield millions of dollars in economic benefits annually.
They also promote biological diversity by supporting habitats for migratory birds, insects, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and other wildlife.
Yet, according to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Texas has lost more than half of its wetland habitats in the past 200 years.
“Educating the public about the importance of protecting this critical habitat is vital to its conservation,” said Miranda Wait, deputy director of Spring Lake operations. “BlueTriton’s support will allow us to work with experts that can bring our vision to life by conveying both the ecological and community values of wetlands to meaningfully connect people with and encourage continued stewardship of the natural world.”
The updated educational boardwalk will provide the 125,000 guests and K-12 students who visit the Meadows Center each year with an understanding of the rapidly disappearing freshwater ecosystem and the need to protect it.
The interactive exhibits will enhance the outdoor experience, both visually and educationally, by highlighting the wonders of the region’s freshwater wetland ecology through science-based illustrations and interactive elements.
BlueTriton will also continue providing its $10,000 “Every Drop Counts” Earth Science Scholarship to a Texas State student each year to further support environmental and sustainability education efforts. The 2023 scholarship award was presented to Tyler Hartwick, Texas State geography and environmental studies graduate student, on Oct. 13.
To learn more about Texas Stream Team, visit www.TexasStream-Team.org. For more information about the “Every Drop Counts” Earth Science Scholarship, visit Scholarships.MeadowsWater. org.
BlueTriton Brands is based in Stamford, Connecticut.
The company offers an extensive portfolio of highly recognizable, responsibly sourced, and sustainably packaged spring water, purified water and water beverage brands.
BlueTriton and its affiliates in the United States and Canada employ approximately 6,600 associates. BlueTriton manages resources for long-term sustainability and helps to conserve more than 20,000 acres of watershed area.
The company has 28 production facilities across the United States, 13 of which are Alliance for Water Stewardship (“AWS”) certified across 12 sites, with eight of the certified facilities being AWS Platinum, the highest-level certification.
The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University was named following a generous gift from The Meadows Foundation in August 2012.
The Meadows Center inspires research, innovation and leadership that ensures clean, abundant water for the environment and all humanity.
