San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance

06/19/2026

2026.06.18 KERMIT GETS A NEW HOME PT. 2

06/18/2026

2026.06.18 KERMIT HAS A NEW HOME AND WORK CONTINUES ON THE NEW HUNTER TO DUNBAR TRAIL
Approximately 25 crew members worked the new trail at Hun-Dun this morning. The trail is slated to go from near Dunbar to Hunter Road and connect with Lower Purgatory.
Because the trail parallels Purgatory Creek, new trail-building methods are being used. The ground is being shaved with a skid-steer and a biodegradeable material is being used to anchor the trail. Crushed limestone is used to fill-in the circles which are inter-locked to hold in place. Additional rebar anchors insure the trail weathers the worst flooding conditions.
Progress is moving at a great clip with the crew turnout and use of the skidsteer and 'Red' our mobile gravel mover.
It was also one of the first really, really humid days to be working on trails.
Several of the crew worked sting-trimming trails in Spring Lake including Centipede and Blue Stem.
AND, Kermit got a new home at Limestone Link. Thanks to a generous contribution we were able to construct a metal building to house the truck and other equipment.
CORRECTION: The truegrid is not biodegradable. It is made from 100% post-consumer recycled HDPE. Its a permeable geocell grid that holds the natural tread material in place to minimize trail erosion in wet and flooding conditions.

06/12/2026

Yesterday’s Trail Crew met at HunDun to continue tread building. An assembly line was formed to keep the material and labor moving forward.Starting with 1st crew prepping the tread with fine grooming: removing rock and leveling the dirt to hold the TruGrid flat. Then 2nd crew laying down the TruGrid and anchoring it solid with nice sweeping curves. And then 3rd crew filling in the TruGrid with gravel and spreading and tamping and leveling and last ( but most important!) was 4th crew filling Red’s trailer with gravel to bring down to the trail. All went smoothly and with the heat and humidity yesterday, it was kind of nice to have the SkidSteerer and Utility Vehicle for moving the large amounts of heavy gravel!

06/10/2026

Group gathered this morning to honor Mark Taylor

06/10/2026

05/01/2026

Rainy Day Stories:

Photo 1 is Jo holding handfuls of young invasive ligustrums pulled out of HunDun. The rains have helped make it easier to pull the plants out by the roots!

Photos 2-5 Springlake : First attempt by Team Flora to remove invasive Cat Claw Vine ( but it’s spelled all as 1 word!) The tips of its tendrils are actually hooked which makes it a winner at climbing high up into trees and taking over. Plus it spreads out into thick mats on the soil ground and smothers native vegetation.

PHOTOS 6&7 : Upper Purgatory. Todd and Kyle film short How-To video for SMGA training. This one focused on drain cleaning which is removing debris build-up on trails to keep water free flowing off the trails. We will be using this one after the rains! Crew then hit Dante and Parasio with maintenance and drain cleaning.

Photos 8&9: SMGA HQ.
Widening gate. Mark and Scott using old post as roller to smooth fill material over cattle guard. Alan setting new T-Post for new gate location.

No pics but City Crew and SMGA also did trail maintenance at River Recharge. Kudos to City Crew (Crystal, Jake, and Payden)for doing major drain cleaning at RR earlier in week.

( Photos and text from Jo Ellen Korthal , Jon Cradit , and Monique )

04/17/2026

2026.04.16 Hun-Dun AND MORE SITES
Thursday's work encompassed three different work sites. Work on the wildlife viewing station at River Recharge continued with the installation of gutters to collect rainwater. Installation of the water tank awaits delivery.
Several trail crew worked on re-locating the gate at Limestone Link.
The main contingent worked at Hun-Dun, the newest trail between the Dunbar Community Center and the Government Center. This trail will require installation of tru-grid in the areas prone to flooding and will take some time to complete even with the help of a skid-steer. Team Flora took advantage of the recent rains and forecast and spread native grass seed (five pounds) and native wildflower mix.

04/10/2026

SMGA president Jon Cradit accepts a Four-Way Test coin as a token of appreciation for speaking to the San Marcos Rotary Club yesterday.

04/10/2026

2026.04.09 HUNTER TO DUNBAR TRAIL CONSTRUCTION
The crew returned to the newest endeavor, Hun-Dun trail. The trail follows Purgatory Creek from Hunter Road to the Dunbar community center. Because it borders the creek, dry today; tomorrow ?, it will require special effort and take much longer to construct.
Much of the trail will use 'tru-grid' in the single track. Plastic circles, similar to how soda bottles are delivered to the store, will be laid below the surface, filled with crushed limestone and sand and covered with gravel. It's being used due to probable flooding in the area and reduce maintenance requirements.
Part of the crew removed old barbed-wire fencing which is no small task. Team Flora spread more mountain laurel seed in the cut ligustrum berms. Also, in anticipation of April showers, a native mix of wildflowers and grasses were spread within sight of trail users.

04/05/2026

SMGA had a busy table at the Discovery Center's spring plant sale yesterday. T… See more