HEADWATERS AT INCARNATE WORD INC
4503 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78209 www.headwaters-iw.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: Our mission is to preserve, restore and celebrate the rich natural, cultural, historical, spiritual and educational values of the headwaters of the San Antonio River, especially within the 53-acre Headwaters Sanctuary. We respond to the call for a sustainable relationship with God's creation by offering environmental education, reflective experiences on care of creation, and practical, hands-on volunteer opportunities to restore and protect the land. Headwaters at Incarnate Word is a nonprofit sponsored Earth care ministry of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.

Ecological Restoration and Preservation Program: Native Habitat Corridor Vision - Land Stewardship on 75 AcresHeadwaters developed an ecological restoration scheme for the Headwaters Sanctuary, a 53-acre urban riparian forest, and the adjacent properties owned by the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, the Lourdes Grotto and Brackenridge Villa 6-acre landscape; and The Village at Incarnate Word, a 16-acre senior-living community. The plan addressed the need for a sustainable native habitat corridor, unfragmented, to support diverse native wildlife and migratory species in a growing urban center, while simultaneously providing visitors a connection to nature.The Headwaters staff and our community volunteers engaged in the practical, hands-on restoration and protection of local natural resources within this corridor. A year-round schedule of supervised volunteer opportunities was offered on weekdays, Saturdays, and some Sundays which permitted individuals and groups to participate. During these volunteer sessions, Headwaters was able to impart information about the Sanctuarys cultural and ecological importance and the corridors environmental importance for San Antonio. Headwaters staff and volunteers prepared and maintained trails, cleared debris, removed invasive species, and planted native plants.The following organizations had members volunteer in Headwaters projects in 2019: Accenture Federal Services, Alamo Area Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists, Antonian College Preparatory High School City, Bandera Road City Church, Boy Scouts of America, Central Catholic High School, Century A/C Supply, Chase Bank, CPS Energy, Energy Transfer Partners, Engineers without Borders USA, Frost Bank, Great Hearts Monte Vista School, Green Haven Industries Inc, Holy Spirit Catholic School, The International School of the Americas High School, Incarnate Word High School, Johnson High School, Kyms Kids of San Antonio, Meet Up, National Charity League, Native Plant Society of Texas, Our Lady of the Lake University, Palo Alto College, Providence Catholic School, Rackspace Technology, Ronald Reagan High School, San Antonio River Authority, San Antonio River Foundation, Security Service Federal Credit Union, South Texas Atheists for Reason, St. Marys Hall, St. Marys University, W.H. Taft High School, Texas A&M University, Trinity University, United Health Group, United Airlines, Unites States Air Force, United States Army, USAA, United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, University of the Incarnate Word, UTSA VOICES, Wellmed Medical Management Inc, Winston Churchill High School, Work Out Help Out, Young Mens Service League, and Zachry Construction Corporation.A total of 958 volunteers contributed 5,437 service hours to Headwaters ecological restoration programs in 2019. Native Tree PlantingOn March 30, 2019, in celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, fifty-eight native trees were planted in the Headwaters Sanctuary and Congregational property by Headwaters board members and staff, long-serving Headwaters volunteers, and the Sigma Chi Fraternity at Trinity University, San Antonio. Headwaters volunteers prepared tree-planting sites over the course of three weeks prior to the event. The native tree selection, provided by the Apache Corporation, was made based on previous biodiversity studies and current habitat conditions in the Sanctuary. Invasive Plant Management Program (IPMP)In October 2019, Headwaters initiated a Headwaters Sanctuary zone-management approach to the ongoing removal of invasive plants. Headwaters estimated that over forty percent of the current Sanctuary canopy was composed of the invasive plant Ligustrum, which crowds out the native plant species, limiting the plant biodiversity on the property. Special volunteer workdays were scheduled, and volunteer crews were formed to remove 2 and 3-story multi-trunk Ligustrum plants and properly treat the plant stumps. Each completed zone will require regrowth monitoring for 3 years. Headwaters projects that the Invasive Plant Management Program will take a minimum of five years to cut and remove all Ligustrum in the Sanctuary. The reduction of Ligustrum should permit the reemergence of native plants in significant numbers. The program will contribute to a robust native habitat which will support a larger more diverse wildlife population in the nature sanctuary. During work sessions, Headwaters staff engaged visitors in discussion about the programs objectives.In 2019, Headwaters estimated 1,135 invasive plants were removed from the Sanctuary and 847 of those plants were Ligustrum, 74.6%. The zone-focus approach (IPMP) in the last 3 months of 2019 delivered 80.5% of the years totals: 914 invasive plants; 755 of which were Ligustrum. Headwaters found this new invasive plant removal approach to be more productive.Native Pollinator GardensCircle of the Springs Garden Project, Headwaters SanctuaryLourdes Grotto and Brackenridge Villa Pollinator Gardens Projects, Congregational PropertyThe planting scheme for the Circle of the Springs Pollinator Garden in the Headwaters Sanctuary was reinterpreted in fall 2019. The new concept was intended to inspire visitors to utilize sustainable native plants, common to our eco-regions, in their landscapes. Composed exclusively of native pollinating plants, the garden layout highlighted groundcover, perennial, and small shrub options, while mindful of 3-season blooming and array of color. The garden transformation began in late fall and will continue in 2020.The garden at the Congregations historic Brackenridge Villa was completed in spring 2019.The Pollinator Gardens at the Lourdes Grotto and Brackenridge Villa, installed during the late fall and spring seasons from 2017 to 2019, welcomed migrating butterflies for the first time during fall migration, October to November 2019. Frequently, more than two dozen Monarch butterflies could be observed in either garden. The National Wildlife Federation acknowledged the Brackenridge Villa Pollinator Garden as a Certified Wildlife Habitat in November 2019.These native pollinator gardens are maintained by Headwaters.The Village Habitat Restoration ProjectAt the invitation of The Village at Incarnate Word, a retirement community adjacent to the Headwaters Sanctuary, The Village Habitat Restoration Project began with an evaluation of The Village at Incarnate Word property to determine what non-natives and invasive plants needed to be removed. Fourteen two-story Chinaberry Trees along the property border, near the Headwaters Sanctuary Blue Hole, were felled on March 9. A presentation detailing the benefits of native plants was given to the community residents and staff in July. The restoration scheme, removal of invasive plants and the transformation of the two main entrances, DeMatel and Main, and CHRISTUS Heritage Hall Courtyard into native pollinator landscapes began in October. The University of the Incarnate Word Grounds Department assisted with the removal of mature Nandina shrubs in the community. Together with a small group of volunteers, Headwaters removed any remaining invasive plant material and seven ten-foot trailers filled with river rock; and planted native pollinator plants in the two primary entrances. The entrances were completed by mid-December. During volunteer workdays, Village residents visited with Headwaters staff and volunteers to learn more about the project. A mid-March 2020 completion is projected when the Courtyard landscape will become a vibrant native habitat.Donated Services (In-Kind) received for 2019 amounted to $138,440.

Environment Education Program:Headwaters offered free environmental education programs and reached 1,382 guests in 2019. Headwaters provided 48 educational opportunities: 22 guided Sanctuary walks led by regional experts on birding, botany, ethnobotany, meditation, eco-spirituality, local history, literature, and environmental leaders; 7 presentations to promote water and land conservation, native plants and landscape design, local wildlife, and sustainable living; 18 environmental film screenings; and a poetry event. 2019 Environmental Film Series Tipping PointIn its fourth year, the environmental film series screened titles which encouraged Headwaters audiences to move toward environmental sustainability and advocacy. Audience members at the film series entitled, Tipping Point, were asked to reflect on their personal behavior and consider changes which would contribute to the greater good for our common home. The year-round Monday afternoon schedule was augmented with Saturday screenings in January, February, July, and August. The series highlight was the 2019 film, The River and The Wall, which drew 137 guests.Poetry en Plein AirHeadwaters at Incarnate Word partnered with poets from the environmental writers group, Stone in the Stream/Roca en el Rio and friends, to share poems grounded in and celebrating the natural world. Reading their original work, the featured professional poets were Jim LaVilla-Havelin, Jean Hackett, Mobi Warren, Darby Riley, Josh Robbins, Marisol Cortez, Carmen Tafolla, Liberty Heise, Cyra Dumitru, and E. Ellis Phelps. The April 7 event marked the second consecutive year for this literary partnership.Other MilestonesThe Headwaters Sanctuary is open to the public throughout the year. We estimate that over 7,800 individuals benefited from the Headwaters Sanctuary independently from any formal educational programming in 2019.The Texas Historical Commission approved the Headwaters 2019 application for a historical marker to recognize the Blue Hole area, head of the San Antonio River, on January 25. A commemorative plaque, funded by community donations, was ordered. The Texas Historical Commission marker will acknowledge the significance of this site for thousands of years.Donated Services (In-Kind) received for 2019 amounted to $3,052.

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