Longhorn Dam on the Colorado River was installed in 1960, bookending the chain of Texas Highland Lakes and creating Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin. The Butler Trail that circumscribes the lake has become essential for Austin’s active transportation network, an iconic recreational trail that connects iconic recreation areas like Barton Springs and Zilker Park. These park and trail amenities have spurred population growth and downtown development in Austin. This trajectory reflects the need for park, trail, and conservation investments below the dam, and pressures the ecological systems in the sensitive riparian environment.
In this Peer Conversation, attendees will learn about the Lower Colorado Watershed Restoration and Access Plan (WRAP), a non-profit-led collaboration to build consensus around multi-beneficial recreation and restoration activities along 28 river miles below the dam. Funded by the Bureau of Reclamation, the WRAP convenes a diverse partnership of regional stakeholders to coordinate future recreation elements with projects and programs that emphasize ecological restoration, climate resiliency, and environmental justice topics like equitable river access and anti-green displacement.
Support is provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.
