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Association and National Park Service conduct Outreach in South Texas

In mid-April, representatives from the association and National Park Service conducted outreach events in south Texas to raise awareness about the trail and to identify potential partners in the trail’s identification, protection, and development. Site visits and meetings were conducted in San Ygnacio, Laredo, and Carrizo Springs.

On April 13th, trail representatives visited sites in and around San Ygnacio, Texas. Located about thirty miles south of Laredo, the San Ygnacio area contains trail-related sites such as the Treviño-Uribe Fort y Rancho, Los Corralitos, and Rancho la Union. Association staff and NPS officials were given guided site visits of these locations by representatives of the River Pierce Foundation, who are owners of the Treviño-Uribe Fort.

Site visits took place in Laredo on April 14th and representatives conducted an outreach event at the Border Heritage Museum. A tour of the Paso del Indio took place and discussion focused on how interpretative signage could be installed to orient visitors as to the site’s relation to the trail. Later that evening, Steven Gonzales gave a presentation to a group of about forty people at the Border Heritage Museum. Titled, “El Camino Real de los Tejas: Past and Present,” the presentation was well-received by attendees.

By mid-week, trail representatives met with County Judge Francisco G. Ponce and county commissioners from Dimmit County to discuss potentially developing Laguna Espantosa as an official site on the trail. The judge and commissioners were supportive of the effort and talks are underway to see about making the vision a reality!

All-in-all, it was an excellent visit to the southern portion of the trail and many great connections were made. Continued outreach in the area will take place through the association’s annual meeting in Laredo in October 2015 and a dual Caminos Reales workshop with the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro in May 2016. So keep an eye open for more developments in the near future!

SouthTexasOutreach

Association and NPS representatives pose with Judge Ponce and county commissioners at Laguna Espantosa in Dimmit County.

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