TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Spring Lake, Aquarena Springs and the San Marcos Springs are all names for a cherished asset in the community – the headwaters of the San Marcos River. It has been a theme park in the past and is now under special protections due to the endangered species located there. It is not open to the public to swim in at their leisure, but it can still be snorkeled in or paddled on in small numbers through tours operated by the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. The springs have a rich history and are a central part of the cre- ation story and the home to the Coahuiltecan people for thousands of years. In the conclusion of the Philosophy Dialogue Lecture Series hosted at the San Marcos Public Library and spearheaded by Jo Ann Carson, a Texas State University Department of Philosophy senior lecturer, the final discussion involved Spring Lake. Jeff Gessas, TXST Department of Philosophy lecturer, explained the history, the need to protect this valuable resource and the engaged ecology and environmental justice implications associated with the springs.
“Environmental Justice as a framework … is a way of reconceptualizing environmental issues as inherently welded to other social issues such as race, class, gender, human health, education, housing, transportation, civil rights, energy and environmental access,” Gessas said. “[An] engaged Ecology approach recognizes place as an event, whereby the intrinsic link between humans and the other than human world is nested. In short, the environment is where we live, work and play.”
