# June San Marcos Trip



## Tex Gal

We are in the throws of nailing down the San Marcos trip. We will be going with the Houston club. We decided on June. It's warm enough to get into a Spring fed river and school is out so that we can have it become a family trip time as well. We traditionally do a 3rd weekend meeting but that weekend is Father's day. That leaves the weekend of the 9/10th or the weekend of the 24/25. Do you all have a preference? Please vote in the poll.
*
We are going on a FIELD TRIP!!! We have a field trip planned to the San Marcos River. We are meeting WITH the Houston Area Aquatic Plant Society. We will all meet at the San Marcos Aquarena Center at 11:00 am. That should give you time to get down there. If you are a late sleeper we will all be catching lunch around 12:30pm at the local Saltgrass Restaurant at 221 E SESSOMS DR. It's less than a mile from the aquarena and is on the river. We can even do some collecting there without even leaving the parking lot! Lunch is NOT provided by the club. You will have to pay for your own lunch. Make sure you bring your water gear. There are loads of plants if you'd like to do some natural wild collecting. That give everyone 2 chances to meet up with the group.

FINAL DECISION:
WHEN: Saturday, June 9th, 11 a.m at San Marcos Aquarena Center http://www.aquarena.txstate.edu/
WHO: Members and their families of DFWAPC & HAAPS
WHERE: San Marcos River.
WHAT: River exploration and wild collecting
HOW: Get yourself there!

You could make it a family camping get together for the weekend.*


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## Tex Gal

I've only had 7 people vote in this poll. Does that mean that only 7 people are interested in this trip? Since we have at least 30 at each meeting I don't know about proceeding if ONLY 7 people are interested.

If you are interested in doing a field trip to San Marcos, please vote in this poll. We need to gauge interest as well.


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## fishyjoe24

9 people have voted now, either weekend works for me. What are the plans for getting down there?


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## RandallW201

Hey guys, so I know I promised this a few meetings back; truth is I forgot....
Anyhow, the pdf document I promised that I'd post is too large of a file to add as an attachment on here. 

If someone could email me the emails of the DFWAPC club members I'll gladly send it out. (Or if a office member will notify me of their email I'll send it to them to distribute; which may actually be better)

What it is, is a study of the aquatic plant species in the San Marcos River system, complete with maps, gps coords of locations, etc - all separated by species.
Its something that we should take full advantage of....


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## fishyjoe24

you couldn't open it in word and then upload it to a site that would host it and post it here... you could send it to mikeal, mike, or drinda and i bet they would post it.

who would ride with who, my car gets good mpg, but doesn't have ac unless i can find a compressor for cheap, or i might do ventage air on it.


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## Pam916

I am waiting to hear which weekend the TCA Swap will be in June. I sent a message asking if they had picked a date. Hopefully I will hear from them soon.


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## Michael

Randall, is the pdf available on line? If so we could just post a link here.


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## stmarshall

I voted for the 23/24th weekend but, would like to know more about the trip. It looks like we all just hook up and share rides which is cool. My care's MPG is not real good but ok but it is comfortable, looks good and has some good music, mostly blues but some rock works also. Question, when we get there where do we stay, how much is it and stuff like that.


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## RandallW201

I don't know if it is or not to be honest. I had somebody email it to me. I've yet to see anything like it online.


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## digital_gods

RandallW201 said:


> I don't know if it is or not to be honest. I had somebody email it to me. I've yet to see anything like it online.


If you send it to me, I'll make it available to all. I'm PMing you my personal address.


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## H2OAggie

RandallW201 said:


> I don't know if it is or not to be honest. I had somebody email it to me. I've yet to see anything like it online.


You didn't happen to get this from me did you? Just curious.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk


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## H2OAggie

Alright, so I am not a member of yalls club, live too far away, but I just wanted to throw this out there. I am a grad student at A&M and I have been working in the San Marcos River collecting aquatic plants weekly for my research. I can pretty much identify and locate all the species in the river and would be more than happy to accompany y'all if you so wish.


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## Tex Gal

H2OAggie said:


> Alright, so I am not a member of yalls club, live too far away, but I just wanted to throw this out there. I am a grad student at A&M and I have been working in the San Marcos River collecting aquatic plants weekly for my research. I can pretty much identify and locate all the species in the river and would be more than happy to accompany y'all if you so wish.


We do allow visitors to our club meetings. That would be neat. Maybe you could show us some cool things we don't know about. BTW you can be a member of our club. It's cheaper is you aren't in the DFW area. Only $10 per year. 
http://www.aquatic-plants.org/join.html

A couple few years ago when we went down we had seen some gorgeous sail-finned mollies across the bridge down from the swimming place where the dock is. The last couple of times we've been down there we haven't seen them. DO you know if they are still in the river?


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## Tex Gal

Pxs from prior years trips:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157616605200247/show/
http://picasaweb.google.com/ddasega/SanMarcosRiverMay172008#5201552556078359010

Camping places:
http://www.sanmarcosriver.org/RiverInfo.htm

Here is a link to the Aquarena Center where we will be meeting at 11:00 (probably) beginning our San Marcos trip. For those who will carpool, you need to find a central spot to meet and then drive down. For those who want to drive themselves/families, just meet up at the Aquarena Center. Remember, if you miss this spot then we will be meeting at a restaurant for lunch later. Details will be provided as the date gets close.
http://www.aquarena.txstate.edu/


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## Basic

I would love to go on the trip but I don't have a car that can make the trip. I would be glad to help pay for gas if I could get a ride. I am new to the club and haven't been able to make a meeting but if you used to go in the true percula a couple of years ago I was their plant person. I will attend a meeting before we go so I can introduce myself.


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## RandallW201

Sorry it's taken so long to reply, I've been out of town.

I have not seen this PDF online so I wouldn't be able to post a link. But what I did manage to do is email it to Digital Gods, hopefully he can get it distributed. 

H2OAggie, I'm not sure if I got this from you or not. I honestly don't remember who I had email it to me. But when it gets posted and if it is your work, please let us know...
Btw, personally speaking I'd love if you came along. It would be great to have somebody who has actually had a good amount of hands in experience and knowledge out there.


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## H2OAggie

> H2OAggie, I'm not sure if I got this from you or not. I honestly don't remember who I had email it to me. But when it gets posted and if it is your work, please let us know...


No worries, it is not my work but sent to me by a colleague. I was just curious where you had gotten it as I have never seen the PDF published online before, even though it is a great resource. I know I have sent it to numerous people over on TPT.


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## fishyjoe24

I thinking of taking my car, only think is black interior with no ac( need compressor)... who all has 4 door cars.


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## stmarshall

I have a 2 door car but can fit 2 people in the back seat comfortably and my AC works well as well as a large trunk to bring things there and/or back. I live in Forest Hill and people can come here and ride with me or I can pick them up if it's o the way


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## Tex Gal

Well it's looks like the week of June 23/24 has won out. I'll get in contact with Houston club and see if that's ok with them.

*WEEKEND IS TO BE CHANGED TO JUNE 9/10 See post below.*


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## Tex Gal

*CHANGE IN PLANS!!! There seems to be some event in that area that has many of the hotel rooms booked. Since we don't want anything to stand in our way we need to stick with the JUNE 9/10 weekend. The actual meeting will be on Saturday, June 9th. For those that will make a weekend of it maybe you can stay over for the night. Hopefully this is not a problem since it is still 2 months away.

We are going on a FIELD TRIP!!! We have a field trip planned to the San Marcos River. We are meeting WITH the Houston Area Aquatic Plant Society. We will all meet at the San Marcos Aquarena Center at 11:00 am. That should give you time to get down there. If you are a late sleeper we will all be catching lunch 1:00pm at the local Saltgrass Restaurant at 221 E SESSOMS DR. It's less than a mile from the aquarena and is on the river. We can even do some collecting there without even leaving the parking lot! Lunch is NOT provided by the club. You will have to pay for your own lunch. Make sure you bring your water gear. There are loads of plants if you'd like to do some natural wild collecting. That give everyone 2 chances to meet up with the group.

FINAL DECISION:
WHEN: Saturday, June 9th, 11 a.m at San Marcos Aquarena Center http://www.aquarena.txstate.edu/
WHO: Members and their families of DFWAPC & HAAPS
WHERE: San Marcos River.
WHAT: River exploration and wild collecting
HOW: Get yourself there!

You could make it a family camping get together for the weekend. *


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## Tex Guy

http://yakona.org/

Are you guys aware of this developing documentary on the San Marcos?


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## fishyjoe24

I've heard a little bit about it but dont' know much...

guess we could start planing on who is close to who and if they have enough seats in the cars.


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## stmarshall

It would also be nice for us beginners know more about the trip like, do we spend Saturday night and collect more Sunday, What type of water gear do we need, rubber boots, etc. Are we allowed to collect the green sail-fin mollies while we are there?


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## Tex Guy

I'll take a stab at your questions with some unofficial answers...

Because individuals in the group have different needs, how much time you spend there outside of the group activity is up to you. So last year some people came down for just the day. We were on the last leg of a motorhome trip. So we got there a day early and left a day late. Some guys rented a canoe the next day and did an extended private trek down the river. But you are basically on your own outside of the actual tour that is being planned.

Gear can range from cutoffs and tenny's on up. I'd say that the preponderance of folks were in the cutoffs and tenny's outfit. The river is wadeable. It runs right through the college campus and is a favorite hangout of college kids in the summer. So if you are not buff, you might want to consider your options. I know with a body like mine, everyone will want to get as much as possible.

Catching fish by net is a fishing license requiring activity. I've only seen the mollies in the protected area of the springs themselves. (along with gar, sunfish, tilapia and turtles) When we were there last we ran into a local professor and some students collecting gambusia in the lower area of the river right by the restaurant.

Here are some pics of our last trip. Sorry, this is really not a very good representation of the whole visit. Maybe someone else has more pics to share.


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## fishyjoe24

shorts, t-shirt, rubber boots like rain boots... I got a question, any one know if theres rest places where I cool pull over and sleep for the night saturday along the way and back home...


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## Tex Gal

There is lots of info in the thread for last years trip. Here it is if you want to read more about it.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/dallas-ft-worth-aquatic-plant-club/77882-may-meeting-field-trip-haaps-2.html


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## Tex Guy

What ever you bring back, be sure to quarantine it for a good long while. We made the fatal mistake of not doing that and paid a heavy price.


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## stmarshall

Thanks for all the good info. I guess we will nail down more details next meeting and get rides together and stuff like that. Again, tanks for a all the info


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## fishyjoe24

I got a question, I think it was bill who found the driftwood stump with branches on the river. any way, are we aloud to pull driftwood out of the river or a long the river and take it home.. I'd love to find some interesting driftwood well on the trip..


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## Tex Gal

Bill did bring a stump home but it was from Kerrville. I asked TWPD and they said you can wild collect as long as its not in a state park. That would include dead tree branches. If you were on e property you'd have to ask the owner.



fishyjoe24 said:


> I got a question, I think it was bill who found the driftwood stump with branches on the river. any way, are we aloud to pull driftwood out of the river or a long the river and take it home.. I'd love to find some interesting driftwood well on the trip..


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## fishyjoe24

Tex Gal said:


> Bill did bring a stump home but it was from Kerrville. I asked TWPD and they said you can wild collect as long as its not in a state park. That would include dead tree branches. If you were on e property you'd have to ask the owner.


Cool, thanks that's what i wanted to know Drinda. just thought i might be able to find driftwood for free, and have to deal with the outrageous prices of some of the lfs.


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## wwh2694

I probably go that weekend with my family.


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## stmarshall

for us new people, what area will we be spending Saturday night and does anybody know where the in=expensive motels/hotels are? Only need a clean bed with a bathroom, Maybe we can get a group rate somewhere.


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## Tex Gal

stmarshall said:


> for us new people, what area will we be spending Saturday night and does anybody know where the in=expensive motels/hotels are? Only need a clean bed with a bathroom, Maybe we can get a group rate somewhere.


Click on the link I provided for the Aquarena and it will tell you the address. As for group rates we'd have to guarantee a certain # of people. I think that is too fluid to predict.


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## davemonkey

Just FYI...I made the reservations at Saltgrass. If it goes similar to last time, I figured we'd be there about 1:00 and have about 25 people (members + guests, non-members who join the tour, people who can't make it, etc...). Oh, and I specified we wanted to be seated INSIDE. 

Just a reminder, HAAPS and DFWAPC will not be paying for lunch (unless otherwise specified).


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## Tex Gal

Correct Davemonkey! DFWAPC is NOT paying for lunch.


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## Tex Guy

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-t...Marcos-theme-park-history-hoisted-3586824.php


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## snowball2020

do we have any updates? still settling for the the 10th weekend? and do we have a tally of who's going? ride share? etc...


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## stmarshall

For those of us who are not going, is there going to be a meeting in June or is the next meeting in July?


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## Tex Gal

To my knowledge we don't have a headcount. If you want to ride with someone you need to make the arrangements amoungst yourself. You can use our club email feature. If you need help with that go to our web site http://www.aquatic-plants.org/ and you can contact Mike Cameron. He takes care of new members and can make sure you have the info to contact other members. He also supplies membership badges.

See post #21 for dates and times. It is also posted on our web site and facebook page. THIS is the JUNE meeting. There will be no other meeting for June. Bill and I won't be going. Hope all of you have a great time. It's a fun trip.


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## RandallW201

I was counting on you being there Drinda to identify all my plants for me, lol...

Me and the wife will be there, I havent heard much else from anyone as to whos going or not...


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## Tex Guy

http://www.kvue.com/news/Submarine-theater-removed-from-Aquarena-Springs-153651555.html


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## Tex Gal

Tex Guy said:


> http://www.kvue.com/news/Submarine-theater-removed-from-Aquarena-Springs-153651555.html


Kind of sad!


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## fishyjoe24

I have to take my self out I'm trying to get my transmission fixed, and ac fixed.. I have no way of getting down there unless my brother wants to drive down there in his car, or some one wants to split gas.


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## digital_gods

That is sad. I remember visiting the theme park back in grade school and seeing the Mermaid show.


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## digital_gods

Just down the road from the wildlife center, there is a Xiphophorus (Live Bearer) Genetic Stock Center. Does anyone have contacts to get us a tour? http://www.xiphophorus.txstate.edu


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## BenChod

Sorry, I will not be able to attend.


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## fishyjoe24

I'm out also unless some one wants me to be the back seat driver. my parts haven't even got in to the states yet...


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## davemonkey

The big weekend fast approaches! As a heads-up...especially for those who will be meeting up at the Steakhouse for lunch...the lunch reservation is for 1:00...the group name I put it in is HAAPS c/o Dave Manthei.

See ya there!


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## foreverknight

well everyone i am here in san marcos and have made the trip well if anyone needs me let me know.


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## fishyjoe24

don't forget to take photos.


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## foreverknight

here is a short thrown together video of what i was able to record in the river. my skills with editing and recording arn't the best but here is a little of what you all missed out on.






more to come later. Robert took pictures. I did this little bit of video it is in 1080p widescreen though


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## HeyPK

I see a lot of Sagittaria platyphylla in the video from the lake. That is an awesome plant in the aquarium.

Pictured in a 29 gallon


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## Michael

Outstanding! When I asked for photos, I didn't expect underwater movies!


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## digital_gods

HeyPk, i grabbed 4 plants of it down there for my tank. I'm interested is how it will do.


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## digital_gods

On the video at 3:33 mark, the fish looks like a goidied. For those not familiar, they are a live bearer.


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## fishyjoe24

so how was the trip, what plants where brought back.. when is the july meeting and what will the topic be?


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## kimcadmus

Jason - That is fantastic!


foreverknight said:


> here is a short thrown together video of what i was able to record in the river. my skills with editing and recording arn't the best but here is a little of what you all missed out on.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> more to come later. Robert took pictures. I did this little bit of video it is in 1080p widescreen though


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## DaTrueDave

Wish I could've gone. Thanks for the video!


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## Tex Gal

Glad you guys had a good time. Still working on repairing our RV. Hope to be done this week. Loved the video. Thanks Jason.


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## digital_gods

We made a interesting discovery on this trip. We found native hytrocotol growing submerged in patches in the river. It was encroaching upon the wild rice. I got a few samples of that in my isolation tank to share. I got plenty of some fern that grows submerged form. I found some hydrilla tangled in my specimens when I got them home. I'll bring it to the next meeting for show and tell. It clearly distinct from its cousins that is sold at lfs. I got water samples directly from the spring and from the city water that I'll be doing a full analysis and posting results this weekend. Look for more postings.


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## H2OAggie

digital_gods said:


> We made a interesting discovery on this trip. We found native hytrocotol growing submerged in patches in the river. It was encroaching upon the wild rice. I got a few samples of that in my isolation tank to share. I got plenty of some fern that grows submerged form. I found some hydrilla tangled in my specimens when I got them home. I'll bring it to the next meeting for show and tell. It clearly distinct from its cousins that is sold at lfs. I got water samples directly from the spring and from the city water that I'll be doing a full analysis and posting results this weekend. Look for more postings.


_Hydrocotyle umbellata_. From what I have observed it has become more widespread throughout the river. Very interesting to see in the wild like that and does pretty well in an aquarium. My only issue was the stems getting really long trying to reach the light, looked kinda goofy. I never had a chance to do a water analysis and will be interested to see what you find. I expect really low nutrient levels and super high GH/KH.


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## Tex Guy

We're finally home again! Ran into this article that some might find interesting...


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## digital_gods

Here is video of the Fountain Darters trying to breed from our San Marcos trip.





Here is the link to the photos taken on the trip. https://plus.google.com/photos/101725927284918787532/albums/5758528175847466001


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## chrislewistx

Robert,

Did you have success in breeding the Fountain Darters from the San Marcos trip?

Also, did you ever post the results of the water samples you were going to test?


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## digital_gods

I filmed the fountain darters at the nature center. I could not legally collect them because they are protected species.

I actually still haven't tested the water samples. I'll do that this evening and post.


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