San Marcos proclaims Earth Week, National Volunteer Appreciation Week and LULAC 90th anniversary

SAN MARCOS, Texas — Mayor Jane Hughson proclaimed Earth Week, National Volunteer Appreciation Week and the 90th anniversary of the League of United Latin American Citizens during an April 2025 San Marcos City Council meeting.

The proclamations highlighted local events and recognitions tied to each observance: Earth Week (April 16–22) and an Earth Day celebration at the headwaters of the San Marcos River; a weeklong recognition of police department volunteers after the department logged 6,239 volunteer hours in 2024; and a city acknowledgement of LULAC’s 90th anniversary and an invitation to its regional convention in New Braunfels.

Mayor Hughson opened the segment by reading the Earth Week proclamation, which cites the April 22 observance of Earth Day and national goals to expand renewable energy. The proclamation noted that the city “strives to create infrastructure for and to promote the use of alternative transportation, such as buses, walking, bicycles, e-scooters, and bikes,” and called attention to local priorities including green space, habitat restoration and water quality protection.

Miranda Wait, a Meadows Center for Water and the Environment representative at the meeting, urged residents to attend Earth Day events and noted recent local environmental designations. “Anyone is welcome to come visit. We, this year, had three pretty big designations. We just got Bee City, Texas as of, I think, yesterday, Bird City, Texas this year, and we’re also a Monarch Champion City this year,” Wait said. The Meadows Center announced a free Earth Day event on Saturday, April 19, 2025, at the headwaters of the San Marcos River that will include glass‑bottom boat rides, about 50 educational booths and talks.

City staff also announced family activities at the Discovery Center on April 22, with sessions scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Glass‑bottom boat rides were described at the meeting as an ongoing educational offering that lets visitors view the springs that form the San Marcos River.

Mayor Hughson also read a proclamation designating April 20–26, 2025, as National Volunteer Appreciation Week in San Marcos. The proclamation said the San Marcos Police Department benefits from “over 60 active volunteers” and credited volunteers with activities that included front‑counter assistance, digitizing paper records, supporting community outreach events and assisting victim services. The proclamation noted the department’s volunteers contributed 6,239 hours in 2024.

A volunteer who spoke at the meeting described recent volunteer work: “We spent the morning pulling staples to scan arrest records. And then, we’ve got one here that mans the front counter. Another helps the training sergeant enter a t. … Another worked with victim services today,” the speaker said, describing a range of duties volunteers perform for the police department.

The city also recognized the League of United Latin American Citizens’ 90th anniversary. The proclamation called LULAC the oldest and most widely respected Hispanic civil rights organization in the United States and commended its local activities in San Marcos. Gabriel Rosales, identified at the meeting as LULAC state director, thanked the council and invited city officials to a regional convention in New Braunfels, saying the organization aims to work with local partners on youth programming. “We’re here to help you guys in any way we can … to talk about diversity and equity,” Rosales said.

The proclamations were delivered as ceremonial recognitions; no formal council votes or other binding actions were recorded in the transcript excerpt. The announcements included dates, event details and counts provided during the meeting; where specific operational or budget details were not discussed, the proclamations serve as invitations and acknowledgments rather than enforceable policy changes.

Upcoming local items announced at the meeting included the Meadows Center’s Earth Day event on April 19, 2025, Discovery Center activities on April 22 and LULAC’s regional convention in New Braunfels. The city encouraged residents to attend the events and to support local volunteer programs.