A Night of a Thousand Drops Delights Hundreds

S aturday, May 13, 2023, saw the Edwards Aquifer Conservancy (EAC) hosting its first-ever gala, A Night of a Thousand Drops, celebrating the magic of water and highlighting partnerships that champion inclusion, imagination, and innovation. Nearly 200 people attended to support the nonprofit’s mission of raising funds to support the work of the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA), a regional water management agency whose mission is to manage, enhance and protect the Edwards Aquifer for two-and-a-half million South Central Texans

The 2023 inaugural Edwards Aquifer Champion (EAC) Awards were presented by EAA General Manager Roland Ruiz, and Board Chair of the Edwards Aquifer Conservancy Board of Directors Carol Patterson. Gordon Hartman was the recipient of the Inclusion award. Mr. Hartman is the driving force behind Morgan’s Wonderland, and the programs and facilities associated with it, including Morgan’s Wonderland Camp, where the Education Outreach Center is located. Hartman partnered with the EAA to make the center a reality by constructing the building in which the EAA Education Outreach Center is housed.

The City of San Antonio was the recipient of the Imagination award, which contributed two tracts of land to the Edwards Aquifer Conservancy. Totaling 150 acres, and valued at $5.5 million, the land now referred to as the Field Research Park provides a hands-on opportunity for the scientists of the EAA and their associates to practice and measure the efficacy of land management techniques designed to increase both the yield and quality of water entering into the Edwards Aquifer.