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Contact: Jeremy Walther, Founding Director
[email protected] | kerrcountyriverfoundation.org

Kerr County River Foundation established as community-driven 501(c)(3) dedicated to greenspace protection, watershed health, and collaborative stewardship — and will serve as new home for the Kerrville Urban Trail System

KERRVILLE, Texas — The Kerr County River Foundation (KCRF), a newly established 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, launched in 2025 with a mission to enhance the Guadalupe River watershed in Kerr County through greenspace protection, scientific research, education, and collaborative community programming.

Among its first major milestones, KCRF has assumed stewardship of the Kerrville Urban Trail System (KUTS), which transitions to KCRF from its prior structure as a fund within the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country. Established in 2018, KUTS has built a dedicated community of supporters around Kerrville’s river trail network, and its integration into KCRF creates a more unified approach to trail development, habitat restoration, and watershed conservation.

“What started eight years ago with a borrowed forklift and a pig roast has grown into a genuine community movement — one committed to defining what makes this place special and protecting it,” said Jeremy Walther, founding director of KCRF. “The Guadalupe River is at the heart of that. This foundation exists to make sure we’re doing right by the river and by the generations of Kerr County residents who depend on it.”

KCRF is governed by a seven-member board of directors whose expertise spans water policy, conservation science, geographic information systems, land law, and communications — bringing together some of the Hill Country’s most knowledgeable voices in river and watershed stewardship. The foundation is designed to complement and strengthen the work of existing regional organizations rather than duplicate it.

Current programs include the Adopt-a-River Trail volunteer stewardship initiative — with four active groups maintaining trail segments from G Street to Schreiner University — a photo monitoring and GIS network documenting ecological change across the watershed, and an axis deer management project that funds active habitat restoration. Additional programs include river short films, Coffee & Kayak educational events, Lions Park revitalization in Center Point, and the Shady Streets urban canopy initiative. The organization works in close partnership with the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, Hill Country Alliance, Kerr County, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and other regional entities.

For more information or to get involved, visit kerrcountyriverfoundation.org or contact [email protected].

About the Kerr County River Foundation: KCRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizatio