Location
William Willard Ashe
Topics
Description
William Ashe was a botanist and senior forest inspector for the U.S. Forest Service who served as secretary of the National Forest Reservation Commission from 1911 to 1928, organizing acquisition of national forest lands to protect watersheds. Ashe visited central Texas in the late summer of 1921 to present to the State Board of Water Engineers. During his time in the state, he observed a disastrous flood in San Antonio which claimed over 224 lives, and gave more meaning to his message that the solution to floods did not rest solely in building more dams, but instead in also protecting and restoring the contributing watersheds, limiting grazing and development.
Location Notes
In the time following Ashe's visit, the City of San Antonio opted for engineered responses to flood risk, for instance, building the Olmos dam in 1926. The location for a marker might fit well at the dam to signal a choice made there.