Valerie Solis and Michelle Crawford 

Michelle Crawford and Valerie Solis, students of Texas State University's Department of Biology and Sustainability Studies, partook in a poll at the Texas Wild Rice Festival.

Their purpose was to survey the general public and learn how much people knew about the San Marcos River.

One of the questions that was asked was if one knew how many species have been identified as endangered and threatened in the San Marcos River. Solis claims the number of threatened and endangered species is between 16-25.

Another question that was asked if one could identify which is the Texas wild-rice out of three images that were shown on the survey. By conserving the San Marcos river, aside from the endangered species, the knowledge of wild-rice is also crucial in their research.

Solis claimed that many people confused the wild-rice with invasive species such as Hydrilla, an aquatic plant. Having knowledge about what wild-rice looks like is important to Solis and Crawford. "It's just so they know in the future, ultimately with outreach, they would know to avoid those areas where they grow," said Crawford. "It just helps in it's overall conservation."