The plan is certainly audacious — replant the Guadalupe River region, decimated by the July 4, 2025 flood, with thousands of oak, willow and bald cypress trees. The San Antonio Botanical Garden wants to plant 50,000 native trees over five years to replace the canopy ripped up and swept away during the catastrophic flood, and it’s already growing hundreds toward that goal — with strategies in place to protect young saplings from hungry deer and beavers along the way.

The effort has a name — TREES — and a fundraising launchpad: a benefit concert called Plant the Guadalupe, set for Sunday, May 17, from noon to 5 p.m. at Crider’s Rodeo & Dancehall in Hunt. Texas music icon Gary P. Nunn headlines, donating his time and talent to the cause. Tickets and information are available at sabgtx.org/plant-the-guadalupe.

The event carries added significance. It marks Crider’s first major reopening since the flood — and the first major public event in Hunt since the disaster. The venue, founded in 1925 as a barbecue and rodeo fundraiser to build the Hunt School, celebrates its 101st anniversary this year after 10 months of restoration following near-total destruction.

A real opportunity’

Katherine Trumble, president and CEO of the San Antonio Botanical Garden, said the TREES initiative grew directly from the garden’s 2024 master plan, which identified statewide plant conservation as a core mission.

“When this disaster occurred, we saw a real opportunity where we had the unique expertise to make a difference,” Trumble said.

The garden had existing relationships with Hill Country landowners through years of conservation work with rare and endangered plants — relationships that proved critical, since much of the Guadalupe riparian corridor runs through private property.

“We already had existing relationships with many landowners in the region, which helped us to develop trust with other landowners,” Trumble said. The garden has already collected more than 850,000 seeds toward the project, targeting eight native tree species specific to the Guadalupe River Valley.

Trumble said there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Each outplanting site will be assessed individually, with protective encasements for young trees where deer or beaver pressure is high. In gravel-heavy areas near the river, the garden is experimenting with new willow-planting techniques.

“It’s really gonna be site specific,” she said.

Nunn: ‘It’s only right that I do’

Gary P. Nunn has a long history with Kerrville — he played the first Kerrville Folk Festival in 1972 — and said the flood hit close to home.

“I’ve been up and down that road a hundred times,” Nunn said. “The destruction of it was gonna be mine. You can’t miss it. No way.”

Known for Texas classics like “Home with the Armadillo” and “Guadalupe Days,” Nunn said he felt compelled to play the May 17 show.

“I’m thrilled to be able to play this one. I think it’s only right that I do,” he said. “It’s right there on the banks of the Guadalupe. It couldn’t be a more appropriate place.”

Nunn said his set will draw from his catalog of Texas travel songs — “Loopy Days,” “Prince of Live” and others — intended to bring audiences back into the feel of the Hill Country.

“It’s such a unique place in the Texas landscape,” he said. “I find it inspiring every day.”

Local acts sponsored by the Hunt Preservation Society, the nonprofit established in 2001 to preserve the area’s natural heritage, will also perform. Artists include Shane Stumpf and John Christopher Way.