88R15681 JRI-D
By: King of Uvalde H.R. No. 496
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The family and friends of admired conservationist
and river advocate Sky Marshal Jones-Lewey suffered an immeasurable
loss with her death on May 31, 2022, at the age of 64; and
WHEREAS, Sky Jones-Lewey was born to Marjory Helen Scott
Jones and Elmo King Jones on May 26, 1958, in Uvalde; from an early
age, she dedicated herself to the preservation of natural
resources, particularly the Nueces River, which ran alongside her
family's property, the Open V Ranch; and
WHEREAS, For more than two decades, Ms. Jones-Lewey served as
the resource protection and education director for the Nueces River
Authority, an organization that works to preserve, protect, and
develop surface water resources across some 15,000 square miles of
South Texas; along the way, she led wide-reaching efforts to
control invasive plants and protect water quality and spearheaded
such award-winning initiatives as the Up2U Litter Prevention
Campaign, the Watershed Stewardship Education Program, and the
Riparian Landowners Network curriculum; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Jones-Lewey's other worthy endeavors included
championing legislation to prevent direct wastewater discharges
into the remaining pristine streams of Texas, and she was
instrumental in the passage of Senate Bill 155, which prohibits the
use of motorized vehicles in navigable rivers; she was also
involved in educating others about the need for river protection,
and she published several editorials and helped edit a number of
field guides on how to be a better steward of land and water
resources; in 2022, she was honored as a River Hero by the River
Network for her efforts to protect and restore local waterways; and
WHEREAS, Sky Jones-Lewey lived a rich and purposeful life
devoted to conserving the natural splendor of Texas, and her
passion and commitment will forever inspire all those who knew and
loved her; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Sky Marshal
Jones-Lewey and extend sincere condolences to the members of her
family: to Jefferson and Cherie Lewey; to Julie and Liia Lewey; to
her grandchildren, Jack Mathis and Sonora Sky; to her many friends
and colleagues; and to all others who mourn her passing; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Sky
Jones-Lewey.