Austin presents distinguished service award to Kevin Thiessen for 23 years of conservation work

City officials presented a distinguished service award to Dr. Kevin Thiessen, who retired after 23 years managing Austin Water’s environmental conservation program. Justin Bates, division manager for Austin Water’s Wildland Conservation Division, called Thiessen a leader who helped build the program into a regional model and said his work "restored thousands of acres of land" and advanced long-term management planning.

Council member Paige Ellis highlighted key figures from Thiessen's tenure, saying the program grew to more than 35,000 acres covering over a quarter of the Barton Springs recharge zone and that Thiessen "shepherded more than $150,000,000 into voter-approved investments." Thiessen, accepting the award, reflected on bonds and community support that enabled land protection and emphasized ongoing stewardship needs.