Local Preserve Named For Late Architecture Dean Kent Butler

By Jordan Schraeder in Blog, Special on September 28, 2011 at 11:59 am | No Comments

A portion of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve has been renamed for the late Kent Butler, a dedicated environmentalist and the well-regarded associate dean of the UT School of Architecture.

The Kent Butler Ecological Reserve honors Butler’s commitment to the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, for which he took a two-year leave of absence from teaching to help create.

The area that is now named for Butler is home to the golden-cheeked warbler, an endangered species of bird that nests only in Texas.

Environmentally conscious throughout his life, Butler was also an active member of the Lower Colorado River Authority and helped establish the groundwater management district for the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer, according to the Daily Texan.

The associate dean fell to his death on May 13 after moving aside to allow other hikers to pass on a Yosemite trail. He was 60 years old.

Photo: Members of Butler’s family on the Butler Ecological Reserve. Courtesy Wildlife Conservation Division of the City of Austin.

Tags: architecture, ecological reserve, kent butler