Frates Seeligson

Frates Seeligson has been devoted to the San Antonio River Foundation since 2006.

A graduate of Duke University and the Texas Christian University Ranch Management Program, Seeligson studied the business and sciences behind proper land restoration in his native South Texas and beyond. As a fourth-generation rancher, Seeligson has spent decades working hands-on with land stewardship, managing agricultural operations that focus specifically on native habitat management and restoration efforts that further the study of best management practices for agriculture, and the positive impact such practices bestow on native flora and fauna.

In 2006, Seeligson joined the board of the San Antonio River Foundation, actively working on the San Antonio River Improvements Project, the largest urban environmental restoration project in the country, culminating in the restoration of fifteen miles of the San Antonio River. In 2016, Seeligson joined the River Foundation’s staff as Director of Confluence Park, overseeing the fundraising, construction, and programming of the $13.2M park, an award-winning venue for environmental education along the banks of the San Antonio River. Seeligson presently serves as Executive Director of the San Antonio River Foundation, a position he has held since 2019.

To Seeligson, the San Antonio River links the city in a way that it never has before. “Our river nurtures the city differently today than during other chapters of history. Nature is a gift that we do not get much of in urban environments anymore. But with these river improvements, the opportunities that people have to go outside and connect with nature, whether in solitude or with friends, abound again.” says Seeligson.