Hill Country Alliance

Canyon Lake - Advocating for Land, Water, and Wildlife in Comal County
2018-08-14 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | GVTC Auditorium, 36101 FM 3159, New Braunfels, TX, 78132, United States
ADVOCATING FOR LAND, WATER, AND WILDLIFE IN COMAL COUNTY

Dear Friends of the Comal County Conservation Alliance,
Please join us for our next Community Meeting on Tuesday, August 14th, from 6:00-8:00 PM at the GVTC Auditorium in the Canyon Lake/Smithson Valley area (36101 FM 3159, New Braunfels, TX 78132). Many of you are receiving our Meeting Invitation for the first time and we extend a special welcome to you as we reach out to include more people who are interested in preserving the unique open lands and habitats in our county and protecting the aquifer we all depend on.
We have some new plans to tell you about and an interesting and informative speaker, James Oliver, of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust, who will be explaining ” Conservation Easements – How They Really Work.” We hope you’ll join us to learn about this important land conservation opportunity, one which helps preserve open lands in Comal County while leaving a legacy of conservation.
Meeting Agenda:
6:00 – Welcome and Introductions
6:10 – What’s going on in Comal County; updates and announcements from partner groups
6:25 – Committee Chair reports on progress and planned activities of CCCA
6:45 – Speaker: James Oliver, on “Conservation Easements – How They Really Work.” James, a lifelong rancher, is the Chief Operating Officer of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust, and brings a unique understanding of land ownership and succession to his work helping landowners understand available options for financial assistance and legacy decisions.
7:30 – Committees break into groups for planning sessions. Every one is encouraged to join in with the group that interests you most, hear what they’re doing and help with the planning!
7:55 – Wrap-up. Next meeting details: September 11, 6:00-8:00 PM, GVTC Auditorium. Please check our website for speaker and topic information.
8:00 – Adjourn
Come, get involved! Help us protect open spaces and preserve priority areas in Comal County. We hope to see you at the GVTC Auditorium on Tuesday, August 14th, at 6:00 PM.
SAVE THE DATE: You’re invited to a “Celebration for Conservation” – our inaugural social event and first fundraiser – Tuesday, September 18th, 4:00-8:00 PM at the Gruene Grove patio bar! No entry fee, live band, signature appetizers and a great silent auction! Please plan to join us for the fun!

San Marcos - Texas State University - Small Producers Conference
2018-08-13 - 2018-08-15 | Texas State University, Department of Agriculture Building, Pleasant St, San Marcos, Texas, 78666
Texas State University’s Department of Agriculture will host the
2nd Annual
Small Producers Conference
August 13 – 15, 2018
Conference Registration is open, register here.
Small Equipment Demonstration to be held on August 15th
The conference will be held in the Department of Agriculture’s building on Texas State University’s campus from August 13th-14th and followed by a small equipment demonstration on August 15th. Registration is $90 and limited to 150 attendees.
All this is possible thanks to generous grants from the USDA programs of Office of Advocacy and Outreach and Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture, and from Capital Farm Credit.

Driftwood - Star Party for Perseid Meteor Shower
2018-08-11 20:00 - 23:00 | Water Quality Protection Lands’ Onion Creek Management Unit, Driftwood, Texas
The Perseid meteor shower will be peaking and the moon will be new, so come join us on the Wildlands for an evening of star gazing, complete with telescopes and popsicles!
The Water Quality Protection Lands’ Onion Creek Management Unit is near FM 967 & FM 1826 (Driftwood area); exact directions will be sent upon registration. This is a free, public event, but space is limited, so please register here.

Johnson City - Johnson City Library - BioBlitz
2018-08-04 | LBJ National Historical Park, 100 Ladybird Lane, Johnson City, TX, 78636, United States

Blanco - Gem of the Hills - Night Sky Issues
2018-08-02 18:30 - 20:30 | Gem of the Hills, 2233 US Highway 281 North, Blanco, Texas
Are you concerned about how light pollution is affecting the quality of Blanco County’s night sky? Are you upset at a neighbor whose light shines into your bedroom window at night? Do you ever get blinded by glare when driving at night? Do you want to know what you can do about these things?
On Thursday, August 2, at 6:30 pm, the Gem of the Hills Community Center in Blanco will host a special presentation entitled “Big and Bright are the Stars at Night.” The event is free to the public and features a multi-media presentation by local resident, Wayne Gosnell, focusing on the problems of light pollution in the Texas Hill Country and what can be done about it. He will demonstrate examples of good and bad types of outdoor lighting. There will also be an open discussion of the proposed revision of the City of Blanco’s Outdoor Lighting Ordinance that the City Council will consider on August 14th. Finally, attendees will have the opportunity to become members of the Blanco County Dark Sky Committee, a group of residents now forming to actively support night sky preservation activities throughout Blanco County. There will be a list of specific activities that need doing such as working with the International Dark Sky Association to qualify Blanco and Johnson City as International Dark Sky Communities, measuring the darkness of the night sky, coordinating award presentations for Night Sky-Friendly Business Recognition programs, and other, hands-on activities to protect the treasured night sky of the Texas Hill Country.
The Gem of the Hills is located at 2233 US Highway 281 North in Blanco. For more information, contact the Gem of the Hills at (830) 833-2713

Austin - wrg - Texas Water Roundtable
2018-08-02 10:00 - 12:00 | State Capitol, Texas Senate, Betty King Room
The Texas Water Roundtable will hold a panel discussion on August the 2nd from 10-12 at the Capitol in the Betty King Room. These discussions are designed primarily for legislative staff and the general public.
Open forum discussion on three key drivers;

Water
Transportation
Land Use

A call to action: Texas growth and demographics is outpacing our ability to meet these needs!

Austin - Screening of “Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry” with Laura Dunn
2018-07-31 19:15 - 21:30 | Alamo Drafthouse Slaughter, 5701 W. Slaughter Ln., Austin, TX, 78749, United States
Austin filmmaker Laura Dunn explores the work of Wendell Berry in her documentary “Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry.” The film revolves around stories of several residents of Henry County, Kentucky, who each face difficult choices that will dramatically reshape their relationship with the land and their community.
In the span of a generation, the agrarian virtues of simplicity, land stewardship, sustainable farming, local economies, and rootedness to place have been replaced by a capital-intensive model of industrial agriculture characterized by machine labor, chemical fertilizers, soil erosion, and debt. Berry has watched this struggle unfold, becoming one of its most passionate and eloquent voices in defense of agrarian life.
Dunn will answer questions after the screening, which is sponsored by the Multicultural Refugee Coalition and its New Leaf Refugee Agriculture project. MRC staff members will join the conversation about regenerative agriculture.
Tickets are available online. More information on the Facebook event page, or contact Laura Robinson, lrobinson@mrcaustin.org.

Kerrville - UGRA’s 15th Annual River Clean Up
2018-07-28 08:00 - 12:00 | Flat Rock Park, 3840 Riverside Dr, Kerrville, TX, 78028, United States

San Antonio - Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy - Nature Walk: Poetry in Nature
2018-07-28 08:00 - 10:00 | Phil Hardberger Park, 8400 NW Military Hwy, San Antonio, TX, 78231, United States
Local poet, teacher and naturalist Mobi Warren combines a deep love for nature and poetic expression as she leads the walk. Ms. Warren shares her original poems, as well as poems of other poets to inspire participants to express nature in words.
The 2018 Phil Hardberger Park Nature Walk series is sponsored by the Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy, the Alamo Area Texas Master Naturalist and the Sierra Club. It is free and no registration is required. A donation to the PHP Conservancy of $3/ person OR $5/ family is suggested.

Driftwood - TESPA - Groundwater Legal Defense: Hill Country Jamboree!
2018-07-22 16:00 - 20:00 | Vintage Oaks Farm, 400 Limestone Lane, Driftwood, TX, 78619, United States

San Antonio - Book Signing: Seasons at Selah
2018-07-17 17:00 - 19:00
Seasons at Selah
Signing Event

DATE: July 17, 2018
TIME: 5-7 p.m.
PLACE: The Twig Book Shop
ADDRESS: 306 Pearl Parkway, #106
(In the Can Plant, Historic Pearl Brewery)
San Antonio, TX 78215
PHONE: 210/826-6411
DETAILS: Remarks and refreshments.
Andy Sansom, Rusty Yates, David K. Langford
Book sales and signing.
Photography exhibit and sales.
All are invited.

Texas A&M University Press, 2018
http://www.tamupress.com/product/Seasons-at-Selah,9080.aspx

San Antonio - Dimming the Lights for Dark Skies
2018-07-17 11:30 - 13:00
Approximately 80 percent of Americans have never seen the Milky Way. Excess artificial light creates neighborly concerns, disrupts nocturnal wildlife, carries human health consequences and increases electricity consumption. The good news is that Texas is becoming a leader in the dark sky movement to correct this. Municipalities are beginning to change outdoor lighting practices and restore the darkness associated with a more natural rhythm of living. This luncheon will raise awareness about reclaiming the pristine night environment and share ideas on how to include San Antonio as a dark sky place.

Trail Building at Canyon Lake Area Chamber of Commerce
2018-07-14 09:00 - 12:00 | Canyon Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, 3934 FM 2673, Canyon Lake, TX, United States

Fredericksburg - Scenic City Seminar
2018-07-12 13:00 - 17:00 | Texas Tech University in the Hill Country, 2818 US 290, Fredericksburg, TX, 78624, United States

New Braunfels - Comal County Conservation Alliance community meeting
2018-07-10 18:00 - 20:00
“Please join us as we discuss ways to protect priority conservation areas of Comal County. You don’t have to be a resident of Comal to appreciate it’s beauty and be part of the CCCA. Our speaker topic for July’s community meeting is “Conservation Success Stories.” We hope to see you there!”

Austin - Monarch Workshop
2018-06-29 08:30 - 15:30 | Zilker Botanical Gardens

Healthy Creeks Initiative information session
2018-06-23 14:00 - 16:00
Healthy Creeks Initiative information session
Over the past two years, more than 100 landowners along the upper reaches of the Pedernales and Blanco Rivers have collaborated with city, state, and non-profit partners to control a non-native, invasive plant (Giant Reed) and to restore diverse, healthy plant communities along the creeks and rivers. These healthy plant communities reduce erosion and flooding, stabilize creek banks, and provide fish and wildlife habitat.
If you live along a creek or river, we hope you will join us at one of the following Healthy Creeks Initiative information sessions. Please RSVP to healthycreeks@tpwd.texas.gov so we know how much food to order at each event.
Wednesday, June 20th: Information Session at Wimberley Community Center (14068 Ranch Road 12) in Wimberley from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Food and drinks will be provided.
Saturday, June 23rd: Information Session at Gillespie County AgriLife Extension Office (95 Frederick Rd) in Fredericksburg from 2:00 – 4:00 pm. Food and drinks will be provided.

Wimberley - Healthy Creeks Initiative information session
2018-06-20 17:30 - 19:30

Conservation Easement Workshop
2026-07-30 13:09
Workshop Topics Include:

the basics of conservation easements
tax implications and estate planning
open space valuation
the role of land trust organizations
a panel discussion with landowners

Hosted by the Cibolo Conservancy
For more information, contact: Carolyn Vogel, Workshop Coordinator
512-633-4995
cavogel2013@gmail.com

Austin - Engaging Rural Communities Conference
2026-07-30 13:09
2019 Texas Rural Leadership Program Engaging Rural Communities Conference – Austin, Texas
The Texas Rural Leadership Program is inviting you to our special Engaging Rural Communities Conference, April 4-5 in Austin. This event will start at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday and close at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, allowing for travel time to and from Austin, with hotel stay at $114 a night. This is an opportunity for you to connect with resource providers, including rural-minded funding organizations, build upon assets unique to rural communities/counties, and build a greater network with others focused on the future of our rural communities/counties. There will also be a special two-hour workshop on governance and organization of a local non-profit organization. As a “no fluff” event, this conference will be directly focused on hands-on application of knowledge and skills needed in a fast changing Texas economy, demographic, and population, along with sharing some rural community success stories. “Becoming positive agents of change through community engagement” is our central theme.
Sponsorship/Exhibitors: If you and/or your organization would like to serve as a conference sponsor/exhibitor, please see the attached information.
With the Texas Rural Leadership Program, your concern, care and work in rural communities remains vital to the future of Texas. Your outreach and involvement in local communities, strengthens Texas. After completing our TRLP Leaders in Action workshops or attending the TRLP Engaging Rural Communities Conference, you will have a deeper knowledge of issues particular to rural communities, a wider network for needed resources, a sense of how to better identify and utilize local human capital and assets, and the ability to deploy your knowledge and networking skills with the intent of making a positive difference. We hope to see you April 4-5 in Austin, for a better future in rural Texas.
Conference registration runs through March 30. Register today at: https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/TRLP. For hotel accommodations, click here. Please contact Craig Rotter, TRLP Executive Director, for additional information at craig.rotter@agnet.tamu.edu; or (979) 587-1992.
To see the tentative agenda, click here.
For information on sponsorship packages, click here. If you are a part of a state agency, see exhibitor rates here.

Comal County Conservation Alliance community meeting
2026-07-30 13:09
Please join us as we discuss ways to protect priority conservation areas of Comal County. You don’t have to be a resident of Comal to appreciate it’s beauty and be part of the CCCA. Our speaker topic for July’s community meeting is “Conservation Success Stories.” We hope to see you there!
