Hill Country Alliance

San Marcos - Hays County Master Gardeners Fall Plant Sale
2019-09-21 09:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | San Marcos Farmers Market, 1901 Alpine Trail, San Marcos, TX, 78666, United States
Join the Hays County Master Gardeners during September for our annual plant sale! This year we will feature native and adapted perennials, herbs and of course Texas Superstar plants which are highly recommended by Texas A&M AgriLife.
Don’t worry if you are new to gardening; we will have an information table staffed with Master Gardeners that will provide planting guidance. Our mission is to provide public education on best gardening practices for successful growing.
The Master Gardeners Fall Plant Sale will be held at the Farmers Markets in Dripping Springs on Wednesday, September 18th and San Marcos on Saturday, September 21st.
San Marcos Farmers Market
Saturday, September 21 from 9 AM – 1 PM
1901 Alpine Trail, San Marcos, TX 78666

We invite you to learn more about our programs and events on
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HaysCountyGardeners
Instagram: @hayscountymastergardeners
https://txmg.org/hays/
Cash and credit card accepted

Dripping Springs - Hays County Master Gardeners Fall Plant Sale
2019-09-18 15:00 - 18:00
Join the Hays County Master Gardeners during September for our annual plant sale! This year we will feature native and adapted perennials, herbs and of course Texas Superstar plants which are highly recommended by Texas A&M AgriLife.
Don’t worry if you are new to gardening; we will have an information table staffed with Master Gardeners that will provide planting guidance. Our mission is to provide public education on best gardening practices for successful growing.
The Master Gardeners Fall Plant Sale will be held at the Farmers Markets in Dripping Springs on Wednesday, September 18th and San Marcos on Saturday, September 21st.
Dripping Springs Farmers Market
Wednesday, September 18 from 3 – 6 PM
160 E Mercer St, Dripping Springs, TX 78620

We invite you to learn more about our programs and events on
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HaysCountyGardeners
Instagram: @hayscountymastergardeners
https://txmg.org/hays/
Cash and credit card accepted

Johnson City - National Public Lands Day Town Creek Restoration
2019-09-18 08:00 - 15:00 | LBJ National Historical Park, 100 Ladybird Lane, Johnson City, TX, 78636, United States
This year for National Public Lands Day, the Friends of LBJ National Historical Park will be hosting another Settlement Restoration on Wednesday, September 18th from 8am-3pm.

This will include a pop-up educational tent (that will also have water and hopefully some snacks), and the option for individuals to volunteer and help remove invasive and exotic species from 8am-11am. From 11am-3pm, volunteers are invited to join us in the air conditioned Event Center to make eco-friendly crafts like seed balls. Volunteers will come and go throughout the day as their time permits, and will be given a “free one-time entrance pass to a National Park”.

New Braunfels - CCCA Celebration for Conservation
2019-09-17 16:00 - 20:00 | The Gruene Grove, 1263 Gruene Road, New Braunfels, TX, United States

San Marcos - Water Quality Training
2019-09-17 13:00 - 17:00
A Texas Watershed Steward workshop on water quality related to the Upper San Marcos River will be held from 1-5 p.m. Sept. 17 at the San Marcos Activity Center, 501 E. Hopkins St. in San Marcos.
Those interested are also invited to attend a stakeholder meeting at the same location that morning from 9-10 a.m.
The workshop is presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in cooperation with The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University.
The training is free and open to anyone interested in improving water quality in the region. Light refreshments will be provided. Participants are encouraged to preregister at the Texas Watershed Steward website at https://tws.tamu.edu.

Fredericksburg - Kolaches and Conservation
2019-09-17 08:30 - 10:30 | Gillespie County AgriLife Extension Office, 38 Business Court, Fredericksburg, TX, 78624, United States
On Tuesday, September 17th, the Gillespie County AgriLife Extension and partners will host the second “Kolaches and Conservation” event at the Extension Office from 8:30 am – 10:30 am.
This informal event encourages landowners who have questions about wildlife habitat, trees, riparian management, the hunting season, soil health, farming, ranching, and controlling non-native, invasive plants and animals to stop by and talk with officials from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Forest Service, the Gillespie County Soil & Water Conservation District, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Hill Country Alliance.
“Good land stewardship benefits everyone, not only today but also the future generations that will inherit or acquire the land,” said Daniel Oppenheimer, Hill Country Alliance Land Program Manager. “Coffee, kolaches, and good conversation—what’s not to like?”
Landowners are invited to come and go as they like. The event is open to anyone interested in conservation and land stewardship.

Wimberley - Wings Over Wimberley
2019-09-13 - 2019-09-15
Austin isn’t the only place with an exciting festival in celebration of bats! Wimberley has our own large population of bats and is making plans to acknowledge them in a big way. Each evening thousands of these flying mammals create an awe-inspiring spectacle against the colored sky as they swarm from under the RR 12 Cypress Creek Bridge. They decorate our sunsets, inspire our artists, eat our mosquitos and add yet another fascinating dimension to the Wimberley Valley.
Beginning this year, Wimberley Valley Arts and Cultural Alliance (WVACA) is planning an exciting event to honor and celebrate this natural treasure. Wings Over Wimberley or “WOW” as it is affectionately called, will be a vivacious 3-day event full of music, art, food and fun celebrating the thousands of Mexican Free- tailed Bats who call Wimberley home.
From Friday, September 13 through Sunday, September 15, 2019 Wings Over Wimberley will attract visitors from near and far to see, learn about, and recognize the important role bats play in the Central Texas ecosystems. As they appreciate our bats, visitors and locals alike will be able to experience the artisans, one-of-a-kind shops, talented musicians, craft cuisine and cocktails, and unique lodgings that make Wimberley’s high-vibing culture so special.
Find out more here.

San Marcos - 3rd Annual River Guardianship Symposium
2019-09-11 17:00 - 21:00 | San Marcos Activity Center Gym, 501 E. Hopkins St., San Marcos, Texas, 78666
Mermaid Society Symposiums are created to be signature events of the Mermaid SPLASH Festival, each year in September. The community platforms are designed to bring together like-minded individuals from students to seniors to cross-pollinate ideas, collaborate on existing projects and strengthen connectivity through engagement. Each year Mermaid Society will host two symposiums River Guardianship and Arts & Culture scheduled for Tuesday, September 10th..
2019 Committee Chairs – Kimberly Meitzen & Ryan Keith Spencer
Committee: Colleen Myles-Baltzly, Melody Rose Baker Cuny, Laney Lyle, Rachel Sanborn, Dianne Wassenich, & Hach Zalfin

Stonewall - Movies Under the Stars: Apollo 11
2019-09-07 14:30 - 20:30 | LBJ National Historical Park, 100 Ladybird Lane, Johnson City, TX, 78636, United States

Blanco - Permaculture Design Course with Earth Repair Corps
2019-09-07 08:00 - 2019-09-08 17:00
6-Weekend Intensive Permaculture Design Course

During this Permaculture Design Course, participants will be introduced to the ethics, principles, and methods of Permaculture while learning how to design, create, and maintain agriculturally productive ecosystems and sustainable human settlements. View an Introduction to Permaculture video here.
This 72 hour intensive course is taught by experts within the fields of permaculture, regenerative agriculture, sustainable energy, water conservation, natural building, and more.
Come learn in the setting of this beautiful river on the Edwards Plateau while cultivating a new community during this life-changing opportunity.
Venue: Texastopia Farm
Located ~15 miles west of downtown Blanco and just downstream from the headwaters of the Blanco River, this family farm and permaculture campus offers a genuine and unique learning experience with abundant hands-on opportunity.
For more information, check out the Earth Repair Corps website.
Questions? Email earthrepaircorps@gmail.com.

Wimberley - Riparian Design Workshop: Cypress Creek Watershed
2019-09-04 10:00 - 13:00 | Wimberley Community Center, 14068 Ranch Rd 12, Wimberley, TX, 78676, United States
Attendees will learn of the importance of riparian areas and how they directly influence the health and quality of waterways!

Sessions include:

Geology and the Interconnectivity of Creeks
Introduction to Creekside Riparian Restoration
How Community Members can Help
Guided Walk Through

Anyone is welcome to attend and learn from Hays County Master Naturalist, local landowners, and Texas Stream Team on the importance of establishing riparian areas. Please register in advance so we make sure to have enough materials !
A full stakeholder meeting for the Cypress Creek Watershed Protection Plan will be held prior to the workshop from 8:30 – 9:30 am.
We will have additional materials and resources available for purchase, please be aware that we can only accept cash.
For questions or more information, feel free to email us at: cypresscreek@txstate.edu

Vanderpool - Lost Maples State Park 40th Anniversary Celebration
2019-09-01 13:00 - 15:00 | Lost Maples State Natural Area, 37221 F.M. 187, Vanderpool, TX, 78885, United States
The Friends of Lost Maples is happy to announce an event celebrating the 40th anniversary of the opening of Lost Maples State Natural Area in Vanderpool. Lost Maples was the first State Natural Area in the Texas Parks and Wildlife system, and has been a model for how to balance recreational needs with conservation values on state lands.
This event, eligible for Advanced Training hours, runs from 1-3 pm at the Murphy House at Lost Maples. The program will feature speakers from the park, the Friends group and from TPWD in Austin.
There will be interpretive and informational displays about the park and surrounding ecosystems, discussions of the natural and human history of the Sabinal Canyon and the Natural Area itself, and hour-long interpretive hikes conducted by Master Naturalists from the Hill Country chapter.
Free refreshments provided!
For more information contact Greg Walton at Gregwalton12345@gmail.com

Fredericksburg - Become a Citizen Scientist: How to Use iNaturalist
2019-08-27 18:30 - 20:00 | Memorial Presbyterian Church, 601 North Milam, Fredericksburg, TX, 78624, United States
Fredericksburg Native Plant Society Meeting – “How to Use I-Naturalist” Become a Citizen Scientist
I-Naturalist is a robust, on-line tool to assist in the identification of all things nature. Don’t know what that wildflower is? What is that animal track? What kind of snake is that? Is that plant poisonous?
Using a smart phone (I-phone or Android), snap a photo of anything nature-related, upload it to the I-Naturalist app and the photo is immediately disseminated to a world of I-Naturalist users. Someone in that group will be able to identify your photo. Not only is I-Naturalist useful for individual queries, the information is also used by scientists for data collection. Bring your cell phone. Become a citizen scientist.
Date: August 27, 2019
Time: 6:30 p.m.-Light refreshments and social; 7:00 p.m.- meeting
Where: Memorial Presbyterian Church, 601 North Milam, Fredericksburg, Texas 78624

Bandera – TCEQ Public Meeting: Permit application to discharge into Commissioners Creek
2019-08-26 19:00 - 21:00 | Recreation Hall at Mansfield Park, 355 W A Mansfield Rd, Bandera, TX, 78003, United States
The Public Meeting will be held on Monday, August 26,2019 at 7:00 p.m. at Mansfield Park Recreation Hall, 2886 HWY 16 N, Bandera, TX 78003.

Read the TCEQ posting here.
Learn more about efforts to oppose this wastewater permit from Friends of Hondo Canyon.

Bulverde--Public Meeting: Silesia Properties permit application to discharge into Honey Creek
2019-08-20 19:00 - 21:00
We received notice today that a public meeting will be held on the permit application of Silesia Properties to discharge 500,000 gallons/day into Honey Creek (Permit No. WQ0015688001). As you may recall, the discharge point is upstream of Honey Creek State Natural Area and Guadalupe State Park. For the official TCEQ public meeting notice, click here.
The Public Meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 20,2019 at 7:00 p.m. at Rahe Bulverde Elementary School, 1715 East Ammann Road, Bulverde, Texas 78163
To prepare for the TCEQ Public Meeting, GEAA will host a strategy meeting to prepare for the TCEQ meeting on August 15th. Find out more here.
At the TCEQ meeting you will have the opportunity to ask questions about the permit during the first half of the meeting and to make oral comments for public record during the second half of the meeting. Written comments may also be submitted. As part of your comments, you may request a contested case hearing, and you may also request party standing in the contested case process. Comments from the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (GEAA) and others already submitted to TCEQ can be found under the Honey Creek heading on GEAA’s Waste Water Page. Feel free to use these as guides to writing your own comments.
Deadline for submitting comments is August 20, 2019. You may submit written comments on-line at https://www14.tceq.texas.gov/epic/eComment/. To submit comments on-line refer to Permit No. WQ0015688001.
or you can mail comments to: Office of the Chief Clerk, TCEQ, Mail Code MC-105, PO Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087

Wimberley - TESPA: Trinity Groundwater Protection Planning Meeting
2019-08-19 18:00 - 20:00
NEEDMORE POST MORTEM AND THE FIGHT AHEAD
Jim Blackburn, TESPA attorney and board president, will provide an insightful look back, and then map our way forward with your help and support.

On Aug 19 you will also learn about the District’s (BSEACD) periodic well-monitoring program and how you can be part of it.
As always, TESPA is committed to fight for and protect our groundwater through all means available – with integrity, respect, and the best available science.

Austin--Certified Interpretive Guide Training Course
2019-08-19 - 2019-08-22 | Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve, Wild Basin Rd., Austin, TX, 78746, United States
Would you like to improve your ability to share the wonders of nature or the richness of culture?
Are you looking to get your CIG?
For all those in and around Austin or for any who would like a good reason to visit Central Texas, Wild Basin Preserve is hosting a Certified Interpretive Guide workshop Aug 19-22.
The CIG course covers audiences, resources, philosophy, and techniques for best practice interpretation. The course is excellent for all people who give cultural and/or natural history programs, work as tour guides, want to improve their presentation skills, or manage interpretive sites. Check it out!

Boerne--Conservation Easement Workshop
2019-08-16 14:00 - 17:00 | Cibolo Nature Center, 140 City Park Road, Boerne, TX, 78006, United States
Hosted by The Cibolo Conservancy

Bulverde - Save Honey Creek Strategy Meeting
2019-08-15 18:00 - 19:30 | Mammen Family Public Library, 131 Bulverde Crossing, Bulverde, TX, 78163, United States
The Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (GEAA) will be hosting a strategy meeting to coordinate testimony in advance of TCEQ’s public meeting on the Silesia Properties wastewater discharge permit.
A public meeting will be held on the permit application of Silesia Properties to discharge 500,000 gallons/day into Honey Creek (Permit No. WQ0015688001). The discharge point is upstream of Honey Creek State Natural Area and Guadalupe State Park. GEAA strongly objects to direct discharge of sewage effluent into Honey Creek due to the high potential of negative impacts to this crystal clear water. Read GEAA’s comments here.
To prepare for the TCEQ Public Meeting, GEAA will host a strategy meeting on Thursday, August 15th at 6:00 p.m. at the Mammen Family Public Library (131 Bulverde Crossing, Bulverde, TX). At this strategy meeting we will coordinate testimony and advise on how to best use the public meeting and other resources to advance our cause.

New Braunfels - Table Talk: How Nature Cures
2019-08-13 18:00 - 20:00 | Landa Haus, 360 Aquatic Circle, New Braunfels, TX, 78130, United States
Come join our friends at the Comal County Conservation Alliance for a discussion! A special August “CCCA Table Talk” — a new, casual format — will feature a panel of three experts, a break for refreshments and mingling, and then an opportunity to share ideas in a small-group discussion with the panelists.
The topic for the August CCCA Table Talk will be the important relationship between health and nature, called “How Nature Cures.”
Everyone is welcome!

Kerrville - Flood Outreach Meeting with the Texas Water Development Board
2019-08-13 09:30 - 11:30
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is inviting you and other interested Texans to attend one of our 13 flood outreach meetings during the first two weeks of August. We will be soliciting comments on the new state and regional flood planning process and the new flood financing program, both established during the 2019 legislative session.

The TWDB is holding these meetings prior to the required formal rulemaking process to help ensure that the new programs meet the needs of Texas communities.

The flood planning program will result in regional flood plans in 2023 and the first state flood plan in September 2024. Intended to make drainage and flood projects more affordable for Texas communities, the flood financing program will be funded through a $793 million transfer from the Rainy Day Fund and will become available in 2020.

Questions? Contact flood@twdb.texas.gov or call 512-463-8725.
You can sign up for more information on these and other meetings from the Texas Water Development Board here.

Austin - Happy Hour: Learn about ecological restoration from an expert!
2019-08-12 18:30 - 20:30
Join Save Barton Creek Association for our monthly happy hour speaker series! Every month we host a different environmental expert to share their expertise, from sustainable living to developing policy, you’ll walk away with new connections and valuable information!
This month, we are honored to host David Mahler from Environmental Survey Consulting, an expert in ecological restoration. David was a charter member of the Society for Ecological Restoration and served on the first Board of Directors. He is a current member of both SER and Texas SER and is a Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner.
David will present on the “Restoration of Grasslands in the Midwest and Texas: Then and Now” including concepts, projects, and the hands-on processes of restoration. Restoration was “invented” by Ted Sperry and Aldo Leopold in 1936 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum. The first prairie restoration in Texas was started about 50 years ago by Mickey and Bob Burleson on their 500-acre reclaimed cotton field northeast of Temple. Environmental Survey Consulting began their Wild Basin restoration in 1984. Restoration is now a major component of contemporary efforts to save, protect and manage conservation lands throughout the world.
We can’t wait to see you on August 12th at The Tavern from 6:30-8:30 PM!

San Marcos - 2019 Farm & Food Leadership Conference
2019-08-11 08:00 - 2019-08-13 17:00 | Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX, 78666, United States
Register here.

Kerrville - Change Your Development Story Workshop
2019-08-06 09:30 - 2019-08-07 16:00 | Riverside Nature Center, 150 Francisco Lemos St., Kerrville, TX, United States
Tuesday and Wednesday, August 6 and 7, 2019
9:30 AM – 4:00PM both days
Riverside Nature Center
150 Francisco Lemos Street, Kerrville, TX (map)
Click here for more info and registration.
Click here to see the agenda.

Bastrop - Flood Outreach Meeting with the Texas Water Development Board
2019-08-06 09:30 - 11:30 | LCRA Riverside Conference Center, 1405 Willow St., Bastrop, TX, 78602, United States

Junction - Free Seminar: Landowner Incentive Programs
2019-07-25 14:00 - 15:30

San Antonio - Texas Wildlife Association's Annual Convention
2019-07-11 - 2019-07-14 | JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa, 23808 Resort Parkway, San Antonio, TX, 78261, United States
Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) celebrates 34 years of promoting effective habitat conservation and responsible hunting through private land stewardship at its annual convention and fundraiser, WildLife 2019 on July 11-14, in San Antonio. Wildlife enthusiasts from across Texas will come together for three days of fun, education, and top-notch networking.
What your registration includes:

Day passes to the trade show and educational seminars
Tickets to meals
A weekend of education and entertainment

Learn more and register here.

Fredericksburg - Pasture Restoration Monitoring Workshop
2019-06-28 17:00 - 20:00 | Roam Ranch, 1804 Pfieffer Rd., Fredericksburg, TX, 78624, United States
Call 479-587-3479 or email KaraK@NCAT.org to register.

Fredericksburg - Texas Bumble Bees—What’s the Buzz?
2019-06-25 18:30 - 20:30 | Memorial Presbyterian Church, 601 North Milam, Fredericksburg, TX, 78624, United States
What: Fredericksburg Native Plant Society Meeting
Topic: Texas Bumble Bees—What’s the Buzz?
Brief: Jessica Beckham introduces us to Texas bumble bees— their lifecycle, their adaptation as the perfect pollinator and her research regarding their population status in Texas. Her interest is to find ways that humans and bumble bees can peacefully coexist in an increasingly urbanized world.
Dr. Beckham received her Ph.D. in Environmental Science at the University of North Texas in Denton. Her dissertation topic was the “Influence of Urban Green Spaces on Bumble Bees.” She is currently at Lecturer at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Date: June 25, 2019
Time: 6:30 p.m.-Light refreshments and social; 7:00 p.m.- meeting
Where: Memorial Presbyterian Church – 601 North Milam, Fredericksburg, Texas 78624

Leakey - Free Seminar: Landowner Incentive Programs
2019-06-19 14:00 - 15:30
