News & Updates
Taking a look at trends for our land
It should be no surprise that our growing population has put pressure on the land in Comal County. As the second fastest growing county in the nation, we have witnessed the conversion of many acres from open land to developed land. Our experience has been put into the...
Texas Can’t Quit the Aoudad
Allen Smith decided long ago what to do about the aoudads that wander onto his family’s land. “The first four I saw, I shot,” he tells me. From 5,000 feet up, in Smith’s Cessna Skymaster, the choices other Texans have made for their land roll out below—the network of...
NRI publishes Status Update and Trends of Texas Working Lands 1997-2017
The new Texas Land Trends report Status Update and Trends of Texas Working Lands 1997–2017, produced by NRI, has now been published. Land-trends reports have informed private and public landowners and decision-makers for more than two decades. “With this report, we...
Report: Austin and San Antonio best in Texas for fighting water pollution with nature-based infrastructure
Amid ongoing problems with water pollution and flooding, cities across Texas are turning to nature-based infrastructure. San Antonio and Austin lead the way, followed closely by Harris County, according to a new report by Environment Texas Research and Policy Center,...
Fireflies have a mating problem: The lights are always on
These are tough times for fireflies. Like a lot of other insects, they face increasing threats from habitat loss, pesticides and pollution. But they also have a problem that’s unique to luminous bugs: It’s getting harder for them to reproduce because light pollution...
TPW Commission Approves Rule Changes to Assist with Growth of Managed Lands Deer Program
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission has approved changes to the Managed Lands Deer Program (MLDP), which provides landowners and land managers with additional flexibility to manage deer populations, improve habitats, and provide greater hunting opportunities under...
Petition circulates against relief route
A petition to stop the Texas Department of Transportation’s technically preferred route around Fredericksburg is being distributed. Citizens for an Informed Relief Route (CIRR), a local group that has been active in relief route conversations, created this petition...
Comal workshop to provide landowners with information on conservation programs that create a family land legacy
On Friday, February 21, the Comal County Conservation Alliance and partners will host a landowner workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Anhalt Dance Hall, 2390 Anhalt Road, Spring Branch, TX 78070. The one-day workshop will highlight conservation easements and...
Regional impacts of free-range axis deer
In September, Gillespie County AgriLife Extension and the Hill Country Alliance launched the Axis Deer Control Project, with a goal to raise awareness about the impacts of free-ranging Axis deer, support research that will improve management, and recognize land...