News & Updates
Permit asks to dump 600,000 gallons of sewage a day into creek feeding Comal River, Edwards Aquifer
Local environmental groups have raised concerns after a landowner filed a permit application with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to dump 600,000 gallons of treated sewage a day into a creek that feeds into the Comal River. The application - which was...
One of Texas’ largest unbroken areas of urban wilderness will be preserved by Hays County
Over 1,000 acres of biodiverse habitat in the Texas Hill Country will be shielded from future development under a new conservation agreement that is part of a network of protected conservation lands. That network will be the state’s largest unbroken parcel of urban...
How one Texas town is rethinking the American lawn
Lewisville, at first glance, is a typical Texas suburb. Wedged in the northwest corner of the Dallas metroplex, the 113,000-person city encompasses a little triangle bordered by a six-lane state toll road and an interstate highway. A small downtown with shops and...
Meadows Center executive director authors groundwater sustainability book
As Texas comes out of its 13th driest year on record, water and managing the state’s finite water supply is a pressing concern. A new book authored by Robert E. Mace, executive director for The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University,...
Preserve Texas lands for generations to come
Each year Texas loses nearly 250,000 acres of land to development. Rural work areas that form the wide open spaces that define Texas character are evaporating at an alarming rate. These lands are not only meant to be enjoyed by Texans, but they work every day to...
How the ongoing drought impacts the Hill Country
In 2022, San Antonio received only a third of its average annual rainfall. Kerrville received 12.38 inches, 60% below its normal average. Popular swimming holes from Jacobs Well in Wimberley to the Guadalupe River near Center Point dried up. The Pedernales, Llano...
You have all the parking you need—and it’s hiding in plain sight
Communities far and wide believe that they have a parking problem. This concern generally ranks as a top problem voiced in public meetings and shows up in master plans and visioning documents. Lack of parking creeps in as an excuse for declining or stagnant economic...
Urban gardens are good for ecosystems and humans
Traditionally, it has been assumed that cultivating food leads to a loss of biodiversity and negative impacts on an ecosystem. A new study from researchers at multiple universities, including The University of Texas at Austin, defies this assumption, showing that...
Massive influx of visitors expected for 2024 solar eclipse
The Highland Lakes area should expect a massive influx of visitors for a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, and significant preparations are necessary to accommodate them, according to Hill Country Alliance Night Sky Program Manager Dawn Davies. Davies gave a...