News & Updates
36 more deaths attributed to February 2021 snowstorm, raising total to 246
The death total for the historic February 2021 snowstorm continues to rise as 36 additional deaths were confirmed to be linked to the storm in the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS)'s final report on the disaster, bringing the statewide total to 246....
Covid is rampant among deer, research shows
Humans have infected wild deer with Covid-19 in a handful of states, and there’s evidence that the coronavirus has been spreading among deer, according to recent studies that outline findings that could complicate the path out of the pandemic. Read more from Evan Bush...
Disturbing the waters: Plan to dredge lakes threatens a scenic Hill Country treasure
Created by dams nearly a century ago, the Highland Lakes in the Hill Country long have been a haven for vacationers and second-home dwellers seeking a scenic escape from city life and the noisy disruptions of traffic and industry. Their serenity is about to be broken....
Austin restaurateur wants Texans to save the environment — by eating wild hogs
In Austin’s Cherrywood Neighborhood, the Dai Due restaurant has an unusual menu item — a wild boar confit. The rich flavor profile is created with all locally sourced ingredients, cook Henry Tiles explained. Read more from Dominic Anthony Walsh with Texas Public Radio...
‘Careful what we ask for’: Dripping Springs battles major Hill Country growing pains, development issues
Diane and Chuck McClaferty live and work on a Dripping Springs ranch. It’s been in Chuck McClaferty’s family for 85 years. They raise beef cattle. They keep honeybees. And a proposed four-lane highway would run right through the middle of their land. Read more from...
Saving ‘the edge of night’: Starry-sky admirers fight light pollution in the Hill Country amid growth, development
Chris Hill peered through the lens of the telescope in his backyard one cold night, looking into the sea of stars and galaxies that pepper the night sky like grains of sand. He walked to a pair of computers nearby and pressed a few buttons. A picture came into focus:...
Porcupines, or ‘cuddly cactuses,’ popping up more in Central Texas
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, the species appears to be expanding its range eastward. Its range in Texas normally is limited to the western portion of the state, including the Panhandle and parts of the Hill Country. Read more from Chrissy Mazzone with...
How to be an anti-racist geoscience organization
I’ve had this paper in the hopper for a while, waiting for the courage to write about it, in large part due to the controversy over Critical Race Theory but also — and perhaps primarily — because I am an old(ish), white, straight male fearful of saying (or writing)...
How cattle ranchers can combat climate change
Texas relies on the multibillion-dollar cattle industry for economic success and the conservation of our iconic landscape — the two are not mutually exclusive. Ranchers have a devotion to the land that sustains their livelihood, as it did for generations before them....