News
Deadly disease outbreak in breeder deer threaten Texas’ 3.9 million whitetails
Staff at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) haven’t gotten much sleep since March. The worst nightmare a wildlife agency in a deer-rich region like Texas with its 3.9 million wild whitetail deer and 85,000 captive breeder deer could possibly imagine now...
2021 Texas legislative recap – key bills for agriculture
As we do after every Texas Legislative Session, we’re here with a recap of the 87th Texas Legislature and the bills impacting agriculture. As you will see, it was a busy session with a number of ag-related bills being passed. We have linked each bill below to allow...
Perseid meteor shower 2021: All you need to know
In the Northern Hemisphere, we rank the August Perseids as our all-time favorite meteor shower. The Perseids take place during the lazy, hazy days of northern summer, when many families are on vacation. And what could be more luxurious than taking a siesta from the...
San Antonio built a pipeline to rural Central Texas to increase its water supply. Now local landowners say their wells are running dry.
When the water finally arrived, San Antonio’s leadership could relax. The roughly 150-mile long water pipeline to the northeast guaranteed the city’s economic future and freed residents from the stress of droughts. “We have water security for decades to come,” said...
Fahrenheit 140: Setting the (water) table
Fahrenheit 140, the temperature that water scalds skin after six seconds, is a climate rant with a Texas slant. Join water pros Robert Mace and Carrie Thompson as they dive into stories and perspectives at the intersection of climate change and water. This podcast is...
Conservationists are plucking the plants that threaten Texas wild rice, fountain darters
Twelve feet below the water in the San Marcos River, conservationists pluck invasive plants from the riverbed. Hydrilla and hygrophila are the victims of this widespread removal. They’re targeted because they threaten two native species that are endangered: Texas wild...
New study on climate change impacts on plants could lead to better conservation strategies
The loss of plant species that are especially vulnerable to climate change might lead to bigger problems than previous studies have suggested, according to a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. If confirmed, the findings...
Recovering America’s Wildlife Act introduced in the U.S. Senate
We're excited to announce that the Recovering America's Wildlife Act has been introduced in the U.S. Senate! S.2372 was introduced by Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) — one important step closer to passing the most significant wildlife...
A Watershed Moment: Restoration of the Sessom Creek Watershed about to get underway
Everyone loves those home makeover shows where a visionary decorator and demolition-loving partner take a quaint old home and turn it into a Better Homes and Gardens cover story. Well, if there was such a show for watersheds, the Sessom Creek watershed in San Marcos...
From Time to Time: Preserving cultural resources key component of EAHCP
Where did the time go? Time flies. There’s no time like the present. Don’t waste your time. People are familiar with the notion that time marches on at its own pace and we express how we deal with that in many ways. And while today’s culture seems to be preoccupied...
We helped design ERCOT, here’s how to prevent another major Texas electricity failure
The Arctic weather system that hit the South Central United States in February 2021 led to the deaths of almost 200 Texans (many more by some estimates), extended power outages for two-thirds of Texas residents, residents, and caused more than $100 billion in damages...
Drought, the everything disaster
It develops in stages, a story that builds upon itself. A few cloudless days. Then a rain-free week. Soon a hot, dry month. Now the hills are brown and the crops need watering — the first signs of drought. The intensely dry conditions that have settled over the...
Bipartisan wildlife proposal would enhance fish and wildlife, add jobs, and grow businesses in Texas
During the pandemic, Texans headed back to nature in record numbers, with more people visiting state parks, hunting, fishing, and boating than ever before. A new congressional proposal aims to tap that exploding interest by investing more than $50 million per year in...
Economic Benefits Report from Great Springs Project
With the expert guidance of Alta Planning + Design and National Park Service, Great Springs Project is proud to present the Economic Benefits Report for the trail from the Alamo to the Capitol to quantify the financial return from the 100+-mile trail network and...
Wildlife disease threatens deer, elk – and maybe humans, new research says
The continuing spread of a fatal wildlife disease in Alberta and Saskatchewan has a federal agency recommending a deer cull across a wide swath of the Prairies. And soon-to-be-published research on chronic wasting disease has raised new fears about whether the illness...
A drought so dire that a Utah town pulled the plug on growth
The mountain spring that pioneers used to water their hayfields and that filled people’s taps flowed reliably into the old cowboy town of Oakley for decades. So when it dwindled to a trickle in this year’s scorching drought, officials took drastic action to preserve...
Comal County group, Hays County neighbors aim to spare some nature from sprawl
People are flocking to the Texas Hill Country for its lush and rolling hills, so some in Comal and Hays counties are working together to preserve it. The Comal County Conservation Alliance recently held a virtual meeting with Hays County Precinct 3 Commissioner Lon...
What future do we desire for the Trinity Aquifers?
Across the Hill Country, residents and visitors depend on the groundwater stored in the Trinity Aquifers as water supply and to provide baseflow through springs that keep iconic creeks and rivers flowing. Residents have a voice through the regional planning process...
Healthy Creeks Initiative Underway
This month, contractors will begin the annual control efforts to manage Arundo along the Pedernales River and several tributary creeks. Arundo, also referred to as Giant Reed or Carrizo Cane, is a non-native, invasive plant that can take over creeks and rivers. Since...
New eminent domain laws from the 2021 Texas legislative session
The Texas Legislature recently approved five bills that will impact eminent domain matters throughout the state: HB 2730, HB 4107, SB 721, SB 725, and SB 726 For a rundown of these bills, Husch Blackwell LLP has outlined them here.
Thousands of residences, lots more planned for new Marble Falls community
A North Texas developer is gearing up to break ground on the first phase of a transformative mixed-use project in Marble Falls, which eventually could bring nearly 2,000 homes, hundreds of apartments, commercial space and sports fields to the Hill Country city....
lege+water: June 2021 Update
Every month during the 87th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature, Dr. Todd Votteler and Dr. Robert Mace have brought you an update on water-related legislation. And while not one, but two special sessions lie ahead on the horizon (redistricting, federal COVID-19...
Texas reimagines the fight against floods
For more than 60 years, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has been tasked with leading Texas efforts in securing the state’s water supply through the conservation and development of Texas’ water resources. The agency’s framework for fulfilling this mission...
What’s a 100-year flood? A hydrologist explains
A 100-year flood, like a 100-year storm, is one so severe it has only a 1% chance of hitting in any given year. Unfortunately, many people believe that if they experienced a 100-year flood this year, they will not see another one like it for 99 years. It just doesn’t...
How do animals safely cross a highway? Take a look.
The engineers were used to building overpasses for vehicles, not wildlife. But every spring and fall, collisions with mule deer and pronghorn spiked in the Pinedale region of Wyoming, where Route 191 disrupted the animals’ age-old migration paths. So the state...
Feds release first slice of water bill assistance funds
The Department of Health and Human Services released $166.6 million in federal funds for a program to help low-income residents pay off their past-due water bills or to reduce their water rates. The new program — temporary for now, though some Democrats want permanent...
Using science for equitable policies: A framework for climate scientists
Climate science is having its moment. With the recent administration changes, climate change is getting attention at the national level through much-needed bold and ambitious federal policy developments. “We must listen to science — and act,” the Biden administration...
What future do we desire for the Trinity Aquifers?
Across the Hill Country, residents and visitors depend on the groundwater stored in the Trinity Aquifers as water supply and to provide baseflow through springs that keep iconic creeks and rivers flowing. Residents have a voice through the regional planning process to...
SJW group announces that its Texas subsidiary has filed applications to acquire the Kendall West Utility in Kendall County and Bandera East Utility in Bandera and Medina Counties, Texas
SJW Group (NYSE: SJW) today announced that its Texas subsidiary, SJWTX Inc., which does business as Canyon Lake Water Service Company, is planning to acquire the Kendall West Utility operating in Kendall County and the Bandera East Utility in Bandera and Medina...
Director’s Notes – July 2021: Join as a Sustaining Neighbor and Receive a Special Gift!
Dear Hill Country Neighbors, It finally feels like we’re reaching the light at the end of a long tunnel. Summer in the Hill Country, particularly when fueled by abundant spring rains, is a season for slowing down—appreciating the shade of an ancient oak tree, the cold...