News
Bipartisan bill to help declining wildlife introduced on Earth Day in Congress
With as many as one-third of America’s fish and wildlife species on the brink of becoming threatened or endangered, a bill introduced April 22 on Earth Day in Congress seeks to reverse this trend, while creating thousands of new jobs and investing in the outdoor...
Young Life members should pressure their organization to be stewards of the environment
Texas State is home to a well-attended chapter of Young Life, a Colorado-based Christian organization comprising mainly high school and college students. Texas State Young Life members spend a lot of time together, including camping together at LoneHollow Ranch in...
Price of a park: San Antonio’s Mission Reach can offer valuable lessons for Great Springs Project
About 4,500 years ago, native Texans mapped their waterways on a cave wall in the Pecos River Valley. A rock painting called the White Shaman Mural shows four dots along a sinuous red line. Gary Perez, a descendent of the Hokan-speaking peoples of South Texas, said...
Opinion: Address looming water issues in Comal County before it’s too late
My name is Mark Friesenhahn and I live in southwest Comal County. I am a lifetime Texan and proud to live in the Hill Country. I am however, becoming concerned about the lack of resources to support the massive growth we’re experiencing Deep in the Heart of Texas. I...
‘Lights Out’: Austin businesses to turn off lights overnight to save migrating birds
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court voted to approve an effort to get Travis County residents and businesses to turn off some of their lights to help save birds’ lives. The statewide initiative asks residents and businesses to turn off non-essential...
It’s (past) time to save our rural land heritage
On Tuesday, May 11, 2021, from 6:00 – 7:00pm, the Comal County Conservation Alliance (CCCA) will host an evening program on “Saving our Rural Land Heritage.” Guest speakers are David K. Langford of the Hillingdon Ranch in Kendall County, and Rob and Teresa Ohlrich...
Graphic documentary shines light on wildlife killing contests
San Antonio’s Pam Harte felt compelled to tackle the controversial issue of wildlife killing contests after witnessing the weigh-in at one Texas’ biggest killing competitions in 2018. The episode moved Pam and her husband Will Harte, who now live and work on a storied...
Boerne, Texas, is a Hill Country Hideaway
Texas is good at keeping its gems hidden. It secures many of them far, far away from city limits, down long deserted roads or secluded in dusty corners, and if you want to find them, you're better off wandering in a rented Mustang convertible than following...
Bill Neiman’s Native American Seed Farm in the Texas Hill Country is on a mission to help people restore the earth.
Mid-September, half a year before Texas wildflower season starts, and it’s been terribly dry and horribly hot at the Native American Seed Farm northeast of Junction. The rains of spring and summer pretty much quit back in June. This morning, in the dark, Bill Neiman...
Calling all birders: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department need citizen scientists
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are asking citizen scientists to help monitor black-capped vireos from April 10th to July 1 at Inks Lake State Park and Lost Maples State Natural Area in Texas. The previously endangered...
Analysis: The fight over local control turns to representation — and lobbyists
Efforts to bar local governments from hiring outside lobbyists or joining associations that lobby the state government are gaining steam, after falling short two years ago. If Texas lawmakers go ahead with current proposals, they’ll be hurting small towns more than...
Texas lawmakers want to prevent another power crisis. But the legislation doesn’t go far enough to do that, critics say.
Both the Texas Senate and House have written bills that attempt to prevent another massive power failure in extreme temperatures. But parts of their legislative proposals are drawing criticism for not going far enough to prepare electricity infrastructure for...
Nature-based infrastructure bill headed to House floor as Legislative session continues
Texas State Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) presented several house bills for the 87th Texas Legislative Session in committees this week, one of which is heading to the house floor. Zwiener presented House Bill 48 to the House International Relations and Economic...
House Bill 3883: Good legislation for the Hill Country
NOTE: Although this article was written for a Kendall County audience, the bill itself would apply throughout the Hill Country Priority Groundwater Management Area (PGMA), covering all of Bandera, Blanco, Gillespie, Kendall, and Kerr Counties, as well as parts of...
SJWTX updates drought-management plan to align with regional water-planning efforts
In an email to customers on Thursday, the comany announced it has updated its Drought Management Plan to promote resource conservation and align with regional water-planning efforts. The utility said it is trying to balance the area’s growing demand for water against...
3 lessons from a Texas groundwater district on managing during drought
The Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District in central Texas urges residents to “please protect your aquifer by limiting water use.” The district manages groundwater in Hays County, Texas, one of the top five fastest-growing counties in the U.S. Due to drought,...
Here’s what to expect this wildflower season, how to identify Central Texas species
Despite Winter Storm Uri bringing subfreezing temperatures to Central Texas in February, a prominent number of flowers should still bloom across Central Texas this wildflower season, according to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Although slightly later than...
Buda looking at options for residential and commercial trash, recycling plans
The city of Buda is examining its solid waste and recycling program. Deputy City Manager Micah Grau said during a March 23 City Council meeting options for residential and commercial services are about to open back up following the December 2021 conclusion of Buda’s...
City Of Austin says it might permanently close Barton Springs if Texas bill becomes law
A bill filed to reduce federal oversight of the Texas fossil fuel industry could also force the closure of one of the state’s most iconic swimming holes: Barton Springs Pool. House Bill 1683, filed by Republican state Rep. Brooks Landgraf, would prohibit state...
Laura Bush: Texans, turn out the lights at night to help migratory birds
Each year, nearly 2 billion birds migrate through Texas in one of the planet’s great wildlife spectacles. Birds have intrigued me since I was a little girl. My mother was a knowledgeable, self-taught naturalist who was passionate about birds. Her fascination with...
Hill Country Alliance 15th annual photo contest kicks off
Theme of contest is “Solace and Strength: Portraits of Resilience in the Texas Hill Country” The last year has been unimaginably difficult for so many of us. We have missed milestones and family members, traded neighborly potlucks for Zooms, and seen our worlds...
Golden-cheeked Warbler is back!
Golden-cheeked Warblers (GCWA) are beginning to arrive within their Hill Country haunts. The folks at Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center reported at least one GCWA on the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve on 5 March 2021 – right on time. Many more of these birds will...
LCRA adopts moratorium on commercial dredging on the Highland Lakes
The Lower Colorado River Authority Board of Directors on Wednesday adopted a one-year moratorium prohibiting commercial dredging on the Highland Lakes. LCRA’s Highland Lakes Watershed Ordinance, which is designed to protect water quality, addresses non-commercial...
An audacious and timely conservation challenge
We should all applaud President Biden's executive order calling for conservation of 30% of the U.S. land base by 2030. This bold "30x30" vision is firmly rooted in science, given that protected land is key to a healthy and secure future for all Americans. It provides...
Guadalupe Master Naturalists win Best In Texas award
The Schertz Parks & Recreation Dept. entered Guadalupe Master Naturalists’ Nature Discovery Series into a state-wide competition for the Best Educational Program in Texas – and won. The Schertz City Council recognized the honor from the Texas Festival & Event...
Texas State Parks working to return to normal capacity
Texas State Parks have begun a strategic and thoughtful process of expanding capacity statewide, tracking Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest reopening order, and allowing more Texans the opportunity to visit their favorite parks. Masks are strongly encouraged for park...
Experts fear reversing electricity prices from winter storm could make things worse
Companies and entities at every level of the Texas energy supply chain are anxiously waiting to see whether the Texas Legislature will retroactively adjust the price of power in the state’s electricity market during the February blackouts in which more than 50 people...
Judge strikes down air quality permit for proposed 1,500-acre limestone quarry in Comal County
Opponents of a proposed 1,500-acre open-pit limestone quarry between New Braunfels and Bulverde scored a “monumental” victory on Friday when an Austin judge struck down an air-quality permit Alabama-based Vulcan Construction Materials needed to proceed with the...
It’s time to stop pointing fingers and take steps to make the Texas grid more reliable
The withering winter weather and associated power outages across Texas left millions without electricity for days (including some of my kids and grandkids). It was the most extensive and will likely to be the most expensive storm in Texas history. The resulting...
Vaccinating Texas: Continued frustration for some, guilt for others
Texas Standard is collecting stories from across the state about individual journeys to getting COVID-19 vaccinations. We want to hear the positive as well as the negative. If you’re currently eligible or are trying to secure a vaccine for an eligible loved one, share...