News
Want to save the bees? You don’t need to put out sugar water
The icy weather of February affected all sorts of wildlife in Texas and damaged plants across the state, including the ones honeybees rely on for food. Some on social media have suggested putting sugar water out as a potential food source for the bees. But Dr. Jessica...
Here’s how Texans can apply for federal help to recover from the devastating winter storm
Texans in more than 100 counties can begin applying for federal assistance to help them recover from last week’s massive winter storm that caused widespread power outages, water disruptions and building damages from burst pipes. And the number of counties whose...
Do thousands of bat deaths mean Texans will face a mosquito-ridden summer?
No one knows yet just how many bats were killed by the frigid conditions of last month’s disastrous winter storm in Texas. Reports popped up across the state about thousands of the winged mammals found either dead or dying. The hardest-hit species appears to have been...
County asks Leg for more regs on miners
Kerr County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution asking the Texas Legislature to place more regulations on mining operations. The resolution states that although mining operations - also known as aggregate production operations - have attempted to be "good...
Representative Biedermann files Texas Hill Country protection legislation
Today, Representative Kyle Biedermann (R-Fredericksburg) filed HB 3883& HB 3884 to protect Kendall County's fragile resources. Both bills were a product of teamwork between Rep. Biedermman and the Kendall County Commissioner's Court. Biedermann said, "The Hill...
Biden should use private partnerships to save US lands
Conserving land is an essential element of any effort to battle climate change, a fact highlighted by the 30x30 plan supported by President Biden. Fulfilling a campaign pledge, one of Biden’s first actions as president was to sign an executive order that established...
Axis Deer Project wraps up
Hill Country Alliance, Texas Tech University’s Department of Natural Resources Management, and partners are grateful to the land stewards that supported the Axis Deer Control Project. Tissue samples will be used to understand the ecology and population dynamics of...
Texans used mutual aid to help their communities through a devastating winter storm
When the massive winter storm hit Texas last week, University of Texas at Austin student Sam Miles noticed that there seemed to be a lot of need expressed on social media that got lost “in the void” because there wasn’t a centralized system for keeping track of...
Axis deer had overrun the Hill Country. The winter storm devastated them.
LEARN MORE: You can learn more about ongoing efforts related to the Axis Deer Control Project here. The spotted fawn was leaning against the screen door of Daniel Oppenheimer’s back porch near Luckenbach. Oppenheimer found it when he ventured outside on the first...
Lift station generator failure causes wastewater spill
Approximately 1 million gallons of wastewater overflowed into the San Marcos River early Thursday morning following a generator failure, the City of San Marcos announced Friday. The city said the generator failure occurred at its main wastewater lift station — located...
New water institute to explore the resource’s impact on society
UTSA has launched the Institute for Water Research, Sustainability and Policy. Led by Saugata Datta, the Weldon W. Hammond Jr. Endowed Distinguished Professor in Hydrogeology, the institute brings together faculty across UTSA to collaborate in the areas of water...
“One thing after another”: Rural Texans faced the same storm — with unique hardships
As humanitarian aid workers in Armenia and South Sudan, Jerry and Meaghan Kenney have huddled around wood stoves to keep warm and bathed with buckets for lack of water. But the couple didn’t expect they’d need such survival skills to get through the winter storm at...
Some Hill Country residents could be without power for weeks
While the power is on in nearby Fredericksburg, homeowners in the rural parts of Gillespie County have been told it could be several weeks before they’re able to turn the lights back on. “This is what’s left of our mailbox,” said Michael Cahill, remarking at the...
Hays Trinity Groundwater – Water-Wise Speaker Series
The Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District has announced its 2021 Water-Wise Speaker Series. Subject matter experts will discuss a variety of water topics important to Hays County residents. Hays County is listed by the US Census Bureau as the second fastest...
Where to volunteer in Austin right now
Due to last week's crisis, thousands of Austinites are still in need of clean water, food, and other essential items. From online phone banking to hands-on work, here's how you can help. Emergency Essentials Distribution Mayor Pro Tem Natasha Harper-Madison and her...
Energy officials: Extreme cold crippled natural gas, wind, coal, and nuclear plants
Every type of power generator suffered problems as a winter storm gripped Texas this week, with state and local power officials saying their industry was caught off guard by an unprecedented deep freeze. “I don’t know of one technology in producing power that has not...
“We are resilient people”: Texans share how they weathered the winter storm
After days without power or running water, many Texans say they're frustrated, but determined to overcome the latest challenge thrown their way. We caught up with several people to hear about what they endured as a historic winter storm with catastrophic consequences...
How to help and get help in Texas as the winter storm causes power outages
Winter Storm 2021 As Texas faced record-low temperatures this February and snow and ice made roads impassable, the state’s electric grid operator lost control of the power supply, leaving millions without access to electricity. As the blackouts extended from hours to...
The importance of dark skies
Lost in the forest until nightfall, a young child faces his fears and learns how nature flourishes in darkness in the latest book from Shearer Publishing, based in Fredericksburg. The children’s book, “Who Loves the Dark? Why Nature Loves and Needs Dark Skies” brought...
Axis deer management project underway in Hill Country
Axis deer are an exotic game species first introduced in the Texas Hill Country in the 1930s. Since then, the population has grown exponentially, leading to groups launching an Axis Deer Control project. There are currently more than 6,000 free-range Axis deer in...
Texas Parks and Wildlife honors Black conservation heroes, past and present
Though often unheralded in their own times, Black contributions to conservation, parks, outdoor recreation and more are significant and will be celebrated throughout February’s Black History Month programs from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Park rangers...
What Dallas, Houston, Louisville & Rochester can teach us about widening freeways: Don’t!
Once upon a time, Portland held itself out as a national example of how to build cities that didn’t revolve (so much) around the private automobile. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, it recognized that building more freeways just generated more traffic, and it tore out one...
This land is our land
Gabe Vasquez first visited New Mexico when he was 8 years old, during a fishing trip to the Rio Grande with his father and older brother. They traveled from their home just south of the border in Ciudad Juárez and planned to camp in state parks along the river. Even...
2020 successes in the Hill Country
There is nothing more exciting than wrapping up a great conservation project, and Texas Land Conservancy finalized three of them in the Hill Country during 2020. Silencio, Danner, and Baradhi ranches make up 1,743 acres of beautiful and diverse habitats. Each one...
US agency cancels Trump policy on conservation purchases
U.S. Interior Department officials on Thursday canceled a Trump administration directive that gave local and state officials power to block purchases of land and water for conservation. Acting Interior Secretary Scott de la Vega rescinded a November order from former...
Birds at home: Watch them come and go
Are you ready for the return of some precedented events in our lives? We have endured so much uncertainty over the last year, but fortunately (and with weather aside), nature and wildlife remain a reliable source of predictability. The lives of birds cycle through...
AACOG-led consortium seeks Sentinel Landscape status for JBSA-Camp Bullis
Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis sits astride the Southern Edwards Plateau on the Northwest edge of San Antonio. This gem of JBSA is vital to military training and readiness as it provides a rugged tactical training area in this Texas Hill Country landscape...
BEC, LCRA award $21,000 grant to expand recycling efforts in Real County
Keep it Real Beautiful (KIRB) will soon purchase its own recycling equipment and expand its outreach program, thanks to a $21,000 grant from the Bandera Electric Cooperative and the Lower Colorado River Authority. The grant, along with $4,920 in matching funds from...
January 2021 Hydro Report
Flow at Jacob’s Well is approaching zero. The USGS daily average for January 21 was 0.9 cubic feet per second (cfs), which is up slightly after rainfall earlier this week. Flow in the upper reaches of the Blanco River is reliant on baseflow provided by Trinity...
Requests for Qualifications: Blanco River Water Reclamation Task Force
Important note: Deadline for submission extended to 2/26/2021 The Blanco Water Reclamation Task Force (Task Force) was formed in September 2020 when the Blanco City Council, with a unanimous vote on Sept. 8, committed to a partnership with local NGO, Protect Our...