News
Southside residents succeed in push to bring air monitor to area
The monitor’s installation by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) came seven months after a meeting with a half-dozen Southside residents and TCEQ officials. State Rep. Leo Pacheco (D-San Antonio) organized the face-to-face session at Palo Alto...
San Antonio Council OKs zoning change over Edwards Aquifer property
City Council on Thursday approved a zoning change that paves the way for new development over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone on the Northwest Side. The change will affect 22 acres close to the intersection of Jones Maltsberger and Redland roads. The land is part of...
Senate approves Great American Outdoors Act
The U.S. Senate today voted 73-25 to approve the Great American Outdoors Act, which would fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund and make critical investments in our national park system. “Today the Senate delivered a historic win for the conservation of...
City seeks applicants for 3 slots on SAWS Board
The City is seeking applicants for the San Antonio Water System’s board of trustees to replace the board’s three longest-serving members. The City is seeking to fill positions left by SAWS board Chair Heriberto “Berto” Guerra Jr., Assistant Secretary Pat Merritt, and...
E.P.A. limits states’ power to oppose pipelines and other energy projects
The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday announced that it had limited states’ ability to block the construction of energy infrastructure projects, part of the Trump administration’s goal of promoting gas pipelines, coal terminals and other fossil fuel...
Solicitation for regional flood planning group members
Flooding has always been a constant threat in Texas. It impacts people and property every year. But now the state is taking action. For the first time ever, Texas is launching a statewide, comprehensive effort to fight flood that integrates mapping, planning, and...
Should we care about conservation during a pandemic?
Now, more than ever, we need nature and the benefits it provides. COVID-19 has both revealed and exacerbated deep inequities in access to green space. Those of us who are fortunate enough to be at home, away from the frontlines, appreciate the mental and physical...
Water connects us all
Water connects us all, from watersheds to oceans, to wetlands. In the summer of 2019, students from Taiwan, the Kumeyaay Nation, and southern California participated in an environmental summit hosted by the National Wildlife Federation and the Ministry of Education...
Young North Carolinians could benefit from reviving Depression-era program
Manley Fuller, vice president of conservation policy for the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, says from 1933 until 1942, the [Civilian Conservation Corps] relief program employed more than 14,000 young people... Fuller also notes North Carolina's park system, which...
7.7 million young people are unemployed. We need a new ‘Tree Army.’
Nearly 7.7 million American workers younger than 30 are now unemployed and three million dropped out of the labor force in the past month. Combined that’s nearly one in three young workers, by far the highest rate since the country started tracking unemployment by age...
‘Black Birders Week’ promotes diversity and takes on racism in the outdoors
“We all have this shared experience where we have to worry about going into the field,” says Earyn McGee, a herpetology Ph.D. student at the University of Arizona and Black Birders Week co-organizer. Prejudice might drive police or private property owners to be...
One Water – Blue Hole primary school
While COVID-19 dominates headlines in 2020, groundwater protection efforts in the Texas Hill Country are set to realize a tremendous success story when the first One Water school in Texas officially opens its doors for classes this fall! Blue Hole Primary School will...
Water access must be part of our COVID recovery
Wash your hands, save lives — it's a central message during the COVID-19 crisis. But what if you don't have basic running water, as we assume everyone does? Incredibly, too many Americans don't... Our recovery from COVID-19 must include a sincere investment in fixing...
NASA-SpaceX launches will boost science research on the space station
When NASA astronaut Dr. Serena Auñón-Chancellor arrived on the International Space Station for her six-month stay in June 2018, she was in awe of the vast array of science experiments on board. Before they launch, astronauts are only trained on about 20% of the...
Across Texas, diverse wetlands are benefiting Texans — and facing threats
“Historically, some people thought of wetlands like nasty places we need to fill in or useless land,” he said. “But really, they're among the most productive and valuable ecosystem in terms of the goods and services they provide to humans.” Nicknamed the kidneys of...
17 incredible photos from SpaceX’s historic mission to send NASA astronauts to the space station
SpaceX launched NASA astronauts into space for the first time on Saturday — the company's first human passengers and the first time people have ever flown a commercially developed spaceship. This mission was the product of NASA's Commercial Crew program, a partnership...
#BlackBirdersWeek aims to raise awareness, grow community
Just four days after the encounter between a white dog walker and African American birdwatcher Christian Cooper, a group of approximately 30 Black scientists, birders, and outdoor explorers have created a new awareness campaign to encourage birding among more people...
Resources for new landowners: Aldo Leopold’s five tools of wildlife management
Aldo Leopold - author, philosopher, conservationist, and so-called “Father of Wildlife Ecology” - is a pillar of the modern-day wildlife conservation and management movement. His revolutionary musings on the value of land and wildlife and his intentional management...
The credible case for a resilient water supply in Texas
In this time of crisis and deep uncertainty, one thing we must be able to depend on is our water supply. Access to water is critical to public health, fragile local economies, and food production. And the benefits are also intangible. Confined to our homes, many of us...
Farms that sell directly to consumers are thriving amid Coronavirus downturn
“We feel pretty lucky,” Chris Newman admits. Newman is the owner and operator of Sylvanaqua Farms, a small permaculture operation that sells and delivers directly to consumers. Meat may be running low in grocery stores as farmers across the country face dire decisions...
Texas Railroad Commission investigating Kinder Morgan for ‘multiple’ erosion complaints
The railroad commission said the complaints are regarding erosion control, and spokesperson R.J. DeSilva says “our investigation of the complaints is to ensure Kinder Morgan is in compliance with those commission rules.” He said the complaints starting coming in May...
Conservation and reuse of reclaimed wastewater: A marriage of necessity
As the population of Texas increases and requires a more abundant water supply, big decisions loom regarding new water sources, growing volumes of wastewater effluent, and the impacts on our land, environment, and other species in which we coexist. A new way of...
Hays County Parks & Open Space Advisory Commission call for projects
The Hays County Parks and Open Space Advisory Commission (POSAC) is now accepting project ideas for parks, open space and natural areas from cities, nonprofit organizations, homeowner associations, and other groups or individuals who see specific needs for their...
Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission awards $3.71 million in recreational trail grants to Texas communities
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved $3.71 million dollars in grants to fund 22 motorized and non-motorized recreational trail-related projects across the state. The National Recreational Trails Fund (NRTF) funds recreational trail construction, renovation...
SOS reaches agreement with Stratus Properties over new project, protecting land in the Barton Springs Zone
Stratus Properties (“Stratus”) owns some of the largest areas of land within the Barton Springs Zone. They own land all throughout Southwest Austin, including the site of the notorious 4,000-acre Barton Creek PUD, which was the catalyst of the SOS movement 30 years...
April Sansom selected to lead Selah Bamberger Ranch
Selah Bamberger Ranch Preserve is pleased to announce the selection of a new executive director to lead the nonprofit into the future. Selah’s board of directors has unanimously selected April Sansom for the position. Sansom will assume her new duties on June 11. “My...
Kinder Morgan crew punctures Vista Ridge water pipeline
A crew working on an energy pipeline punctured the Vista Ridge water pipeline in Caldwell County Thursday while digging in the area, said a San Antonio Water System official. The crew members were working on the Permian Highway Pipeline, a natural gas pipeline for...
Analysis: Coronavirus could threaten local property tax limits
A law passed less than a year ago requires cities and counties to get approval from voters any time they’re increasing property tax revenue by more than 3.5%. The old restriction was 8% — an increase that lawmakers decided was too generous, especially at a time when...
‘Meandering’ restores twists and turns on Lambert Creek in Ramsey County
A portion of Lambert Creek prone to flooding in eastern Ramsey County is being reshaped into a meandering stream, the latest attempt to restore metro area rivers that have become polluted ditches... “Almost 50 percent of stream channels across the state have been...
Planning for our State’s water future in the midst of a pandemic – You have a unique opportunity for your voice to be heard!
Planning for the future is always a challenge – even more so in the midst of a pandemic. Texans currently are coping with the uncertainties of the Covid-19 crisis – financial hardships, continuing hospitalizations and deaths, the impacts of “reopening” the economy...