News
Higher temperatures for 2020 warns of Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) growth
Warmer weather means warmer water, which is a catalyst for the overgrowth of highly toxic blue-green algae known as cyanobacteria harmful algal blooms or cyanoHABs in ponds, lakes and reservoirs. Statistically, the warmer the weather, the worse the cyanoHABs. The...
‘Mega-drought’ could be in store for Texas, western U.S.
The American West is well on its way into one of the worst mega-droughts on record, a new study warns, a dry period that could last for centuries and spread from Oregon and Montana, through the Four Corners and into West Texas and northern Mexico. Several other...
Don’t touch the wildlife. Seriously.
With more people enjoying the outdoors and working from home this April, you may start to notice more wildlife in your backyard, neighborhood or surrounding area. Species including birds, deer and snakes are active this time of year and their young often stray or...
I went bird watching in Colombia from my couch and you should too
Of all the virtual experiences being offered to us these strange days, this was the one that caught my attention: virtual bird watching in Colombia. The creators of The Birders, a 2019 documentary about a birding road trip through northern Colombia have created a...
Financing nature-based flood mitigation projects with Texas’ Flood Infrastructure Fund – Hill Country
The Hill Country is no stranger to flooding. In 2015, the Memorial Day flood brought devastating rains to the region. As flood events grow stronger and more frequent, it is more important than ever to take advantage of opportunities to protect our citizens and natural...
Earth Day 50th anniversary could mark turning point for Texas energy sector
Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. When it was first celebrated in 1970, more than 20 million people took to the streets and that action spurred the passage of environmental laws and regulations that are still in effect today. Large gatherings aren’t...
A gift for Texas: Collins family donates easement on 531 acres in Williamson County
More than 50 years ago, Michael Collins and his father bought land north of Liberty Hill, drawn to the river that cut through the property and the old log home that stood there. They evicted the goats bedding down in the house and renovated it, and the Collins family...
Big opportunities lie ahead for green infrastructure in Texas
Green infrastructure and nature-based solutions are essential to creating flood resilient communities in Texas. Traditional gray infrastructure techniques such as dams, levees, and channels, capture water and push it downstream. On the other hand, green infrastructure...
Bamberger – A strongly rooted legacy
As a child, J. David Bamberger grew up in an Ohio family without electricity or running water. Each day his mother sent him to the neighbor’s farm with a bucket to pump water from their well. “When you’re that age, walking a quarter-mile back home with a bucket full...
Coronavirus hits already struggling Texas farmers and ranchers
Coronavirus has hit U.S. farmers and ranchers hard — to the point where they’ve stopped saying “it can’t get worse.” Burnet County ranchers are seeing those hard-hitting effects by the day. Auction sales are down significantly at the Lampasas Cattle Auction, according...
Austin Parks adds new restrictions to hike-and-bike trail to combat COVID-19
The city has announced even mores changes for the Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail. In the weeks since Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt rolled out Stay Home/Work Safe measures to help combat the novel coronavirus, the 10-mile trail has become...
Born to rewild: why now is the perfect time to make your lawn an eco-paradise
Chances are, your lawn isn’t natural, environmentally healthy, or necessary – but it is part of a prevalent national standard. Americans spend an estimated $36bn on lawn care annually, and the amount of lawns we maintain could roughly cover the state of Florida....
Expanding efforts to keep ‘cows over condos’ are protecting land across the West
Across the West, a growing number of ranchers and farmers are seeking such “conservation easements” to stave off the big-box stores, self-storage complexes and residential construction consuming millions of acres of fertile open space. From Montana’s sagebrush steppe...
April’s International Dark Sky Week urges homebound families to “look up together”
Press Release: International Dark-Sky Association - For Immediate Release: April 9, 2020 During International Dark Sky Week, April 19-26, the International Dark-Sky Association invites you and your family to engage with dynamic authors, educators, artists, and...
Director’s Notes – April 2020: Community resilience
Dear Hill Country Neighbors, If there is one thing that the past several weeks have taught us, it is the power and importance of resiliency. Whether we’re talking about our region’s ability to weather cycles of drought and intense rain, or our ability to adapt to an...
Supporting local Hill Country food banks
Across the state, food banks are seeing more faces than ever before. Whether you are in a place of need or a place of plenty, don't forget your local food banks. A recent article from The Texas Standard stated that “the need for food bank services in [Central Texas]...
Monarch butterfly gets protection in ‘historic’ deal
The Fish and Wildlife Service today unveiled a sweeping, multistate plan to protect the monarch butterfly without adding it to the Endangered Species Act list. A long time in the making, the plan called, in part, a "candidate conservation" agreement unites state and...
TESPA issues notice of intent to sue Permian Highway Pipeline for contamination of an underground source of drinking water
Press Release: Trinity Edwards Springs Protection Association & Wimberley Valley Watershed Association - For Immediate Release: April 8, 2020 Attorneys acting on behalf of the Trinity Edwards Springs Protection Association (TESPA) today issued a notice of intent...
Texas State Parks temporarily close to the public
Press Release: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - For Immediate Release: April 7, 2020 At the direction of Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas State Parks will be closed to the public effective at the close of business Tuesday, April 7 in order to maintain the safest...
Inside the story of how HEB planned for the pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has transformed the country in just a handful of weeks. As Americans focus on the essentials—feeding our families and ensuring we have the necessary supplies to keep our households clean and safe—grocery stores and pharmacies have demonstrated...
TCEQ loosens enforcement amid COVID-19
While environmental regulations are not being set aside, the chairman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said Monday that enforcing those rules may be eased for violations "that were unavoidable due to the (coronavirus) pandemic." The agency has "not...
Texas food banks asking for help to support surge of people in need
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, food banks across the country are tasked with serving those in need from every socioeconomic level. Many people are using food bank services for the first time. Food banks in Texas are doing their part, but they face many...
The pandemic is turning the natural world upside down
From inside her living room in London, Paula Koelemeijer can feel the world around her growing quieter. Koelemeijer, a seismologist, has a miniature seismometer sitting on a concrete slab at the base of her first-floor fireplace. The apparatus, though smaller than a...
The Trailist guide to getting outside during the pandemic
For obvious reasons, this can’t be a normal Trailist column. I’m sitting here in my apartment, listening to the rain pour down for the third straight day, trying to think of ways to recommend getting outdoors during these tough and ever-changing times. Here’s the...
National parks — your Rx for good health
During the current COVID-19 pandemic, visitation to national parks is surging. As more parks close to protect visitors and staff, we can expect another influx when they reopen. In times of crisis and times of calm, national parks are America’s go-to places. Visitation...
Essential Austin nonprofit finding new ways to nourish community amid COVID-19
Tune into the Urban Roots Instagram feed and you’ll find a new series of videos featuring executive director Max Elliott teaching viewers how to plant peppers; showcasing his ready crop of kale and the helpful, aphid-eating ladybug larvae that live on the leaves; or...
2020 Hill Country Night Sky Song Contest announced
Press Release: Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky - For Immediate Release: April 6, 2020 The Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky (BCFNS) has announced the 2020 Hill Country Night Sky Songwriting Contest. This year’s contest, open to songwriters of any genre or...
As Texans are exposed to dangerous pesticides, lawmakers aren’t doing anything
In the interim between legislative sessions, Texas lawmakers on the House Agriculture Committee will have an opportunity to examine an important but under-the-radar problem that’s making people sick in farming communities across the state. Then again, their attention...
Well water tests underway after pipeline crew hits Karst feature
Discolored water from wells near the Kinder Morgan Permian Highway Pipeline is causing distress. Test results on the water, taken where the pipeline is about to cross the Blanco River, are expected soon from a Lower Colorado River Authority laboratory. Once the...
Newly detected moth threatens prickly pear in Texas
Texas is now the front line of an ecological battle pitting a devastating invasive moth against the state’s ubiquitous prickly pear cactus. Already, the South American cactus moth has laid waste to the cactus population in Florida, having come ashore there roughly 30...