News
Buda OKs bond issuance for regional water project
The Buda City Council unanimously approved the issuance of $4.37 million in revenue bonds as part of the city’s participation in a regional water supply contract with the Alliance Regional Water Authority (ARWA) at its regular meeting Oct. 15. The project will supply,...
San Marcos seeks input on use of $24 million in federal disaster mitigation funds
The city of San Marcos is asking for public input on how to prioritize the $24,012,000 in Community Development Block Grant Mitigation funding it received earlier this year. The online survey can be found here, and paper copies are also available at San Marcos Public...
Trinity Aquifer sustainable yield study receives strong support
On Oct. 22, Hays County approved an interlocal agreement that will involve installation of two groundwater monitor wells near Jacob’s Well and sampling of groundwater in the vicinity of Jacob’s Well. On Oct. 1, Travis County approved the continuation of groundwater...
Opinion: Vote ‘No’ on pipelines in Texas in coming elections
Another pipeline battle is raging in our backyards. With a major election cycle churning, Texans have the chance to vote out fossil fuel protectors and imagine a new environmental future. The Permian Highway Pipeline, or PHP, has captured fewer headlines than other...
New research sheds light on lunar phase impact on white-tailed deer
Conventional wisdom has long held that deer are more active on moonlit nights and most active under a full moon. The day after, the conjecture followed, deer move around less in the daylight. Some hunters staked their outdoors reputations in support of the theory, as...
25,000 gallons of sewage spills into Bull Creek in Austin, reports say
Approximately 25,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled into Bull Creek near Old Spicewood Springs Road on Saturday, according to Austin Water. The water utility updated KXAN that crews should be working on removing excess sewer water from the creek until Monday afternoon....
City of San Marcos joins litigation against federal agencies regarding Permian Hwy Pipeline
The City of San Marcos has joined the cities of Kyle and Austin and the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District and the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association in filing a lawsuit against federal agencies regarding Kinder Morgan’s pipeline. On Tuesday, the...
How Flagstaff, Arizona, switched to LEDs without giving astronomers a headache
“I feel like we’re protecting the last tree, in a way.” That’s what Flagstaff, Arizona, city council member Austin Aslan said at a recent meeting. The subject of that earnest statement might surprise you: it was streetlights. To be more specific, he was talking about...
We say “Imagine a day without water,” but in the future this could be a reality we face
Did you know that the State Demographer estimates 250 people a day (yes, that's every day!) move to the Hill Country? Would it surprise you that none of them are bringing their own water? The state water plan projects a water deficit of 2,897,404,528,608 gallons by...
Our area, our culture and our ‘First freedoms’
Last week, I had the opportunity to represent our fine town on a media panel as part of the Hill Country Alliance Leadership Summit held at Camp Lucy near Dripping Springs. Several other Fredericksburgers were there to represent their interests in keeping this...
There’s an election in Texas coming up. Here are the Constitutional Propositions you’ll vote on.
Voters in Texas will decide on 10 constitutional amendments this Election Day, Nov. 5. The propositions range from prohibiting an income tax from ever being collected in the state to allowing law enforcement animals to stay with their handlers when they retire....
San Antonio adopts climate plan to go carbon-neutral by 2050
After more than two years of sometimes-heated debate about the future of San Antonio in a rapidly warming world, the City Council on Thursday passed a pledge for the city to do its part to stop the effects of global climate change. City Council voted 10-1 to adopt the...
San Antonio River events use kayaking to inspire stewardship
To persuade someone to pick up their trash, sometimes you have to get them to pick up a paddle. The San Antonio River Authority launched its Be River Proud kayak series on Oct. 5 with a float on the Mission Reach on San Antonio’s South Side. The event was part of the...
Hays County plans to transform El Rancho Cima into public park along Blanco River
HAYS COUNTY, Texas -- It's something many Wimberley residents have been aching for: a public park with waterfront access. Hays County has the ability to secure 533 acres of El Rancho Cima El Rancho Cima is a nearly 2,400 acre property County might use land for public...
Study shows declining water levels in Trinity aquifer; local leaders urge creation of groundwater conservation district
Homestead resident John Colman’s nearly 1.5-acre property near Bee Cave runs on well water and has since he and his wife brought the property in 2010. The well system is used for everyday uses including drinking water, washing, topping off the pool and irrigation....
East Bay water district considers buying giant cattle ranch that straddles four counties
The Alameda County Water District is considering shelling out $72 million for a fourth-generation, 50,500-acre cattle ranch — touted as the largest potential land sale in the state — to preserve water quality, officials say. Much of the property lies in watersheds...
Prop. 5 aims to give parks all across the state a boost
State parks and historic sites that are suffering from neglect, deferred maintenance and overuse — including a natural area near San Antonio that regularly draws a long line of cars — would benefit if Proposition 5 on the Nov. 5 ballot wins voter approval. “We’re...
Austin joins legal fight against Permian Highway Pipeline
The city of Austin is signaling it intends to sue Kinder Morgan, the company behind the proposed Permian Highway Pipeline — a 430-mile natural gas line that has provoked major opposition in the Texas Hill Country. In filing its Notice of Intent to sue, Austin joins...
Parks essential for health and wealth
In 1992, when we decided to relocate the corporate headquarters of AT&T to Texas, we did so for a number of reasons: the Texas business climate and the growth of economic opportunity; the work ethic of the Texas workforce; and the quality of life in Texas. State...
City reaches milestone for cave site restoration
City staff members have completed a draft land management plan to protect the city’s natural resources at the William H. Russell Karst Preserve, the 191-acre Southwest Austin site previously known as the Blowing Sink Research Management Area. The natural features of...
Conservation easements like on Cherry Springs Ranch push back against development
“It’s huge,” said Frank Davis, the Hill Country Conservancy’s chief conservation officer. He’s referring to the recent conservation easement on the 1,038-acre Cherry Springs Ranch in Spicewood. “Spicewood is right in the path of future development, and Cherry Springs...
‘History is being made’: Plans to turn former Boy Scout property into public park along Blanco River in Hays County
WIMBERLEY, Texas — More than 2,000 acres of land with Blanco River waterfront property has been closed off to the public for decades. The Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts owned the "El Rancho Cima" land for 60 years. But now, thanks to an opportunity...
8th Annual Hill Country Alliance Leadership Summit Celebrates Conservation in the Heart of Texas
(October 7, 2019) —On Thursday, September 26th, conservation leaders from across the Texas Hill Country met at Camp Lucy in Dripping Springs for the Hill Country Alliance’s Annual Leadership Summit. The event theme, Conservation in the Heart of Texas, brought together...
Kyle City Council approves $2.7 million settlement over Kinder Morgan pipeline
KYLE, Texas (KXAN) — In the early hours of Saturday morning, Kyle City Council approved a settlement with Houston-based company Kinder Morgan over the Permian Highway Pipeline. The settlement was approved in a 5 to 2 vote. Under the agreement, Kinder Morgan will pay...
The next megadrought in the American Southwest may be right around the corner
IF THE PLANET CONTINUES TO WARM AT CURRENT RATES, SCIENTISTS PROJECT THE LIKELIHOOD OF A MEGADROUGHT IN THE SOUTHWEST WILL INCREASE TO ABOVE 70 PERCENT. WE’RE SIMPLY NOT PREPARED. “This is absolutely abysmal,” David Gutzler said in March 2018, speaking to an...
Crude oil pipeline averted over Recharge Zone points to lack of State oversight
The now-defunct plan by Houston-based Enterprise Products Company to build a crude oil pipeline from Midland County to Wilson County crossing the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone was a really bad idea. Enterprise is a midstream natural gas and crude oil pipeline company...
Vote in November to fund our state parks for future generations of Texans
Some of our families' best summer adventures over the years have been at Texas' state parks. And the numbers indicate that you and your family have probably enjoyed our parks and historic sites over the years, too: Nearly 10 million people visited state parks in 2017,...
Precinct 3 office invites residents to public meeting on El Rancho Cima conservation efforts
Hays County Courthouse, San Marcos, TX (Oct. 1, 2019) – The Hays County Precinct 3 Office will host a public meeting Wednesday, October 9, to discuss recent efforts to conserve portions of El Rancho Cima. The meeting will be held at the Wimberley Community Center,...
New snorkel tours offer up-close view of protected San Marcos springs
SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — The springs that once played host to an underwater theme park are now protected, and the group leading conservation efforts at Spring Lake is offering an up-close view of the area’s ecology. The springs that form Spring Lake, the headwaters...
Houston company halts plans for crude oil pipeline across aquifer recharge zone
Plans to build a controversial proposed crude oil pipeline over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone have been canceled, Texas Hill Country landowners and a Houston pipeline company told the Rivard Report on Thursday. Rick Rainey, vice president of public relations for...