News
Letter to the Editor, Face the challenge of growth
By Jeri Porter, Fischer, TX Letter to the Editor of the New Braunfels Herald-Zietung June 27, 2019 Comal County is at a crossroads. We have options in the directions to take and your readers can help! The changes we see today in our landscape and wildlife are...
Ground water pumping is bleeding US’s rivers dry
New research led by a hydrologist at the University of Arizona warns that massive groundwater pumping since the 1950s is bleeding rivers dry. The findings can help shape policy for the proper management of U.S. water resources, the authors say, and should be of...
Kinder Morgan wins Texas court challenge, removing obstacle to $2 billion gas pipeline
Kinder Morgan can begin work on a $2 billion natural gas pipeline without having the Texas energy regulator approve its proposed route, a state judge ruled on Tuesday. The decision removes a challenge to the state’s licensing process that lets gas pipeline companies...
Texas parks are broke. But there’s good news: voters can rescue them.
Money intended for state parks and historic sites should actually be spent on state parks and historic sites, right? It took lawmakers a little more than a quarter century to reach that conclusion. Since 1993, sales tax collected from the purchase of sporting goods...
Commentary: Why you should care about groundwater pumping in Hays County
Barton Springs, the Austin’s beloved spring-fed swimming pool, is the crown jewel of the city – the soul of this soulful town. Almost a million people cooled off in the springs in 2018, and more than a million swimmers are expected to return in 2019....In recent...
June Director’s Notes: Hill Country Conservation gets a national spotlight
In this month’s notes, we wanted to highlight how HCA and our partners have been working to elevate the profile of conservation in the Hill Country to a national level. Partnering with individual landowners, city and county governments, academic institutions and...
Wiring The Hill Country: new internet providers take on rural areas
David McCullough’s phone rang. It was Home Town Donuts in Johnson City, and their internet service was down. He raced through his house to find his laptop, which would allow him to diagnose the issue, but not before cracking four metatarsal bones in his foot. He...
Dripping Springs neighbors petition to ‘Save Hamilton Pool’ from RV park development
A petition circulating online is calling for an end to a proposal to put an RV park near The Hamilton Pool Preserve. "Our kids have grown up here. Our daughter had birthday parties down at Hamilton pool," said Stagecoach Ranch resident Bob Adkins. People who live...
Scientists have big hopes for Uvalde pool study
Ron Green, a scientist at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, and his team of hydro-geologists are busy collecting data on and creating a lumped parameter model for the Uvalde Pool, a major reservoir of underground water centered over central Uvalde County...
Community aims to fight east side gentrification with affordable housing
As San Antonio’s real estate boom continues, finding affordable housing can be a challenge, especially in neighborhoods on the east side where entire streets are becoming gentrified. Old neighborhoods near popular downtown are seeing new residents moving in and...
Fredericksburg Historic District expansion
The local historic district has been expanded following a 3-1 vote by the Fredericksburg City Council Monday night. Mayor Linda Langerhans and councilmen Charlie Kiehne and Gary Neffendorf voted in favor, while councilman Tom Musselman voted against the ordinance....
New Edwards Aquifer facility designed to protect endangered species
A new facility to research and protect some endangered species that are native to central Texas opened Thursday. The new Edwards Aquifer habitat conservation plan buildings will house a handful of endangered species that include the San Marcos salamander, the comal...
Gay Ruby Dahlstrom Preserve now open to the public
The project the late Gay Ruby Dahlstrom worked for almost a decade over is now complete and open to the public as a nature preserve and conservation easement. Hays County, the Hill Country Conservancy and the Dahlstrom family announced the opening of the Gay Ruby...
HEADS UP PEC CUSTOMERS! Time to Vote!
The Pedernales Electric Co-op is having its annual election. Attend the Annual Meeting this Saturday, June 22 at Horseshoe Bay Resort to cast your ballot in person (online and mail-in voting has ended). Remember- the PEC Board sets important policy and shapes the Hill...
City Council opposes pipeline; calls for review of potential impact to aquifers
Joining several other Central Texas communities, the Austin City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution opposing a natural gas pipeline that energy company Kinder Morgan is routing through the Hill Country. The 430-mile pipeline is proposed to travel...
Letter to the Editor, the challenges of growth
by Ernie Witter, New Braunfels, TX, with the Comal Country Conservation Alliance Letter to the Editor of the Herald-Zietung Published June 11, 2019 Recent articles in the Herald-Zietung pointed out the continued growth of New Braunfels. As the second fastest growing...
Letter to the Editor, Legislature approves funding for parks
by Jensie Madden, Comal County, TX, with the Comal County Conservation Alliance Letter to the Editor of New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung Published June 11, 2019 As the 86th session of the Texas Legislature draws to a close, I am celebrating the passage of legislation to...
Trial portion of hearing on proposed Comal quarry concludes
The hearing on the merits against Vulcan Construction Materials ended early Tuesday afternoon. Approximately 80 people attended the two-day hearing, including Comal County residents currently living near the proposed quarry site, many of whom would share a fence line...
Unpave the parking lot and create paradise: A story of Headwaters at the Comal River
Remember the Joni Mitchell song “They paved Paradise and put up a parking lot”? Well, imagine you are on the Governing Board of the New Braunfels Utility and the staff proposes a plan to parcel off sections of a valuable 16 acres tract of land – once the fleet,...
Texas struggles to keep pace as thirst for water intensifies
DALLAS (AP) — About 1,000 people arrive in Texas each day, drawn by jobs, newly built homes and other opportunities. But in a state where prolonged drought is a regular occurrence, officials are struggling to ensure they can sate everyone’s thirst. Water experts are...
New manmade lake to bring clean, quality water to Rockwall county
Last spring, the North Texas Municipal Water District broke ground on the first major manmade lake Texas has seen in nearly three decades – Bois d’Arc Lake. Recently, the Rockwall County Commissioners Court welcomed an update from NTMWD on the project. Bois d’Arc Lake...
Plan to dim Field of Dreams light pollution
Following years of complaints from residents living near the Lake Travis Youth Association’s “Field of Dreams” about bright lights shining into their homes, the association has come up with a 10-year, $1.2 million plan that will address neighbors’ concerns while still...
Hill Country Alliance gathers concerned citizens
A get-together introducing the resources of the Hill Country Alliance to concerned area citizens was led by the HCA’s executive director Katherine Romans who discussed Hill Country conservation issues included multiple presentations along with audience participation...
House bill opens tap for WCID3 despite opposition
On May 22, HB 1806 was voted through by the Texas Senate, clearing the way for the San Antonio Water System to sell 1,500 acre feet of water across county lines from Bexar into Kendall. Despite vigorous and organized opposition by local leaders - including Cow Creek...
Hill Country landowners fight for land in proposed gas pipeline’s path
Hill Country landowners flooded a Travis County courtroom Tuesday hoping to thwart the construction of a natural gas pipeline they say poses safety risks and drives down the values of their multi-million dollar properties. Sitting shoulder to shoulder and wearing...
Reduce electricity waste with proper outdoor lighting
We all know the stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas. But keeping the night skies dark so we can continue to enjoy the stars requires some extra effort and mindfulness. Outdoor lighting has important applications, such as keeping our outdoor...
Bat-killing fungus detected in 21 Texas counties and in Bracken Cave, north of San Antonio
A fungus that kills hibernating bats has spread and is now detected in 21 Texas counties, including Bexar, and Comal County’s Bracken Cave, which houses the world’s largest colony of Mexican free-tailed bats. That’s double what it was in previous years, said Jonah...
Eminent domain reform died in the Texas Legislature this session
Texas state lawmakers looking to reform the eminent domain process were unable to find common ground this session, despite hundreds of hours of negotiation. State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst's Senate Bill 421 sought to better protect property owners when private companies...
The flight of the Texas fireflies
In a state with more than its share of biting, stinging, and creeping and crawling insects and arachnids with little or no charm to any but their own species, fireflies (or lightning bugs as they are variously known here) have long enjoyed a special place in our...
Landowners, pipeline company meet in court today
Attorneys for Hill Country landowners along with the city of Kyle and Hays County have prepared for a fight this morning with lawyers for Kinder Morgan Texas Pipeline and the Texas Railroad Commission over the route of the proposed natural gas pipeline and whether the...