News
David Yeates: The Massive Urban-Rural Imbalance in Texas
Anyone who has heard me speak publicly on natural resource conservation in Texas knows that I invariably bring the discussion around to the enormous urban/rural imbalance that we find ourselves in here in our great state. Texas is a private property state, given our...
Humans at fault for many nuisance species spoiling state’s environment
We should have our hands slapped over some of the things we’ve done in this state by letting plants and animals run wild. Think about it: We now have tens of thousands, probably more, of exotics — axis deer, black bucks, fallows, oryx, etc. — throughout the Hill...
Our nights are brighter, and brighter
Of course, our night skies are more washed with artificial light than those of our ancestors, but apparently – despite the efforts of groups such as the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) – Earth’s night skies are still getting brighter. A landmark study...
Want dark? Go to Big Bend Ranch, which just earned dark sky status
When the sun sets on a moonless night at rugged and remote Big Bend Ranch State Park, the night wraps around you like a black velvet cloak. This week, the 315,000-acre park announced its designation as an International Dark Sky Park. Big Bend National Park and Big...
Whither the Warbler’s habitat?
Comal County is one of the top 10 fastest-growing counties in the United States, and a loose coalition of concerned residents and activist groups think it is time for residents to start thinking about protecting open space and acquiring park land - "Before it's too...
Proposed Sports Complex Threatens Dark Skies in River Hills
A westside sports park project seven years in the making is facing a new wave of resistance from a nearby neighborhood wishing to protect its low-light, star-filled sky. The 12 Fields Foundation, a partnership of West Lake youth sports leagues, has been working since...
Students Work to Enhance Habitat along Comanche Creek
On Tuesday, November 7th, students from Mason High School spent the day along Comanche Creek at Fort Mason City Park. As part of the School District’s Blue-Ribbon Service Day, these five students learned about the importance of creek-side (riparian) systems, and the...
Can Rainwater Harvesting bring water security to the Hill Country? Boerne’s upcoming Texas Water Symposium will discuss innovative rainwater use as an alternative to skyrocketing water costs
Declining aquifer levels and the rapidly rising cost of water supply and management has prompted suppliers, builders, and homeowners across the region to turn to alternative sources of water. As we look to a long-term future of increasing population growth and demand...
Landowners debate pipeline
Earlier this year 75 landowners in Comal County and 100 landowners in Kendall County received letters from South Comal Water Supply Corp (SCWSC) stating their property was being considered as sites to build a water pipeline to supply water to subdivisions south of...
Revenge of the Wild Pigs Goes Toxic
The wild pig bomb perpetually explodes. Shoot, trap, pressure and push, but the march of wild pigs continues across the United States. However, a chemical cavalry is approaching and may provide a major weapon in the control arsenal used by landowners and farmers: Kill...
Director’s Notes – November 2017
As the weather cools and we all gather loved ones close, Thanksgiving is a perfect time to pause and count our blessings. Here at the Hill Country Alliance, I’ve lost count of how many supporters, partners, inspirational individuals, ideas, and moments we have to be...
Listen: Climate And Water: Planning For A Changing Resource
The state’s expanding population, coupled with more extreme flooding events and drought cycles, is creating short-term management challenges and long-term planning uncertainty. We rely on prevailing climate patterns to plan for development, agriculture, and ranching,...
Zebra Mussels Spreading at Lakes Georgetown, Livingston
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists have classified Lake Georgetown as infested with an established, reproducing population of invasive zebra mussels and have also changed the status of Lake Livingston to fully infested. Lake Georgetown is a 1,297-acre...
Land conservation seminar explores options
Will Wright | The Herald-Zeitung | Comal County’s open spaces are quickly disappearing, and about 100 regional residents seeking to preserve them attended a seminar that outlined available options for public and private land conservation on Wednesday at McKenna Events...
Lessons From Hurricane Harvey: Houston’s Struggle Is America’s Tale
The mayhem that Hurricane Harvey unleashed on Houston didn’t only come from the sky. On the ground, it came sweeping in from the Katy Prairie some 30 miles west of downtown. Water drains naturally in this stretch of Texas, or at least it used to. At more than 600...
San Marcos City Council Votes To Enter Lease-Purchase Agreement
The San Marcos City Council voted on Wednesday to enter a lease-purchase agreement with the Trust for Public Land to purchase 102 acres of undeveloped land. The property is located near Country Estates and is currently owned by Texas State University. The...
Land office turns to private sector to develop water as new revenue stream
Revenues from the crude and natural gas found in the Delaware Basin are flowing into state coffers, benefiting the state’s general fund, transportation funding and the state’s public schools and universities, among others. Now, water is about to be added to the...
Hundreds of dams in Texas could fail in worst-case flood
The earthen dam on the outskirts of this Williamson County city certainly does not look flimsy. At 35 feet high and nearly a third of a mile long, it has done a reliable job of holding back floodwaters on Chandler Branch, a normally placid tributary of Brushy Creek,...
Experiencing the Dark Skies of Texas
The stars. I think I share a common experience with many people who grew up in an urban or suburban environment. You manage to learn about Orion and his belt, the Big Dipper and its little companion, and of course the North Star. You have a chance to see them on...
National Parks Struggle With a Mounting Crisis: Too Many Visitors
The rocky shorelines, shifting deserts and winding canyons of the country’s 59 national parks have been hallmarks of American vacations for generations. But the number of park visitors has reached an unprecedented level, leaving many tourists frustrated and many...
Bandera Electric Cooperative helps customers choose dark sky friendly lighting
By Patti Berkstresser | Bandera Electric Cooperative and The Real County Night Skies team, part of Keep It Real-ly Beautiful, have taken a major step in the reduction of light pollution in our community. BEC has installed three Dark Sky Compliant outdoor lighting...
Nirenberg: City Reviewing ‘Pandora’s Box’ of Impervious Cover Policies
The convergence of dialogue, data, and disaster have sparked a more serious look at regulations that impact water management and development in San Antonio, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said Monday. Revisions to the City’s impervious cover policies will likely add to the...
Ahead of the curve
Hill Country stakeholders proactively create Upper Llano River Watershed Protection Plan. Composed of the North and South Llano rivers, the Upper Llano River is known as a Hill Country treasure. Its near-pristine flows provide a healthy ecosystem supporting a variety...
Reforestation Experts Help Restore a Wild Blanco River
Each week, Ina Alexatos drives throughout Wimberley in a Subaru Forester with the words Trees for the Blanco printed across the side. She visits riverside landowners one by one to consult them on letting their banks go wild. She then stakes orange flags to mark where...
Flood Models Show Olmos Dam Would Overflow in Harvey-like Storm
A direct hit by a hurricane of Harvey’s magnitude would cause catastrophic flooding that would flow over the Olmos Dam and emergency spillway by four feet and inundate portions of U.S. Highway 281 for approximately 12 days, according to models released by the San...
McDonald Observatory works with energy companies to stop light pollution
The McDonald Observatory, often called the “Crown Jewel of the University of Texas,” monitors the night sky in the Davis Mountains. On a clear night, the entire Milky Way is visible from the observatory’s telescopes and the naked eye. However, the stars at night have...
Festival Brings Together Good Things to Know and Fun Things to Do
The Hill Country Alliance brings its eighth annual Rainwater Revival + Hill Country Living Festival to the Dripping Springs Ranch Park on Saturday, November 4. The Festival is a combination of fun things to do, like live music, wine tasting, food trailers, tiny...
Cindy Luongo Cassidy honored with International Dark-Sky award
The International Dark-Sky Association has recently recognized U.S. and international dark sky heroes for their contributions to combating light pollution. The 2017 award winners include the pioneer of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development...
America’s Next Great Metropolis Is Taking Shape In Texas
This is a post from last that is still very relevant today. If you drive south from Dallas, or west from Houston, a subtle shift takes place. The monotonous, flat prairie that dominates much of Texas gives way to a landscape that rises and ebbs. The...
Meadows Center Gets New Chief Water Policy Officer
Robert Mace, a senior scientist and deputy executive administrator of the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), will join The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University. With more than 20 years of experience at the highest levels of state...