News
July 2017 Director’s Notes: Hill Country Summers
Last weekend I had the privilege of attending a ranch wedding along the Nueces River in Uvalde. Nothing says ‘Hill Country’ like looking out across a pasture to watch the full moon rise over a distant hill, just as a band strikes up the first lines of a classic...
Hill Country Dark Skies
"You don't have to tell me about it." This was the start of a conversation with a prominent Fredericksburg resident. "My neighbor has two floodlights on his garage that light up my windows all night." Another well-established Fredericksburg businessman said it this...
Trump taps Susan Combs for Interior Department post
Former Texas Comptroller Susan Combs is joining the Trump administration as an assistant secretary of the interior for policy, management and budget. The nomination of Combs — subject to U.S. Senate confirmation — was announced by the White House Monday evening. If...
Towns sell their public water systems — and come to regret it
This hard-luck town just south of Chicago is weighing a decision confronting many small and midsize cities with shrinking populations and chronic budget deficits: whether to sell the public water system to a for-profit corporation. Lake Station desperately needs the...
Heavy sprinkler use causes boil advisory in neighborhood near New Braunfels
Residents of a gated community northwest of New Braunfels are under a boil water notice because of heavy sprinkler use, according to New Braunfels Utilities. People in the Copper Ridge subdivision off of Texas 46 must boil water until further notice before drinking,...
Owners of 100-year-old farm worry about new highway route
The Texas Department of Transportation has recommended a new route for State Highway 29 in Williamson County after a two year study. After studying an area surrounding the current route from Southwestern Boulevard to SH 95, TxDOT said the area often floods, there are...
Hill Top Cafe targeted by TCEQ
The Hill Top Café, the popular eatery located 10 miles northwest of Fredericksburg, has faced a series of violations from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) over the past four years. Johnny Nicholas, who purchased the venue with his late wife,...
Abbott signs hot air balloon hog hunting bill in spite of warning that it could be a “catastrophe”
Wild hogs and hot air balloons aren't a good mix, wrote one Republican lawmaker to Gov. Greg Abbott in May, trying to convince the governor to veto a bill he said could create a "future catastrophe." The request seemingly fell on deaf ears; Abbott signed the...
Glass-bottom boats in San Marcos being restored for future tours
The ecosystem that lives in the clear waters of Spring Lake in San Marcos is magical but can be hard to see if you’re just standing by the shore. At the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, glass-bottom boats can give you the experience of seeing what happens...
Invasive Zebra mussels found in Lake Travis, Texas wildlife officials say
Zebra mussels, which have seriously affected the economy, environment and recreation on Texas reservoirs and rivers, have been found in Lake Travis, state wildlife officials said Tuesday. Biologists from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Lower Colorado...
2,500-acre Veramendi development will bring 5,000 new homes to New Braunfels
New Braunfels has been changing for years. Now, that change will be coming in earnest with a massive new proposed development north of Loop 337. On Friday, members of the team of developers of the sprawling Veramendi project detailed many ways the project will alter...
Texas parks won’t get promised funds
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department won’t see $36 million in promised state money over the next two years even as the agency grapples with millions of dollars in backlogged park maintenance. In 2015, state lawmakers passed a law to dedicate 94 percent of sporting...
Despite “Texas miracle,” affordable housing difficult for many urban dwellers
A new Harvard study found that Americans — especially poorer ones — are having a harder time find a suitable place to call home. Texas lawmakers, experts and development industry leaders say there are plenty of reasons why that's true here, too. It’s becoming harder...
Volunteers and Partners Work to Control Invasive Chinaberry Trees Along Llano River
On Monday, June 12th, volunteers joined staff from the Hill Country Alliance and Native American Seed at the Texas Tech University (TTU) Llano River Field Station in Junction, Texas. There, they set fort an ambitious goal: control the more than 100 Chinaberry trees...
Climate disaster maps shows Texas is clearly the most apocalyptic state in the nation
U.S. climate officials recently released a series of maps that show just how terrible the Lone Star State's weather is. The heat maps were created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and used in a study that examines billion-dollar weather and...
Spicewood company fills niche in Central Texas rainwater harvesting needs
Zak Crosby, owner and operator of Tall Drink Rainwater Harvesting, said once the public uses rainwater, it will never want to use well water or city water again. “Rainwater tastes better than any water you can get,” he said. “And once you bathe in it, taste it, wash...
Will Texas lawmakers ax tree ordinances in more than 50 cities?
Dozens of cities and towns in Texas have ordinances aimed at protecting trees. During the special legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott wants to change that. Last month, when Dallas resident Cindy Beatty drove to a nearby Home Depot to buy some plants for her home,...
Dripping Springs P&Z greenlights 189-acre Heritage development
An ordinance and several agreements allowing for a development to begin in the 189-acre Heritage subdivision passed a substantial hurdle. The Dripping Springs Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of a Planned Development District (PDD) ordinance, as...
Zebra Mussels Discovered in Canyon Lake
Invasive zebra mussels have now been positively identified in the Guadalupe River Basin in what is now the state’s southernmost affected lake. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) fisheries biologists and game wardens confirmed the presence of zebra mussels at...
Austin Parks: We’re No. 46
The Trust for Public Land (www.tpl.org) has released its annual "ParkScore" index, and reports that Austin ranks 46th among the 100 largest U.S. cities in ratings for park access, size, and facilities and investment. According to the Trust's release, Austin's park...
Commentary: Legislation not good for Kendall County
Milan J. Michalec | Boerne Star | An Open Letter to Sen. Campbell and Rep. Biedermann, I have been following and actively commenting on SB 2273 to create Kendall County Water Control and Improvement District (WCID) No. 4 by (Sen. Donna) Campbell since it was filed on...
Texas Sues to Kick Bird Off Endangered Species List
The Texas General Land Office and Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank, are suing the federal government to take the golden- cheeked warbler off the endangered species list. Their lawsuit, filed on Monday, argues that the golden-cheeked warbler...
17 Hill Country Communities Represented at Regional Dark Sky Conference in Fredericksburg
“There are more community efforts to preserve the night sky in the Hill Country than there are in any other similarly sized region on earth.” That was the message from Dr. John Barentine, Program Manager for the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), at the Hill...
Suburbs lead the way in Austin region’s growth
Austin has long been the poster child for explosive growth, but new Census Bureau data released Thursday signals that the city’s growth rate is starting to mellow out as its surrounding suburbs boom. Austin added more than 20,000 people each year from 2011 to 2015,...
State officials close to deal to expand Pedernales Falls State Park
A deal meant to protect the views in a popular Hill Country state park appears to be near completion, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials and a landowner said Thursday. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will buy, at no more than half the market rate,...
Night skies protection means economic benefits
James Murr | The Junction Eagle | Public interest continues to grow in preserving the “awe-inspiring night skies” of the Texas Hill Country. Local communities can derive significant economic benefits from visitors who come for stargazing, which is no longer possible...
From the Archives – Silent springs: is it too late to save Hill Country water?
Texas Observer (2009) In 2000, Jacob’s Well stopped flowing for the first time in recorded history. Its source sapped, Cypress Creek came to a trickle in Wimberley, and the state added it to a list of streams with impaired water quality. “I think it was a big wake-up...
UCISD students are big winners in poster contest
What started as a mere Astronomy Day poster contest turned out to be a huge event for Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District students, local stargazers and interested novices as people near and far got involved. The Uvalde County Historical Commission, Inc.,...
Opinion: Conroe’s groundwater legal fight accelerates rate increases
When local groundwater production fees rise soon, a major cause of higher water bills will be the relentless City of Conroe-led litigation which challenges the authority of the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District to impose water production limits on...
Seattle Climbs but Austin Sprawls: The Myth of the Return to Cities
Be skeptical when you hear about the return to glory of the American city — that idealized vision of rising skyscrapers and bustling, dense downtowns. Contrary to perception, the nation is continuing to become more suburban, and at an accelerating pace. The prevailing...