News
Rainwater Harvesting Increasingly Helps Companies Reduce Stormwater Fees & Energy Use
Commercial enterprises are increasingly installing various rainwater harvesting systems for water conservation purposes. Harvesting can also reduce stormwater runoff and fees, and helps solve potable, non-potable, and energy challenges. Commercial property owners are...
Rep Hurd, Three Other Reps Introduce Bill to Help Fund National Park Repairs
Monday, Representatives Will Hurd (R-TX), Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Dave Reichert (R-WA), and Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) introduced a bipartisan bill to jump start overdue maintenance projects in national parks. The National Park Service Legacy Act would provide investments...
St. Elmo Brewing Co. and Richard’s Rainwater Collaborate on Ale Made with Rain Water
Austin-based St. Elmo Brewing Co. teamed up with Richard’s Rainwater, a rain water bottling company located in Dripping Springs, TX to create their Rain Pale Ale. A core value of St. Elmo is collaboration. Experimenting with rainwater was an ongoing interest for both...
Junction ISD Students learn how to preserve our night skies
Junction ISD elementary, middle and high school students gathered recently at South Llano River State Park for a full day of assemblies about night sky issues. Bill Wren of the MacDonald Observatory joined the staff of the South Llano River State Park to discuss the...
Twinkle twinkle little Star Party
Steven Santana | Castroville News Bulletin | Clear skies and a starry night at the Castroville Regional Park presents an opportunity to educate families on the preservation of the night skies. Budding and experienced stargazers gathered in the park soccer fields last...
Meet the former first lady who helped make Austin, Texas, one of the most popular cities in the US
Austin, Texas is the place to be. US News & World Report rated the Texas capital as the best place to live this year. It's also a great spot if you're looking for a job or seeking a high quality of life. It's clear that life is pretty good in ATX. This is largely...
Fredericksburg applies for International Dark Sky Community designation
On May 15th, the Fredericksburg City Council passed a resolution affirming its support for the City’s application to the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) for a Dark Sky Community designation. The resolution, proposed to Council by Kate Peake of the Hill...
Texas parks boosters approach lawmakers once again for more money
Two years ago, George Bristol, perhaps Texas’ chief booster for state parks, thought he had scored a coup when lawmakers passed a measure that appeared to ensure that nearly all the tax revenue raised through the sale of tennis rackets, soccer balls, kayaks and other...
Reimagined Alamo Plaza Design Ignores 1871 Deed by Enclosing Plaza
In 1871, the Catholic Bishop of the State of Texas, Claude Marie Dubuis, sold the galera, an Americanism for “shed” referring to the rectangular structure that included the Alamo barracks, south gate, and jail, to the City of San Antonio for $2,500. The deed included...
Could landowners switch groundwater districts?
As House Bill (HB) 4122 passed the Texas House of Representatives on third and final reading, State Rep. Jason Isaac (R-Dripping Springs) said he is afraid the bill will “set a bad precedent” for groundwater protection in the future. Isaac said the controversial bill,...
TPWD launches new “Texas Rivers” Conservation License Plate
Texans can help the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department keep the state’s rivers healthy and flowing through their purchase of the new Texas Rivers conservation license plate, available now at www.ConservationPlate.org/Rivers. “The new plate design features a Texas...
Rainwater Revival Calls for Grant Applications from Hill Country Schools
For the seventh consecutive year, the Hill Country Alliance’s Rainwater Revival offers funds to help students learn about rainwater catchment and water conservation. As Texas Hill Country residents and businesses look for ways to conserve water, the Hill Country...
May 8 hearing to consider Amicus brief on eminent domain
Folks in Texas interested in the effects eminent domain might have on farms, ranches and private property in general may want to attend a hearing May 8 in Hondo, Texas, at the Medina County courthouse. The hearing will consider a request by Southwest Gulf Railroad to...
Dreamcatcher Ranch won’t be developed
Dreamcatcher Ranch, a key piece of the San Marcos River watershed upstream of Spring Lake, has been preserved in perpetuity with a conservation easement. The easement was completed this month by the San Marcos River Foundation (SMRF) and the landowners, Karen and Don...
Creek health demands action
A stream of problems with aquatic invasive species was the topic at the Hill Country University Center last Thursday during the final Texas Water Symposium of the 2016-2017 series. The free symposium — a partnership project of Schreiner University, Texas Tech...
Texas Lone Star Land Stewards Recipients Named, Hill Country Landowners Kim Bergman and Pam Mabry Bergman Honored
AUSTIN – They restore vital woods and waters, help bring back diverse wildlife ranging from rare species to popular game animals, share their knowledge with neighbors, and open their gates to youth groups and researchers. They are recipients of the 2017 Lone Star Land...
Conservation, Not Growth, Should Guide Water Restrictions
The recent City Council kerfuffle over year-round watering restrictions should not be the end of the matter. The current San Antonio Water System rate structure encourages wasting water by subsidizing large water users. This amounts to a tax on ordinary people to pay...
Arundo Management Meet and Greet BBQ planned for May 7th
On Sunday, May 7th, from 4:00 – 6:00 pm at Frantzen Park, community members can learn about non-native, invasive plants that are encroaching Hill Country river banks and threatening native ecosystems. Join local landowners, staff from Texas Parks & Wildlife...
HB 4122 Final Committee Substitute
On Thursday, April 27th, the House Natural Resources Committee passed House Bill 4122 out of Committee at a formal meeting at Chairman Larson's desk on the House floor. The introduced version of this bill allowed a landowner with 1,000 acres or more and within the...
Beginning of Water Conservation Period
The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District’s Water Conservation Period starts Monday, May 1st and extends through the end of September— the time when water use is at its peak. Since January 2016, groundwater levels in the District have been above drought...
Lawmakers working to create special districts to fuel Boerne-area growth
Developers behind two large subdivisions proposed in Kendall County are asking the Legislature to create a pair of special districts to help finance construction of roads and other infrastructure. Some residents are upset over not being alerted earlier by state and...
Legislature considering special use water district
Jessica Goode | Boerne Star | Slipping in with the proposition of a new development, another special purpose water district is on the Texas legislative floor. If it passes, Senate Bill 914, sponsored by Republican Senator Donna Campbell, will create the Kendall County...
Groundwater district prepares for damaging bills
Jessica Goode | Boerne Star | Trying to stay ahead of potentially detrimental legislation, Cow Creek Groundwater and Conservation District directors listened to a litany of proposed house and senate bills that threaten local control and aquifer sustainability. At the...
Sansom: A living memorial for Buffalo Bayou’s best friend
Five magnificent Bur oaks planted along Buffalo Bayou west of downtown in Eleanor Tinsley Park will be dedicated on Tuesday in memory of Terese Tarlton "Terry" Hershey. Hershey died in January at 94, leaving behind a legacy of conservation and activism as towering as...
Visit these at-risk Hill Country water sources, while you still can
Imagine sitting on the edge of a spring-fed pool with your feet dangling in the ice cold water on a hot summer's day. That vision might become a reality of the past. Caretakers of San Marcos, Comal, and Jacob's Well springs are struggling to protect sources of the...
‘No Land No Water’ campaign promotes conservation
When it rains in Texas, it falls predominantly on a privately-owned farm, ranch or timberland. How that land is managed will have consequences for the future of Texas water. That’s a cornerstone message of “No Land No Water,” a new public awareness campaign of the...
HCA Welcomes New Staff to Expand Landowner Outreach Program
The Hill Country Alliance (HCA) recently named Daniel Oppenheimer as its new Landowner Outreach and Development Manager to lead the organization’s efforts to connect with landowners in the Hill Country. Founded in 2005, the Hill Country Alliance is a non-profit...
50 Years Ago, This Was a Wasteland. He Changed Everything
J. David Bamberger discusses the restoration of Selah Bamberger Ranch Preserve in this National Geographic short film showcase from director Ben Masters. "My objective was to find the worst piece of land I could possibly find in the Hill Country of Texas and begin a...
As controversy swirls, feral hog bait manufacturer pulls out of Texas
A grand experiment by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller to hasten “the feral hog apocalypse” is on hold after the company producing a bait meant to kill the destructive animals has asked the Texas Agriculture Department to withdraw its approval of the product....
TSCRA Hears Update On Eminent Domain Bills; Action Is Needed
Colleen Schreiber | Livestock Weekly | According to the U.S. Census Bureau, between 2000 and 2010, more people moved to Texas than the populations of Montana, Wyoming, both Dakotas, Vermont, and Alaska combined. The same thing is predicted from 2010 to 2020. Of...