News
Warbler Science Matters
“The golden-cheeked warbler already has an uncertain future as more and more land is developed in the Hill Country,” said Joan Marshall, director of Texas Audubon. “That’s why the science is so important — to base listing decisions on the best science available....
An exploration of the long-term viability of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer
The first 2016 Texas Water Symposium will be held February 11th at 7 p.m. at Texas State University. Dr. Robert Mace of Texas Water Development Board will moderate a panel of hydro-geologists to take close look at the health and sustainability of the Carrizo-Wilcox...
Public participation encouraged in groundwater management process
Every five years the general public has the opportunity to weigh in on the Desired Future Condition (DFC) of our aquifers. Regional Groundwater Management Areas (GMAs) are in the process of determining management goals for Hill Country aquifers. Currently the Trinity...
Celebrating Aldo Leopold’s 129th Birthday
January 11 … It's the birthday of writer and ecologist Aldo Leopold (books by this author), born in Burlington, Iowa (1887). Aldo grew up in a big, prosperous family, and lived on a 300-acre estate with a lot of his relatives. The whole family spoke German together...
Encourage the next generation of environmental Stewards!
Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center Empowers New Environmental Leaders Nonprofit Group Announces 2016 Regional Legacy Camp at Shield Ranch Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center through the Children in Nature Collaborative of Austin (CiNCA) is partnering with the Children...
Texas Land Use: A Comprehensive Land Resource Management Study
In 1973, during the administration of Governor Dolph Briscoe, the Governor’s Office authorized a comprehensive study of land resource management in Texas. At that time, as described in the forward to the study, our state was beginning to face...
San Antonio’s Vista Ridge Pipeline project partners face off in legal dispute
In a move that could cause further turbulence for a proposed $3.4 billion San Antonio pipeline project, one groundwater company has sued another after it says it was cut out of money related to the deal. Brenham-based Metropolitan Water Company is suing Austin-based...
A Win for Land Conservation!
In a strong bipartisan action, the Senate voted 65-33 on Friday to pass the bill that will make the tax incentive for conservation easement donations permanent. This has been a priority for the Land Trust Community led by the Land Trust Alliance, follow their work on...
SEP Habitat Conservation Plan is approved
The Southern Edwards Plateau Habitat Conservation Plan (SEP HCP) has been approved by US Fish and Wildlife. Read the release and learn more about this program that funds land conservation with development impact fees. This issue has not been without debate; read more...
Texas Water Symposium to explore the health and long-term sustainability of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer
The first Texas Water Symposium of 2016 has been set for February 11th at Texas State University in San Marcos. The program will feature a conversation between leading groundwater scientists about the long-term health of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer, and its ability to...
Change is on the horizon for HCA
After 10 years in the executive director’s chair, Christy Muse will be stepping down in February 2016 to become Director of External Relations of the Shield Ranch. HCA is poised and ready for this new opportunity. Read more from HCA President Leo Tynan. And, a...
Hill Country Alliance receives laptop computers from Padgett Stratemann & Co.
The Hill Country Alliance is the proud recipient of three gently used laptops through a computer donation program run by the San Antonio-based Padgett Stratemann & Company. Padgett Stratemann is a locally owned CPA firm, and their not-for-profit Computer Equipment...
Pride, Passion and Vision in the Texas Hill Country
In this guest post on the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation blog, Christy Muse explores some of the most fundamental threats landowners in the Hill Country face. In a region where private property rights are often held up as the rule of the land, we are...
NWF Names San Antonio First Monarch Butterfly Champion City
Mayor Ivy Taylor signed the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Mayor’s Monarch Pledge this week, making San Antonio the first city in the country to become a Monarch Champion in the national campaign to encourage mayors and local governments to increase Monarch...
Q&A with Meredith Miller
The Texas Tribune has published an excellent Q and A piece with Meredith Miller on the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment’s citizen science Texas Stream Team. In addition to her other numerous duties at the Meadows Center, Meredith oversees the many citizen...
Texas Master Naturalist Program Seeks Applicants
Twenty chapters of the Texas Master Naturalist program are conducting training classes in the spring of 2016 for volunteers wanting to learn about natural resource and conservation management. The Texas Master Naturalist program consists of 46 chapters across the...
TWDB to hold hearing on emergency flood funding
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) will hold a stakeholder meeting to discuss the utilization of emergency flood funding recently transferred to the TWDB at the direction of Governor Greg Abbott. The hearing will be held on December 14, 2015, at 1:00 p.m., in...
Conservation Easement Workshop Presentations
The October 23rd Conservation Easement Workshop in Johnson City was a great success. Thank you to the Hill Country Land Trust, our wonderful sponsors and all who participated. Speaker presentations from the event are available below. Subscribe to HCA's newsletter for...
Zero Runoff Should Be Our Goal
“Water is a precious resource and yet we allow it to flow away. In fact, in many cases we actually encourage it to go down the drain! We have done an amazing job of drilling, piping, and moving water to accommodate our desired lifestyle.” Read more from these...
What we can learn from Foodies
“The sustainable food movement contains lessons that could apply to many other social movements.” This story featured in Next City is titled “What Urbanists Can Learn From Foodies” but anyone with an eye on shifting our culture to more healthy practices for the...
Green Spaces Alliance Hires New Executive Director
Gail Gallegos has been selected as the next Executive Director of Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas. With thirteen years of experience in the Natural Areas division of San Antonio's Parks and Recreation Department, Gail has overseen the design, development and...
Horseshoe Bay, Texas, Named International Dark Sky Community
In recognition of its exemplary efforts to preserve its naturally dark nighttime conditions, the International Dark-Sky Association announced today that it has designated the City of Horseshoe Bay, Texas, as an International Dark Sky Community. The city is only the...
San Antonio City Council Approves New Water Rate Structure
City Council has unanimously approved increased water rates and rate structure, a strong display of confidence in the water utility’s ongoing efforts to diversify the city’s water supply and to encourage greater water conservation. The recent vote follows two years of...
SWIFT round two application period to open on Dec. 1
The Texas Water Development Board will open the application period for the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) financial assistance program on December 1, 2015. This will be the second round of financial assistance made available through the SWIFT...
Rally to save the trees of Oak Hill, this Saturday
Oak Hill, Austin, TX: More than two hundred great oak trees stand to be damaged or lost if TxDOT moves ahead with the Oak Hill Parkway project as currently designed. An independent tree survey by Oak Hill resident Gerry Powell has documented and photographed 288 oak...
New study maps Earth’s hidden groundwater for the first time
A new study has, for the first time, estimated the total volume of groundwater present on the Earth. The results show that we're using up the water supply quicker than it can be naturally replaced, while future research will seek to determine exactly how long it will...
Austin Water Proposing permanent once-per-week watering restrictions
"Building on lessons learned during the drought, Austin Water is proposing to move to a permanent once-per-week watering schedule. Watering restrictions are our biggest water savings measure and the one-day-per-week restrictions, along with positive community...
Is the Vista Ridge Groundwater Reliable? Who’s calling for it?
Thursday the San Antonio City Council will vote on a new SAWS rate structure being proposed in part to pay for Vista Ridge. “The controversial Vista Ridge water pipeline, if completed, will pump 50,000 acre-feet/year of Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer groundwater from a well...
America’s $900 Million Parks Problem
At the end of September, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which has supported the creation and maintenance of greenways, trails and other outdoor spaces across the U.S. since its inception in the ’60s, expired. LWCF helps along everything from national parks to...
Registration NOW OPEN for the 2016 Texas Land Conservation Conference
The Texas Land Trust Council is excited to celebrate a milestone, the 20th Anniversary of the Texas Land Trust Conference is set for March 2 – 4, 2016 in Austin. This is an excellent program for everyone interested in land and water conservation in Texas, personally...