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News
Are we losing the Hill Country’s “Sense of Place”?
Take time to watch and consider “Where Am I? The Power of Uniqueness” A TED talk by Ed McMahon, former Scenic America President. Watch now
Tax proceeds for fixing up Texas state parks are being diverted
Two decades ago, the Legislature dedicated a portion of sporting goods sales-tax proceeds - levied on everything from kayaks to pingpong balls - to state parks. Instead of using these funds as advertised, typically, the bulk of the proceeds are diverted into the...
Statewide leaders release recommendations to confront water sustainability in Texas
A diverse group of water and energy experts, known as the Texas Roundtable on Water, will release a thorough set of recommendations at a Legislative Briefing on February 16, 2015 at the State Capitol in the Auditorium Room E1.004. The recommendations are designed to...
Aquifer Protection and Trail Expansion Headed for May 9 Ballot
With the San Antonio City Council’s Governance Committee’s unanimous approval, renewal for sales tax funding of the Edwards Aquifer Protection Program (EAPP) and Howard Peak Greenway Trails System is expected to go to the voters on the May 9 ballot. Read more from the...
Pioneers Youth Leadership students attend State Fourm
High school students from Hill Country area schools in Pioneers Youth Leadership attended the Pioneers State Leadership Forum in Austin last week. Over two days, the students worked with state agencies and elected officials to address the challenges faced by rural...
Rule of Capture Undermines Groundwater Regulation in Texas
In mid-western Hays County, a groundwater war is escalating. A private water supplier, with goals to pipe and sell close to 6,000 acre feet of water per year has strategically located a well field in an area of the Hill Country where the Trinity Aquifer is...
Check Out Texas (and all U.S.) cities in 2030
Want to see what San Antonio will look like in 2020 and 2030? An interactive tool developed by the Urban Institute lets you look at the future size of U.S. cities and their demographics, and even alter assumptions for birth, death and immigration rates to see how low,...
Council Set to Place Aquifer, Trailways on the Ballot
Nearly three months after approving the $3.4 billion Vista Ridge water purchase and pipeline deal, City Council now appears poised to authorize renewal of two landmark propositions that have funded protection of the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone and development of the...
San Antonio to vote on Aquifer Protection Thursday
The Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (GEAA) is endorsing the reauthorization of Props 1 & 2; funding to conserve land that protects the Edwards Aquifer. You can make a difference by making your voice heard and encouraging San Antonio City Council members to...
The Value of a Healthy Hill Country
In a recent piece in the Upper Llano River Watershed Protection Plan Newsletter, Dr. Tom Arsuffi explores the value of a healthy, functioning Hill Country ecosystem. In a Texas that is increasingly urbanizing, how do we ensure that our urban centers properly value...
Groundwater Wars Brewing in Austin’s Suburbs
In a classic example of the gaps in Texas' patchwork approach to regulating groundwater, an unprecedented amount of water may soon be pumped from underneath already parched Hays County with virtually no oversight. Read more from the Texas Tribune.
Hays County Commissioners Court Forms Committee to Further Groundwater Pumping Discussions with Public
From Hays County Also read: "Critics see conflicts of interest in Hays County water wells" Hays County Courthouse, San Marcos, TX – The Hays County Commissioners Court voted unanimously Tuesday to form a committee that would hold public forums to discuss concerns...
Lone Star Rail kicks off environmental study
A decade-old project to build a passenger rail line between the San Antonio and Austin areas picked up steam January 21 with a public meeting of the Lone Star Rail Project. The meeting served as the kickoff to the project’s environmental impact study, which Lone Star...
Registration is open for Land Conservation Conference
On March 4th, hundreds of conservation professionals, land trust volunteers, landowners and agency folks working on land and water conservation issues in Texas will travel to Austin to gather for the 19th annual Texas Land Conservation Conference. Learn more
Study shows Texas voters maintain strong support for state parks
Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation 70 percent of voters would support constitutional amendment to fund state parks DALLAS—A new survey today released by Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation showed overwhelming voter support of a strong, well-funded system of state...
Public Meetings Scheduled on the Southern Edwards Plateau draft Habitat Conservation Plan and draft Environmental Impact Statement
From the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), in cooperation with the City of San Antonio and Bexar County will conduct public meetings in Helotes, Texas and Kerrville, Texas, to obtain comments on the Southern Edwards Plateau...
Hays County dreaming big for FM 150
Hays County commissioners are pretty sure of one thing: Changes will need to be made to FM 150 if it is to accommodate the increased traffic expected to come as a result of Hays County’s rapid growth. However, commissioners are unsure of what exactly those changes...
Defending Local Control
by Leo Tynan Letter to the Editor of the Fredericksburg Times Standard In a recent speech to the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Governor-elect Greg Abbott had some things to say that should leave the people of the Texas Hill Country uneasy. Stating that some Texas...
Hill Country Science Mill Grand Opening, February 14
The Hill Country Science Mill in Johnson City will be hold its Grand Opening Celebration February 14 from 10am -6pm. Included will be a presentation by Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve as well as live music and fun activities. Proceeds from the Grand Opening will...
Edwards Aquifer Dispute forum on Tuesday in San Marcos
The pumping of water from the Edwards Aquifer, the enormous underground cave system beneath Central Texas, has long been a topic of fierce dispute, involving property rights, endangered species, and drinking water needs. Leading policy-makers, scientists,...
Unregulated Pumping Threatens Trinity Aquifer
“These wells are being drilled THROUGH and BELOW the Edwards Aquifer into the underlying Trinity Aquifer, the aquifer that supplies the groundwater for western Hays County, including the Wimberley and Dripping Springs areas (not to mention most of Blanco, Kendall,...
Greater San Antonio Area residents eliminate more than 1 million vehicle trips in 2014
Residents of Greater San Antonio area reduced the number of vehicle trips taken on area roads by more than 1 million during 2014, according to AACOG, who sponsors NuRide, an online carpool matching, alternative transportation tracking, and reward system. The...
New York executive tapped to lead Waller Creek Conservancy
Peter Mullan, who helped lead the critically acclaimed redevelopment of New York City's High Line park, has been tapped to lead the Waller Creek Conservancy, which is itself looking to dramatically reshape Waller Creek into a lush greenbelt park running through...
South Llano River Watershed Alliance
If you don't know what water catchment area (watershed) your land is in, you can find it on our map viewer. Landowner networks exist in many fragile hill country water catchments. Learn about current news and events of the South Llano River Watershed Alliance here. If...
TWDB encourages all of us to learn about drought
TWDB unveils new tools for observing drought data and trends. "We wanted Texans and all those interested in our state's drought resources to not only see the information we use when evaluating drought in Texas, but also understand why and how we use it," explained...
LCRA releases drought update
The LCRA's drought update for the Highland Lakes region is full of interesting- and disappointing - facts. Due to the rainfall in the Colorado watershed coming in dispersed events and generating little runoff, 2014 inflows into the Highland Lakes system were the...
City Council Poised to Renew Edwards Aquifer Protection Program
“San Antonio voters have long recognized that our economy and quality of life rest on protecting the water and green spaces that drew people here centuries ago,” Councilmember Nirenberg said. Renewing this highly successful Hill Country conservation program for a...
Water as a Crop?
Should, could and would water be considered “a crop” by agricultural interests to market to water short urban neighbors? And, while protecting their own property’s value, their neighbor’s, natural resources possibly dependent upon that water (springs, creeks, etc.)...
State parks embrace measures to protect dark skies at night
“The stars at night, are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas...” The 1942 Hit Parade song paying tribute to the Lone Star State’s starry skies strikes a sour note today in large cities nestled deep in the heart of Texas, where artificial light pollution has...
I Received a Letter Saying They’re Taking My Land…Now What?
Patrick L. Reznik, an attorney with Braun & Gresham, answers a few common questions about the rights of Texas landowners threatened by eminent domain, a process by which private and public entities condemn private lands to build transmission lines, pipelines, rail...