News
Thinking about a Conservation Easement?
Now is the time because current enhanced tax incentives expire Dec 31. Rules regarding amount of the deduction and the number of years you can take the deduction are about to change. Contact your local land trust for more information. Learn about conservation...
October 2013 News Archive
October 30, 2013 Feds Establish National Center to Pick Up the Slack on Sustainable Transportation Despite transportation becoming cleaner, quieter and safer over the past few decades, little has been done to limit how passenger and freight travel contribute to...
September 2013 News Archive
September 30, 2013 Looking for a speaker to address conservation issues at your next meeting? Texas Parks and Wildlife Biologist, Judit Green offers a variety of lectures on topics ranging from Wildlife Conservation, Wildscapes, Native Landscaping, Butterflies and...
Running Dry
Express-News staff photographer Bob Owen and staff writer Richard Oliver traveled the state from May through September to tell the stories of people whose lives have been changed by the drought. Read the four-part series.
2013 Water Catchment News
September 23, 2013 Llano River Watershed Protection progress and water news from Junction Workgroups will tackle: Invasive Species, Riparian Protection, Water Quality, Upland Management and Water Supply issues. Learn more in the September Newsletter for the Upper...
2013 Water Quality News
December 18, 2013 The Examiner speaks of direct discharge as a Hill Country “Land Heist.” “Terrell Graham and his wife’s family have owned their ranch in the Texas Hill Country for over 100 years. It’s remained a working farm and cattle ranch, and now Texas state...
2013 Water Planning News
December 5, 2013 A new path forward for TWDB On Sept. 1, 2013, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) began serving the citizens of Texas under a new management structure with three full-time Board members. Between that time and the successful passage of Proposition...
2013 Water Conservation News
October 20, 2013 Which activities use the most water? In April, 2013, New Braunfels Utilities (NBU), utility provider for the New Braunfels area, created a water usage exhibit to educate the community on which activities use the most water. Learn More August 15, 2013...
2013 Rainwater News
December 13, 2013 2014 Kent S. Butler Memorial Groundwater Stewardship Scholarship Essay Contest The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) is now soliciting applications and essays for the 2014 Kent S. Butler Memorial Groundwater...
2013 Groundwater News
February 10, 2013 Kudos to SAWS, but Day case is the real problem, not GCDs “Kudos are due to SAWS President and CEO Robert Puente for choosing a closer-to-home strategy that, along with continued efficiency improvements, will help the City meet its water needs far...
August 2013 News Archive
August 29, 2013 Texas Groundwater Districts Face Bevy of Challenges As groundwater managers from across the state met recently to discuss the numerous challenges they face, talk of legislative changes to water financing and a campaign to convince voters to allow more...
July 2013 News Archive
July 24, 2013 Texas Drought Forecast to Continue, Perhaps For Years National meteorologists expect the drought to continue or worsen through late summer and early fall in Texas, and ocean patterns are troublingly similar to those during the “drought of record” in the...
June 2013 News Archive
June 25, 2013 How dry we are Thanks to the drought and Texas' unprecedented population growth, the race is on across the state for new water supplies. Even San Antonio, the poster child for water conservation, is eyeing Val Verde County, a Wild West territory where...
May 2013 News Archive
May 31, 2013 Texas rainwater harvesting at a crossroads - a town hall meeting, June 15 H.B. 2062 as introduced could have set rainwater harvesting back ten years. But because of the dedicated work of a small group of rainwater professionals, the worst of H.B. 2062...
2013 Drought news
September 29, 2013 Running Dry Express-News staff photographer Bob Owen and staff writer Richard Oliver traveled the state from May through September to tell the stories of people whose lives have been changed by the drought. Read the four-part series. July 24, 2013...
April 2013 News Archive
April 30, 2013 Fiesta on the San Antonio River’s ‘Garbage Reach’ “This year, sadly, the lasting image of Fiesta’s final day for me will be the storm-washed litter that destroyed any sense of civic pride that I or anyone else in this city should feel today for the...
March 2013 News Archive
March 30, 2013 UGRA: River quality in better shape Water quality in the local Guadalupe River watershed improved last year, according to a recent report by the Upper Guadalupe River Authority. Although 2012 was drier than ideal, a few rainfalls produced beneficial...
February 2013 News Archive
February 26, 2013 Leurig: Conservation is conservative approach to solving Texas water problems Testimony to the drought of 2011 is still all around us — dried-up reservoirs in West Texas, purposeless docks on the parched Pedernales River. On the heels of the drought,...
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Approves EARIP Habitat Conservation Plan
"Approval of the EARIP's HCP marks a significant conservation achievement for the Edwards Aquifer Region," stated Southwest Regional Director Benjamin Tuggle. "The organizations and individuals involved in the development of the HCP clearly demonstrated that it is...
How Hill Country Grazing Led to Cedar Fever in Texas
Grazing practices introduced to the Hill Country region in the late 19th century may be the cause of your cedar allergies. Read how from State Impact Texas.
January 2013 News Archive
January 28, 2013 Why is Texas out of water during severe droughts? Bringing science to policy is one of HCA’s core goals. As HCA Technical Advisor Raymond Slade explains, “Three major schemes are needed: (1) increased conservation of water to minimize waste, (2)...
Charting New Waters – Watershed payments make sense
Investing in land and rewarding landowners to take care of land is a smart investment for long-term water needs. Far less expensive than massive industrial infrastructure, taking care of water catchment areas (watersheds) will provide natural infrastructure for...
December 2012 News Archive
December 17, 2012 Meeting Texas’ water needs Local and regional water suppliers say that state financial assistance is needed to fund about half of the total $53 billion price tag for water infrastructure projects in the current State Water Plan. However, simply...
2012 County Authority News
June 19, 2012 Top leadership resigns from RMA board The Alamo Regional Mobility Authority's long-standing board chairman, Bill Thornton, and the board member expected to succeed him resigned from their positions Monday, less than a week after the Bexar County...
2012 SLow Impact & Sustainable Development News
December 18, 2012 Is smaller mixed-use viable? Developers say size doesn't matter when you take a local approach Steve Miller didn't set out to build the first mixed-use development in York County. In 2009 Miller, a managing partner with York-based developer Pritchard...
2012 Public Lands News
November 21, 2012 Blue Hole Regional Park continues to win awards! The Texas Municipal League ("TML") has presented the City of Wimberley with the 2012 Municipal Excellence Award for Public Works for cities of less than 25,000 population. The award recognizes the City...
2012 Native Landscape News
October 15, 2012 Chasing Monarchs on the Llano River with Dr. Chip Taylor, Champion of Monarch Butterflies Monarch Watch founder Dr. Chip Taylor visits ranch along the Llano River in the Texas Hill Country. His prescription: cultivate seeds, plugs and plants of more...
2012 Local/Sustainable Agriculture News
September 20, 2012 Farm to Table Caucus Advances Local Food Movement On a mission to advance the local food movement, a Democrat from Austin is finding common ground with Republicans and rural Texans. Read more from Statesman.com. May 19, 2012 Urban farmers fight to...
2012 Land Stewardship News
December 9, 2012 Historic Maverick Ranch threatened again The Maverick Ranch-Fromme Farm (MkR-FF), is national landmark and endangered species wildlife refuge located in Northwest Bexar County. Landowners working with their community have withstood five eminent domain...
2012 Habitat Conservation News
August 18, 2012 New EAA website, video explain Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan A new website and video developed by the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) help explain the purpose and goals of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP), which is...