News
April 2012 News Archive
April 13, 2012 Rainwater Revival Opens Grant Applications to Schools in 17 Hill Country Counties The Hill Country Alliance, organizer of the Rainwater Revival, is seeking grant applications from elementary and middle schools in 17 counties throughout the Hill Country...
March 2012 News Archive
March 30, 2012 International Water Expert to Highlight Sierra Club Water Conference, April 27 Brian Richter, an international authority on river conservation and the director of The Nature Conservancy’s Global Freshwater Program, will be the keynote speaker for a...
Golden-cheeked Warbler comes home
Early March marks the return of the golden-cheeked warbler to the Texas Hill Country. Of the nearly 360 bird species that breed in Texas, the golden-cheeked warbler is the only one that nests exclusively in Texas. The major environmental threat to the warbler is...
February 2012 News Archive
February 28 2012 Groundwater ruling potentially unleashes geyser of future cases Prompted by the severity of the current drought, Texans have been earnestly discussing how to manage the state's water resources for the next several decades to meet the needs of a...
January 2012 News Archive
January 31, 2012 Spicewood Beach and neighbors getting water trucked in A Central Texas community has run out of water amid a statewide drought, prompting the Lower Colorado River Authority to start trucking in water. Read more from Statesman.com. January 24, 2012...
December 2011 News Archive
December 29, 2011 The Texas Water Crisis Texas water authorities at every level are on alert. Last summer’s extremely hot, dry weather was a wake-up call. Now more than a dozen Texas towns are in danger of running out of water. Texas is in a water crisis. To make it...
2011 County Authority News
February 21, 2011 Growing pains come with rise in population As civic leaders in San Antonio and surrounding communities began digesting new census figures released Thursday, the implications of the region's 25 percent population increase were both gratifying and...
2011 Public Lands News
December 28, 2011 Travis County park purchase to add access to Pedernales River Earlier this month, Travis County commissioners closed on a 770-acre ranch owned by Eugene and Jean Reimers in southwestern Travis County near the Hays County line that will connect Milton...
2011 Native Landscape News
October 24, 2011 Texas Invasive Plant and Pest Conference Seeks to Combat Growing Threat The 2011 Texas Invasive Plant and Pest Conference, hosted by Texas Invasive Plant and Pest Council (TIPPC), will be held November 8-10 at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center....
2011 Local/Sustainable Agriculture News
January 2, 2011 Keeping rural roots alive without leaving the city A great story featuring thoughts of Wendell Berry and Wes Jackson, two sustainable agriculture pioneers… “We came here as poor people on rich land, but now we are rich people on poor land," Jackson...
2011 Land Stewardship News
November 17, 2011 Texas Land Conservation on the rise! A new report by the Land Trust Alliance shows that land conservation by nonprofit land trusts across the United States is thriving, with more than 10 million acres conserved from 2005-2010. According to TLTC Land...
2011 Habitat Conservation News
December 28, 2011 EAA Board Approves Funding Agreement for Habitat Conservation Plan The Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) Board of Directors approved a funding and management agreement on Tuesday, December 28, that details how the EAA will pay for implementing a...
2011 Conservation Easement News
December 29, 2011 Private Lands, Public Benefits: Innovations to Sustain the Private Lands that Provide Food, Fiber and Water Policy In early December, the Texas Agricultural Land Trust and Texas Department of Agriculture hosted Private Lands, Public Benefits in...
2011 Water Quality News
December 28, 2011 Dangers of fracking still becoming clear The word "fracking" may sound funny, but it describes a drilling practice that has created a serious boom in natural gas production in Texas and elsewhere, and with the boom has come serious worries...
2011 Water Planning News
December 29, 2011 The Texas Water Crisis Texas water authorities at every level are on alert. Last summer’s extremely hot, dry weather was a wake-up call. Now more than a dozen Texas towns are in danger of running out of water. Texas is in a water crisis. To make it...
2011 Water Conservation News
September 25, 2011 Water conservation a habit we must keep The current drought eventually will end — we think. But even if rain starts to fall in the next few weeks, the record-setting droughts of 2009 and this year should be reminders that if we're not currently in a...
2011 Rainwater Harvesting News
December 20, 2011 Water a hot topic in Hill Country despite recent rains "Statistics provided by the Texas Water Development Board show that groundwater withdrawal from the Hill Country's Edwards and Trinity aquifers increased dramatically between 1975 and...
2011 Groundwater News
November 16, 2011 Our treasured springs need protection The canary is in the coal mine and he's thirsty. Without thoughtful stewardship, public treasures such as Jacob's Well, Hays County's historic perennial spring, as well as the private legacies of the many unnamed...
2011 Drought News
December 21, 2011 Texas Tree Ring Study Warns of Long Droughts A new study of tree rings adds to evidence that Texas has experienced at least one 10-year drought every 100 years, as well as several "mega-droughts" lasting 15 to 30 years over the centuries. Read...
2011 Transportation Planning News
December 9, 2011 Perry Survived Even as His Big Plan for Texas Failed Unveiled by Mr. Perry in early 2002, the public-private transit project was intended as a centerpiece of his governorship, “a plan as big as Texas and as ambitious as our people,” he said, to create...
2011 Transmission Line News
December 29, 2011 Environmental impact of CREZ December 23rd was the final day to submit public comments for the LCRA draft Environmental Assessment (dEA), draft Habitat Conservation Plan (dHCP) and related Incidental Take Permit (ITP). The Study Area includes...
2011 Night Sky News
December 23, 2011 Commissioners endorse preserving night skies, PEC offers support Kimble County and the PEC agree to work together to protect nights skies. “As Judge Murr stated, the night sky is part of the region’s scenic beauty that brings significant economic and...
2011 Billboard News
November 2, 2011 Scenic Texas at Work This month’s “Scenic Views” a newsletter from Scenic Texas features an announcement of “This Space Available,” a feature documentary exploring grassroots efforts to deal with visual pollution worldwide. Learn more from Scenic...
November 2011 News Archive
November 30, 2011 It could take years for state's aquifers to fill A historic drought has depleted Texas aquifers to lows rarely seen since 1948, and it could take months — or even years — for the groundwater supplies to fully recharge, scientists who study...
Preserve created to help warbler, Camp Bullis
The San Antonio Express News reports: “An intricate land deal has been completed that will protect the military missions of Camp Bullis as well as habitat of the endangered golden-cheeked warbler north of San Antonio, officials said Wednesday. Three years in the...
October 2011 News Archive
October 17, 2011 Texas ranchers, farmers, seeing record losses in grip of drought, say, 'These are desperate times' Agricultural losses attributed to the drought have reached a record $5.2 billion, according to a report prepared by Texas A&M System's AgriLife...
September 2011 News Archive
September 28, 2011 DAVE MCNEELY: It's time to stop taking water for granted The water shortage in Texas can certainly use some prayers, and maybe even some rain dances. But it's going to take more than that — much more. That was the conclusion Saturday of panelists at...
Lake Travis Economic Impact Report unveiled
The lake dropped to its third lowest level in recorded history this week. It is currently sitting just below 630 feet. The Lake Travis Coalition, which compiled Thursday's report, found that when the lake falls below 661 feet, there's a big hit to those who rely on...
2011 Water Quality News
December 28, 2011 Dangers of fracking still becoming clear The word "fracking" may sound funny, but it describes a drilling practice that has created a serious boom in natural gas production in Texas and elsewhere, and with the boom has come serious worries about...
2011 Water Planning News
December 29, 2011 The Texas Water Crisis Texas water authorities at every level are on alert. Last summer’s extremely hot, dry weather was a wake-up call. Now more than a dozen Texas towns are in danger of running out of water. Texas is in a water crisis. To make it...