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The True Value of Open Spaces
By David K. Langford
Headlines of prominent newspapers frequently herald impending disasters: changing climate, disappearing water supplies, and skyrocketing food prices. Television and radio news anchors on every network are similarly anxious. It’s clear – we humans are facing big challenges.
As a member of a six-generation Texas ranching family, a well-traveled nature photographer and a conservation advocate, I too am worried about the ecological state of our planet. But, as I listen to the experts analyze the looming crises, I am struck by one omission. In all the commentary, no one mentions the role open space land plays in addressing these growing concerns. Perhaps I’m expecting too much, because not everyone has had the privilege of growing up on the land, learning through experience and observation about processes like the water cycle, soil regeneration and plant succession. Not everyone instinctively understands that well-managed, open space land plays a vital role in everything from flood control to carbon sequestration. Unfortunately, this lack of understanding of the societal benefits provided by open spaces hamstrings our collective efforts to make sound natural resource policy decisions. Sometimes, this lack of understanding causes us to undervalue the things that are most important, and skews our vision of what is truly the highest and best use for land.
Today, the public, via the market, values open space based on a variety of criteria, including: location, comparables, access, condition, terms, production potential, investment potential, and development potential. While I’d never deny that these features are important, there is something very wrong here. As a society, we only value land to sell and to break up. We don’t value land to keep. Granted, it’s easy to assess the value of houses in subdivisions. There are systems in place to calculate a property’s worth. Houses are tangible. We understand how to put prices on roofs, walls, and driveways. But it is infinitely harder to value land for its true societal value. How much is cleaner and more plentiful water worth? What dollar figure can be put on limiting coastal erosion? How valuable is wildlife habitat or nutrient cycling or soil stabilization? What’s the price of educational, recreational, and aesthetic experiences? To steal a tagline from MasterCard, the answer is: priceless. But, we land stewards know there is a big difference between priceless and free. Throughout our nation, land stewards make a difference every day, using our own efforts and our own dollars while still paying our taxes. For generations, we’ve quietly gone about our work, doing good things for the environment and our fellow man, simply because we understood the significance of our actions.
Today, however, recognizing those merits is not enough. Land stewards cannot continue to bear the escalating economic and societal pressure to sell our land, one piece at a time. If our nation is going to overcome the challenges facing it and the rest of the world, we all must view our landscapes in a new way. Instead of looking at open space land as the potential home of subdivisions or malls, we must begin to see it as a wellspring of ecological processes that provide natural benefits essential to us all. And we must value it accordingly.
''David K. Langford is the Vice President Emeritus of the Texas Wildlife Association, a non- profit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting private land stewardship. Its members own and manage almost 40 million acres of open space land in Texas. His areas of expertise include water issues, property tax concerns and eminent domain threats. Langford, who lives on and manages his family’s six-generation ranch in the Texas Hill Country, is also an award- winning photographer of western, cowboy, wildlife and nature images.''
The Latest News
LCRA’s Tom Mason, “A conflict is brewing in the Texas Hill Country”
On its face, it pits transmission lines, which are needed to bring wind power from West Texas to the state's power grid, against communities of Central Texas. In reality, it's a conflict among several competing objectives, all of them important.” Read full opinion piece here.
Saving Family Lands Seminar – September 21 in San Antonio
To help farmers and ranchers keep their land intact and pass it on to the next generation, the Texas Agricultural Land Trust is hosting two “Saving Family Lands” Seminars. Read More.
Mythical Texas Vs. Modern Texas Land Management
Experts predict that if significant changes aren't made, the state will experience a profound shortage of water by 2060 -- or sooner. Read TWA President Tina Buford’s opinion piece on environmental challenges and land stewardship here.
TCEQ Sunset Town Hall Meeting Sept 23 in San Antonio
GEAA and several partners have organized a town hall style meeting to share suggestions about improving the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Key legislators will be present to listen to public input. Participate and Learn more here.
Texas Completes Key Groundwater Planning Step
An intensive process to plan out the maximum depletion of aquifers over the next half-century has been completed just ahead of the Sept. 1 deadline. Read full Texas Tribune article here.
Wind transmission lines across Hill Country face holdup at Public Utility Commission
By the time the first segment of the Hill Country line came before the commission in April, the commissioners told the LCRA to go back to the drawing board on proposed routes. And now, with commission Chairman Barry Smitherman signaling his unwillingness to go forward, the commissioners appear to be on the verge of scotching the line altogether. Read full Statesman.com article here.
Nominate an "Endangered Historic Place” in the Hill Country
Preservation Texas has called for nominations for its annual naming of “Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places”. Nominations are due October 15th. HCA has resources and people who will help. Think about a special place that deserves help with preservation and public attention and take it upon yourself to get the ball rolling. Learn more
Riparian Landowner’s Workshops scheduled for October
Riparian areas are important components of the landscape and water cycle. Please read Steve Nelle’s (NRCS) “Riparian Notes”, learn about taking care of your water resources. More information and details about upcoming workshops here.
TCEQ Considers lower water quality standards. SARA says “clean enough to swim in”
The board of the San Antonio River Authority has come out against the state lowering water quality standards for any of the creeks and rivers it oversees. Other Hill Country river basins are looking at this issue carefully. Sign a petition supporting high standards and learn more here.
Mainstreet Architect Introduces Design Guideline Process to Blanco
The first Design Guideline Public Meeting was held on Tuesday evening, July 27, 2010 at the Blanco Public library at 6 p.m. The purpose of the meeting was to introduce to Blanco citizens and business owners the steps involved in developing design guidelines for the city. Read more from Blanco County News here.
Kerr Wildlife Management Area to be Dedicated Aug. 27th
New, $1.8 million conference center to be dedicated Aug. 27 at the Kerr Wildlife Management Area will provide Texas Parks and Wildlife Department with a quality venue for presenting habitat management and ecological programs to thousands of landowners, students and researchers.
More…
UGRA to host Watershed Stewards event this Thursday
August 26th from 8 am – 4pm in Kerrville. Free, one-day workshop designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their watershed, the Guadalupe River above Canyon Lake. Details
Water Matters: Highland Lakes Group
One thing that almost everyone involved with water supply from groundwater agrees with, including users, marketers and regulators alike, is that the volume of water pumped from an aquifer should not exceed the natural recharge of water into the aquifer” Read Water Matters.
Capitol Area transportation planning news
The Capitol Area Metropolitan Planning Organization's (CAMPO’s) August “CAMPO Connection” features information about the newly adopted 2035 Plan and ECT’s forum taking place on September 10th, “Innovate or Stagnate: Can New Approaches to Infrastructure Development Transform our Region?
Hill Country elected officials urging re-evaluation of transmission lines
Public officials participated in the August 19th PUC Open Meeting in Austin; “CREZ transmission line would have a significant negative impact on the Hill Country which is truly a unique area…” Read the summary from SOS Hill Country here. Senator Fraser continues to push for use of existing rights of way. Read Fraser’s letter to the PUC dated Aug 19th here.
Rainwater Revival announces speaker and live music line-up
The Rainwater Revival today announced the speaker and live music line-up for this outdoor festival created to celebrate the timeless conservation practice of rainwater collection. Read more here.
Senator Fraser Announces Gillespie-Newton Transmission Line Unnecessary
Senator Troy Fraser (R-Horseshoe Bay) announced on Tuesday that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has determined that the Gillespie to Newton transmission line is not necessary to solve congestion problems as part of the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone project. Read more here.
TWCA Fall Meeting Scheduled for October 13-15
State Representative Doug Miller and TWDB Board Member Thomas Weir Labatt III will headline the fall meeting of the Texas Water Conservation Association (TWCA), scheduled for October 13-15, 2010, at the Crowne Plaza Riverwalk Hotel in San Antonio. The program will also include numerous presentations on surface and groundwater management. Registration information and a full agenda should be available on the TWCA website by mid-August.
Hill Country power line may not be needed, state grid operator says
A controversial power line proposed to cross the Hill Country to transmit wind power from West Texas may not have to get built after all, according to a letter Tuesday from the agency operating the state's electricity grid. Read full Statesman.com article here.
TCEQ recognizes need for Hays, Travis, Comal Groundwater District
The TCEQ issued a report that draws the conclusion that an order be issued to create a Groundwater Conservation District to include Western Travis, Hays and Comal Counties. The report was filed June 30th and is available online here. More information here. A hearing has been set for set for October 28, 2010 at the Hays County Courthouse at 10:00 a.m. Click here for details.
Hays County picks Nicholson Ranch for Conservation
Nicholson Ranch tract may contain some karst features, which allow substances to more easily enter aquifers. The property includes a small section of Glen Rose limestone, is at the headwaters of Onion Creek, includes several branches of the creek, and may possess springs. Read full San Marcos News article here.
SOS Hill Country requests re-evaluation of transmission line
SaveOur Scenic Hill Country Environment (SOSHCE)is an organization of more than 500 members in Gillespie, Llano, Mason, Kerr and Kimble counties. They are highly concerned about the negative impacts that the McCamey D – Kendall – Gillespie CREZ line will have on the future of the Hill Country and are asking for a re-evaluation of the need for these lines. Read their letter to PUC here.
Great Video About Bear Springs Blossom Preserve
Peter and Marianne Bonenberger were recently awarded a Lone Star Land Steward Award for their excellent work educating the public about land conservation and active restoration practices. Texas Parks & Wildlife put together a great video about the Bonenbergers that is now available. Take five minutes and see what these awesome folks have been doing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6m8pLdxxww
LCRA Newsletter announces procedural schedule for Hill Country CREZ
LCRA TSC mailed about 5,100 notice letters to landowners along each of the 75 alternative routes the same day it filed the application on July 28. Newspaper notices describing LCRA TSC's proposed routes began running in area newspapers the week of Aug.2” August 27th is the intervention deadline. Complete LCRA Newsletter can be viewed here.
American Planning Association/Texas Conference October 6-9 in San Antonio
Water, Wind and Solar Resources - will there be enough for our growing State? Other topics include; physical and social sustainability planning; planning services to assist in meeting specific community needs; tools for planner's to use in their professional development and Ethics and legislative and court decisions and their effect on community development. HCA friend Randall Arendt, the nation's premier "green" landscape planner, site designer, author and lecturer and an advocate of "conservation planning" will return to Texas as a featured speaker. Learn more here.
Tom Mason, GM at LCRA to speak to PLTA Sept 9th
The Protect Lake Travis Association annual general membership meeting will be combined with a special meeting of the newly formed Lake Travis Community Coalition. The meeting will be held at the Travis County West Service Center near Mansfield Dam at 7PM on Thursday, September 9th. Learn more here.
Transmission Line Seminars Offer Information and Options for Landowners
Five transmission line seminars are scheduled across the state featuring expert information on the electric transmission line process, CREZ, and options for private landowners who may be impacted by proposed transmission line routes. Read details from Texas Wildlife Association here.
Statewide Long Range Transportation Plan 2035
TxDot hosts an open-house style public meeting for the development of the Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan addressing roads, transit, rail, and all transportation related planning - Wednesday, August 11th in San Antonio - Details
Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust Becomes Texas' First Accredited Land Trust
The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, announced today that Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust has been awarded accredited status, making Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust the first accredited land trust in the state of Texas. Read more from Texas Land Trust Council here.
TCEQ Draws Flak for Studies That Might Result in Weaker Water Quality Standards The efforts of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to weaken water quality standards for numerous Texas streams through so-called “recreational use” studies were dealt a serious setback Thursday night in the small community of Kosciusko southeast of San Antonio when over 300 residents of Wilson, Karnes, and neighboring counties turned out to demand better water quality for their local stream, Lower Cibolo Creek. Read full story here.
Viewpoint: Comal County needs groundwater conservation district
In the state of Texas, the state owns surface water, including lakes and rivers. But groundwater is a private-property rights matter. In this regard, the state has declared that the preferred method of managing groundwater in Texas is by a groundwater conservation district. (Comal) county has no such groundwater conservation district atop the Trinity Aquifer, which spans about two-thirds of our county. Read full San Antonio Express community article here.
The Future of Water: GMA 9's 30-foot drawdown decision could crimp future growth
After nearly four years of hydrology modeling and politicking, representatives from groundwater districts in Kendall and eight other Hill Country counties decided Monday to limit the drawdown of aquifer levels to no more than 30 feet over the next 50 years. Read full Boerne Star article here.
Read more Hill Country news
Upcoming Events
September
September 1 in Wichita Falls - Transmission Line Seminar Hosted by Texas Wildlife Association and Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association - Details
September 2 in San Marcos - Texas Wildlife Association Landowner Workshop and Membership Reception - Details
September 9 in Austin - Combined Protect Late Travis Association (PLTA) and Lake Travis Community Coalition (LTCC) meeting, open to the public - Details
September 10 in Austin - INNOVATE OR STAGNATE: Could New Approaches to Infrastructure Transform Our Region? - Envision Central Texas Regional Forum III - Details
September 11 - 21st Annual Frio River Trash Bash - Details
September 17 in San Antonio - Texas Riparian Association 2010 Annual Meeting - Details
September 17 in San Antonio - Edwards Aquifer Authority workshop on Karst Aquifers - Details
September 17 in New Braunfels - Austin-San Antonio Growth Summit - Details
September 21 in San Antonio - Saving Family Lands Seminar - Land conservation, tax planning and financial strategies for landowners and their advisors - Registration deadline: September 13 - Details
September 23 in San Antonio - TCEQ Townhall Meeting - details
September 25 in Brenham - 2nd Annual South Central Texas Water Conservation Conference - Details
September 25 in Helotes - Riparian Zone Workshop: San Geronimo Creek - Details
September 26 in Helotes - Riparian Zone Workshop: Helotes Creek - Details
September 26 in Driftwood - Wimberley Valley Watershed Association annual Hill Country Water Celebration - Details
September 27 in San Antonio - Riparian Zone Workshop: San Antonio River - Details
October
October 4 in Lockhart - Riparian Landowners' Workshop - Details
October 5 in Swinney Switch - - Riparian Landowners' Workshop - Details
October 6 in Camp Wood - Riparian Landowners' Workshop - Details
October 6-9 in San Antonio - 2010 American Planning Association Texas Conference - Details
October 7 in Tarpley - Riparian Landowners' Workshop - Details
October 8 in Barksdale - Riparian Landowners' Workshop - Details
October 8 in Kerrville - Transmission Line Seminar Hosted by Texas Wildlife Association and Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association - Details
October 9 in Dripping Springs - Hays County Rainwater Revival - All day event celebrating and learning about Rainwater Harvesting and Water Conservation - Details
October 11-12 in San Antonio - Texas Innovative Water 2010 - Details
October 13 in Cleburn - Transmission Line Seminar Hosted by Texas Wildlife Association and Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association - Details
October 13-15 in San Antonio - Texas Water Conservation Association Fall Meeting - Registration information and a full agenda should be available on the http://www.twca.org/TWCA website by mid-August.
October 22 in Driftwood - Hill Country Conservancy's 4th Annual Hill Country Nights - Details
October 27 in Lubbock - Transmission Line Seminar Hosted by Texas Wildlife Association and Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association - Details
October 27-30 in Austin - National Preservation Conference - Details
The Hill Country is an idea Texans share.
The Hill Country Alliance connects people and place as active stewards of a regional heritage worth sharing and sustaining for future generations.
"The Mission of the Hill Country Alliance is to bring together an ever-expanding alliance of groups throughout a multi-county region of Central Texas with the long-term objective of preserving open spaces, water supply, water quality and the unigue character of the Texas Hill Country."
