While the cooler temperatures March 2 were enough to send some people inside, a number of folks rolled up their sleeves, and pants legs, sowed seeds, and planted vegetation along a stretch of Sandy Creek.

“We want to be proactive by doing riparian zone restoration,” Fermin Ortiz said.

He and about 25 local landowners, concerned residents, and volunteers gathered along the creek at CR 316 in Llano County.

Ortiz and several other residents and landowners are concerned about a sand-mining operation planned for a part of Sandy Creek and how it could affect the waterway. Their efforts that day go beyond their concern about the proposed excavation and center on the health of Sandy Creek as well as other nearby creeks and rivers.

The Hill Country Alliance, along with supporting partners such as the Llano River Watershed Alliance and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, hosted the Sandy Creek Riparian Field Day on March 2.
Read more from Daniel Clifton with DailyTrib here.