News
Private lands are the next battleground in state conservation policy.
Since last year, staff members at the Land Trust of Virginia have fielded phone call after phone call from landowners seeking to set aside their property for conservation. “We’re getting calls like crazy,” said Sally Price, executive director of the nonprofit, which...
Seven ways climate change is already affecting Texas
Climate change has been warned by scientists for years, and through heat waves with unreasonably high temperatures, the state of Texas is already suffering the consequences of this phenomenon in various ways. Read more from the Reform Austin Staff at Reform Austin...
Drought drains greenbelt swimming holes, but springs may still provide.
Swimming holes are a summer tradition for some, but one that might be hard to find in Austin. Two iconic swimming holes on the Barton Creek Greenbelt are Campbell’s Hole and Twin Falls. Both of these are currently dry, likely caused by a lack of rain in central Texas....
Water level at Lake Travis is at its lowest in nearly 4 years
As we continue to bake through a major drought in Central Texas, the water level at Lake Travis is at its lowest in nearly four years. That’s spurring concerns not just for swimmers and boaters, but about the water supply. "I mean we’ve been coming out here quite a...
Editor’s Note: Preserved Paradise
I’ve lived in the Hill Country for five years now, yet I’m still finding new reasons to admire its grandeur on a regular basis. I love that my kids get to grow up in such a beautiful, wild landscape, and I hope their kids will have the same opportunity. As Central...
Keep Bastrop Boring: Central Texas man wars with Elon Musk’s Boring Company
Just after 7 p.m. on May 3, a tall, bearded man in a white Stetson strolled up to the microphone positioned in front of Kyle City Council and spilled his guts about Elon Musk and his Boring Company’s forays into Texas. On that day, the company wished to get a...
TESPA initiates legal action to protect water & endangered species
The Trinity Edwards Springs Protection Association (TESPA) has sent the attached Notice of Intent (NOI) to sue Far South Mining LLC to stop the proposed quarry and rock crushing plant on the Needmore Ranch between Wimberley and San Marcos in Hays County, TX. The legal...
Unique and creative approaches for conservation
Editorial by Commissioner Lon Shell, Hays County As our population surges, will the Hill Country retain its character? I believe it can, however it is a challenge that will require unique and creative approaches to balance that growth with preservation of the very...
When a quarry closes, can its damage be undone?
A hypnotic maze of subdivisions stretches along Anderson Mill Road as you drive north out of Austin. Then, just before you reach downtown Cedar Park, towering mounds of loose rock rise like ashes from a giant cigarette. Throughout the Texas Hill Country, this sort of...
Texas cities are booming. I feel it in the country.
About a year ago, I was kayaking down the Llano River, about 80 miles west of Austin, Texas. It’s spring-fed and runs through the countryside, representative of the state’s beauty. I was paddling a usually serene route when I noticed the water becoming shallow and the...
Over the moon: City of Blanco becomes 5th Dark Sky community in Texas, 35th on planet Earth
The city of Blanco in Blanco County has joined four other Texas cities — all in the Hill Country as well — as the latest to be granted the sought-after International Dark Sky Community designation. The International Dark-Sky Association announced this week that the...
Seizing the moment for rural water infrastructure
In February, 2021, Winter Storm Uri shined a light on the fragility of our state’s infrastructure as an energy crisis quickly evolved into a water crisis. However, even before Texas was plunged into the ice, our state’s water infrastructure systems received a C- for...
Be a friend to the night sky
Editorial by Soll Sussman, Hays County Friends of the Night Sky Protecting the night sky is not just about the stars, as magnificent as the sight of them might be. In Hays County, the fastest growing county in Texas and in the country for that matter, we’re working to...
Hays County Celebrates Earth Day with Upcoming Land Purchase of Sentinel Peak Preserve
Hays County expects to close on its purchase of the Sentinel Peak Preserve by April 29, 2022, mere days after celebrating Earth Day (April 22). This is the first project funded under the 2020 Hays County Parks and Open Space Bond. Read more from Hays County here.
Removing the mystery of groundwater
Editorial by Vanessa Puig-Williams, Environmental Defense Fund What makes the Texas Hill Country unique? In my mind, it comes down to one thing: groundwater. It is impossible to overstate the importance of groundwater to this precious region, because without it, the...
Report finds on-site water reuse can boost affordable housing, spread climate resilience
Strategic integration of onsite water reuse can bring financial and quality-of-life benefits to affordable housing residents, according to an extensive new study by the National Wildlife Federation. The report finds on-site collection, treatment, and non-potable use...
Protecting the Nueces, a lesson of love and legacy
UPDATE - June 7, 2022 It is with a heavy heart we share news of the passing of Sky Lewey, conservationist, mother, and Nueces River champion on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Sky dedicated her life, work, and passion to protecting Texas's rivers and touched the hearts and...
100-mile nature trail connecting Austin to San Antonio springs into next phase
The Great Springs Project has released its Trails Plan, another step along the path to a proposed 100-plus-mile network of trails from the Alamo to the Capitol.The project, launched in 2018, aims to create a corridor of protected lands over the Edwards Aquifer...
Rethinking our relationship with Hill Country water, before it’s too late
Editorial by Jennifer Walker, National Wildlife Federation Water is an integral part of the Hill Country fabric, and it is embodied in the rivers and springs that make this region special. It is also the single most limiting factor in the Hill Country. The region’s...
USDA Takes Action to Strengthen Pollinator Research Support.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced its strengthened commitment to advancing research and programmatic priorities that support pollinator health by soliciting nominations for members to serve on its newly formed USDA National Pollinator Subcommittee.The...
If drought conditions don’t improve, more water restrictions could come to Central Texas.
Drought conditions across the state are getting worse. Here in Austin, many areas are already feeling its effects. Mark Wentzel is the Instream Flows Leader with the Texas Water Development Board. He said Lakes Travis and Buchanan are some of the main water reservoirs...
Texas Hill Country photo contest to show beauty and change or region.
Take a "Snapshot of the Hill Country" in the Hill Country Alliance's 16th annual photo contest. Entries are due May 31 on the alliance's website. Photographers of all ages and skill levels, including professional, are invited to participate. Winners will receive cash...
Study uses lasers to prevent flooding along Texas’ South Llano River.
A recent study conducted by the Texas Water Development Board could help the state prevent flooding along the South Llano River, according to hydrologists with the board. This study involved Topobathymetric Lidar, essentially a laser, to scan the landscape and river...
Texan By Nature announces 2022 conservation wranglers.
Texan By Nature, a conservation non-profit, today announces the selection of the 2022 TxN Conservation Wranglers. Conservation Wrangler is an accelerator program that catalyzes the very best Texan-led conservation projects occurring in the state. Selected projects are...
Ignoring Induced Demand is Engineering Malpractice
The standard approach for engineering projects is well-established. A team of technical experts determines that a project needs to happen. They get whatever authorization they need to move forward in evaluating options. They put together options, most frequently three...
There oughta be a law (But there’s probably not!)
Editorial by Francine Romero, University of Texas at San Antonio After visiting Gruene recently and encountering the explosion of new housing developments along the old rural roads leading to downtown, I was further disheartened to read that 252 duplex units on 22...
‘Tipping point’: Waters under fire in Texas Hill Country as development, population boom
The Texas Hill Country has long been lauded as the Land of 1,100 Springs, but there’s trouble brewing in those pristine waters. The area is growing at breakneck speed. More people are drawing water from a finite supply. More are putting wastewater — which helps...
Texas climatologists warn of potential for prolonged drought
While much of Texas is mired in drought conditions as warmer months are on the horizon, state climatologists are looking closely a t future rainfall predictions to gauge just how long dry conditions will last. So far, they say, the outlook isn’t good. Read more...
Annual photo contest returns!
The Hill Country Alliance, a nonprofit organization to raise awareness of the Central Texas Hill Country, is now hosting its 16th annual photo contest.This year’s Hill Country Photo Contest, entitled “Snapshot of the Hill Country,” challenges photographers to share...
Director’s Note: Pristine Streams Petition Hearing on March 30, 2022
A note from HCA Executive Director, Katherine Romans The Commissioners of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) had the opportunity Wednesday to initiate a rule making process to protect the few remaining pristine streams in the state of Texas. Brought...