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May 6, 2008

PEC Elections run through June 21st

Over a year ago, a small group of citizens attended a PEC Board Meeting to recommend changes to their bylaws and board member election proceedures.  As Margaret Mead said "Never doubt that a small group of commited citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
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May 6, 2008

"Aquifer Monitor" News from TWDB

Robert Mace, Director of the Groundwater Resource Divison at TWDB publishes a regular newsletter aimed at groundwater stakeholders in Texas.  The most recent edition is posted below.  Groundwater is one of the Hill Country region's most fragile and threatened resources. 
Click here for more

April 28, 2008

Boerne ISD campus- Water capture and reuse system

"...being touted as the largest water capture and reuse system at any school in Texas — a pipe 5 feet in diameter to collect rain from roofs and parking lots, condensate from air conditioners and groundwater that flows into the deep, gravel-filled trench around it. "
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April 28, 2008

Residents fear being left high and dry by depleated aquifers

"Water, especially in aquifers flowing under this area, is considered the Hill Country’s liquid gold. Its abundance pushes development; its absence impedes the process of development. The question now facing directors of groundwater management districts becomes: How much water can be mined from the aquifers – for current and future development – without decimating the precious natural resource?"  Click here to read this article from the Bandera County Courier

April 23, 2008

POW - Thoughtful, intelligent analysis of Hill Country groundwater planning

Water News for Blanco County and Beyond....A service of Preserve Our Water, presents timely information about the ongoing GMA 9 process to define the "Desired Future Conditions" of our Hill Country aquifers.
Click here for more

April 18, 2008

Hays County residents speak up - Developer backs off

"The developer of a controversial proposed subdivision near Wimberley said today that he plans to withdraw preliminary plans filed with Hays County."  Read the full story in the Austin American Statesman Here.  To help with the dialog about what's next for this land plan, we've posted two very helpful resources that recommend sustainable, conservation oriented development plans:  Conservation Development in Texas and Sustainable Sites Initiative.

April 16, 2008

Hamilton Pool Road development battle ends with a settlement

One of the most heated hill country development battles has left us with a settlement agreement worth learning about and sharing throughout the region.  These water quality, public health and aesthetic protection measures should one day be the norm rather than the outcome of a costly legal challenge.
Click here for more

April 16, 2008

Canopy Tour May 4th - Sign up today, reservations are limited

Help out the Hill Country Alliance and experience a thrilling eco-adventure.  Hosted by Cypress Valley Canopy Tours.  Bring your friends and family - as you fly through a canopy of old growth cypress trees a whole new world unfolds.  Call 264-8880 to reserve your spot.  Details Here

April 15, 2008

State-wide Water Conference Friday April 18th at the Wildflower Center

We are dedicating the whole day to discussions on Advanced Urban Water Conservation. We'll hear about what the future may hold for conservation policy in Texas but ground it in some real life examples from cities, industrial, and commercial leaders who are making it happen now.  Hosted by the Environmental Defense Fund.
Click here for more

April 15, 2008

HCA Calendar a finalist for ECT Award!

We are proud to announce that our 2008 Hill Country Calendar is a finalist in the Envision Central Texas Stewardship Awards.  Register now to attend the Awards Luncheon which will be held May 2nd in Austin.  Details and registration information here

April 14, 2008

HCC presents "The Land" May 10

"The Land is a play about the relationship between humanity and Mother Nature. It is about finding and cherishing our favorite places, and most importantly, about leaving those places better than we found them. It is also about changing the way we do business with the land, and it conveys with both passion and humor a love of the natural world."  Our friends at the Hill Country Conservancy are hosting a production of the play, "The Land" May 10th.  Click here for complete details and tickets.

April 13, 2008

"There are few resources in Texas considered more precious than natural springs"

"We need more holistic watershed management," said Norris, who works for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. "I can't imagine not having a cool stream to dip my feet into, or I can't imagine my son not having one when he is my age." Read more from the San Antonio Express about Texas Springs here.

April 10, 2008

Springs of the Texas Hill Country - April 13th

The health of our springs will be the topic as The Hill Country Planning Association hosts Chad Norris, Aquatic Biologist from TPWD, Sunday April 13 from 3-5 in Bexar County. 
Click here for more

April 9, 2008

Austin tables action on Billboards

Because of concerns voiced by citizens regarding billboards on scenic roadways in Austin, the Planning Commission passed a motion to put proposed changes on hold.  City Council has postponed action until April 24th.
Click here for more

April 9, 2008

Water News for Blanco County and Beyond

Preserve Our Water continues to provide valuable information about water recources in the Texas Hill Country
Click here for more

April 8, 2008

WWA recommendation to Hays County on the proposed True Ranch development

The Wimberley Valley Watershed Association (WVWA) strongly opposes the True Ranch development plan and recommends that Hays County Commissioners deny the proposed development agreement.  "plan would place a dense urban-style development – 430 + homes on 675 acres – onto an area that virtually saddles the divide between the Blanco and Cypress Creek watersheds west of Wimberley".
Click here for more

April 6, 2008

SA Express covers New Braunfels Quarry fight

Carlos Guerra:  Rampant growth tearing at the very bedrock of Hill Country.  "In other words, the same market forces that created the Hill Country's housing rush are now leading to its very destruction. Conflicting interests like these call for new, increased regulations that are thoughtfully developed, and that are truly comprehensive in their approach. And especially when it comes to quarries, we need new, and more stringent regulations that will be — ahem — holistic"  Read the article here. 

April 6, 2008

The deadline to file for the PEC Board Election is Monday

"PEC members should embrace opportunity to help clean up scandalous co-op".  HCA encourages Hill Country landowners get involved in decisions that will effect the future of this special region.  Here is one opportunity - The deadline to file is Monday.  Read the Austin American Statesman Editorial Here.  More information at www.PEC4U.org and www.pec.coop.

April 5, 2008

Scenic protection in Austin - Your help is needed this week

Friends, if you do not want billboards on this region's scenic roadways, now is the time to act.  Proposed changes could result in very large billboards on 2222, 360, 620 and other designated scenic roadways.
Click here for more

April 3, 2008

Help advance Envision Central Texas

Mark your calendar and make plans to participate in ECT's vision progress assessment.  Dripping Springs, April 2nd; ACC Eastview Campus, April 7th; and Sunset Valley, April 9th.  All meetings are being held at 6:30 pm. Click Here for complete details.

April 3, 2008

Hill Country Wildlife Field Day April 11th near Fredericksburg

“We continue to have a lot of new landowners coming into our area and they all have a keen interest in wildlife,” Drennan said. “There is still a lot of interest in hunting, but the actual management and general understanding of wildlife is becoming equally important. So this year, we are touching on topics such as plant identification and quail management to educate landowners about the natural resources their properties have to offer."
Click here for more

March 30, 2008

Cibolo Nature Center - Wastewater Treatment facility?

Letter to the Editor, from the Boerne Star tells the story of Cibolo, HCA board member Carolyn Chipman Evans, and the threat of eminent domain abuse by the City of Boerne for a wastewater treatment facility at this loved preserve.
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March 30, 2008

Hays County Groundwater public meeting

HTGCD to host Groundwater Rights Workshop April 2nd from 10 - noon at the Wimberley Community Center. 
Click here for more

March 30, 2008

Town Hall Meeting: Outer Loop in New Braunfels

Your opportunity to express your opinion to elected officials regarding the proposed New Braunfels Outer Loop Toll Road Proposal is April 2nd at 6:30 pm
Click here for more

March 25, 2008

Blanco Groundwater research meeting Thursday the 27th at 1:00

Meeting in Blanco County scheduled to pull together any and all groundwater and aquifer research available for Blanco and surrounding areas. Please share this with anyone you know who has expertise in groundwater resources.
Click here for more

March 22, 2008

Documentary Film presented in Kerrville April 1st

"Ode to a River", A documentary film about the uniqueness of the Fauna and Flora of the Texas Hill Country.  Tuesday, April 1st at 2:00.
Click here for more

March 22, 2008

"The Unforeseen" opens Friday, March 28th in Austin

"The Unforeseen" opens March 28th at the Alamo South Lamar Cinema in Austin.  This is the story that continues to be played out as development pushes into our fragile Texas Hill Country. 
Click here for more

March 19, 2008

Give Landowners New Market Options

This Wyoming Guest Editorial speaks to our situation in the Texas Hill Country."take a look at water, for instance: well-managed ranch and farm operations maintain clean water, live watersheds, fish habitat, wildlife habitat, and running streams kept alive into late summer by return flow from irrigation.
Click here for more

March 15, 2008

BSEACD seeks public input on its Management Plan

Public meetings will be held March 26th and April 2nd to accept public input about revisions to the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District Management Plan.
Click here for more

March 10, 2008

What's on your mind? Envision Central Texas wants to know

How has the rapid growth in Central Texas over the past few years affected you and the community in which you live and work? Have you seen changes in your city or county? Do you have concerns about how additional growth in the region will affect traffic congestion, housing prices and education?
Click here for more

March 10, 2008

Citizens unite in New Braunfels over proposed outer loop

Citizens have organized opposition to a proposed outer loop around New Braunfels.  This TxDot driven project will promote sprawl over the Edwards Aquifer and take private lands, homes, businesses and ranches.  To get involved, please go to the following websites:  www.nbcase.org and http://nbouterloop.blogspot.com/

March 10, 2008

Impacts of Urbanization on water resources in the Travis County area

Raymond Slade, Chair of the HCA Technical Advisory Committee is a widely recognized expert on Hill Country water issues. This presentation will take place March 26th at 6:30pm at the Austin Nature and Science Center.
Click here for more

March 9, 2008

Conference on Texas Nature Writing

A one-day event for writers, journalists, scientists and those studying community outreach and environmental policy.  April 11th at the University of North Texas.
Click here for more

March 8, 2008

Hill Country Land Stewardship Workshop - April 19th in Junction

Plans and Practices for Maximizing the Value and Resources of Your Land, sponsored by the Western Edwards Plateau Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists, TTU at Junction, and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, will consist of a morning session of speakers ending with a lunch followed by a tour of Gentry Springs Ranch and a small acreage tract in the same watershed.
Click here for more

March 7, 2008

Be a part of change at the Pedernales Electric Coop

Change is on the horizon at PEC. A whole new election process is underway. If you have an interest in running for a position on the PEC Board or Advisory Board, contact www.pec4u.org or www.pec.coop. Both of these websites will lead you to the application process. Applications must be in the PEC office by April 7th.

March 4, 2008

Rainwater Harvesting Subdivision considered

Bandera County considers a subdivision that would use Rainwater Harvesting rather than wells.  They point to a recent Travis County subdivison approval as a model.  Read the article from the Bandera Country Courier here.

March 4, 2008

Rainwater Harvesting Information Session Saturday March 8th

POW teams up with others to offer this informative and FREE session on Rainwater Harvesting.  Saturday, March 8th from 1:30 to 5:00 at the PEC Auditorium.
Click here for more

March 4, 2008

Schreiner University Water Issues Symposium March 6th

Join HCA Thursday, March 6th at 7:00 p.m. for the fourth in this series of Hill Country Water Issues Symposia.  Policy, Planning and Politics, Where do we go from here?  Featuring recently retired Texas State Rep, Robert Richard Puente, Myron Hess from National Wildlife Federation and Laura Marbury from Environmental Defense.
Click here for more

March 3, 2008

The City of Bandera kicks of Master Planning effort

From the Bandera Courier:  The Bandera City Council unanimously selected Austin’s Urban Design Associates (UDA) as the consulting firm that will assist city officials and residents draw up a master plan for Bandera’s future growth.  There will be opportunity for citizen input in the future.
Click here for more

March 3, 2008

LCRA authority examined by the Statesman

LCRA has long said it is obligated to give people water, but is it?  River authority and its critics wrangle over whether it should exercise land use authority.  Read the full article by Asher Price here.


March 3, 2008

As climate gets drier, will LCRA be prepared?

"River authority says its models are divorced from policy pressures", by Asher Price.  "...Lake Mead, a reservoir for Colorado River water that sustains Phoenix and Las Vegas, could dry up in the next 13 years. Lake Lanier, Atlanta's main source of drinking water, is perilously low, and there is no end in sight for the drought that has seizzed the Southeast...Could Central Texas find itself in a similar situation? The Lower Colorado River Authority says no. But some of the factors that have caused water crises in Arizona and Georgia — rampant growth, exceptional drought, increasing reliance on water from lakes and rivers — are at play here.  Read the full article here. 

It is impossible to say, to the drop, just how much water flows through the Colorado River every day. What matters to the people who manage that water is how much they can count on during the driest of times — the worst drought.


March 2, 2008

Feeding frenzy for LCRA - Statesman

Feeding Frenzy for LCRA water - Cities pay to reserve water as insurance for the future, by Asher Price.  "The river authority has gotten more aggressive about making such large, long-term water contracts in recent years, said Bill Neve, a Burnet County commissioner who is on the state's regional planning board for the Lower Colorado River, which is different from the LCRA board. The result is a kind of feeding frenzy on Colorado River water."  Read the full article here. 


March 2, 2008

LCRA water planning examined by the Statesman

LCRA provides water to wide area but does it have enough?  Central Texas authority degtermines where Colorado River supply flows, and who gets it. But as population and demand grow, how long can LCRA satisfy our thirst?  Click here to read the full Statesman article by Asher Price


February 26, 2008

No electronic billboards on Lady Bird's Highways

Scenic Texas has issued a call for HELP this Thursday, February 28th.  Your presence is needed to remind TxDot Commissioners how much opposition there is in the Hill Country to electronic billboards on Lady Bird's highways.
Click here for more

February 26, 2008

Blanco County news from POW

Preserve Our Water continues to provide timely information regarding growth and water issues in Blanco County.  The most recent edition is posted and includes information about the March 8th Rainwater Harvesting program, Groundwater planning and more...
Click here for more

February 26, 2008

Hwy 71 safety issues in SW Travis County

Hwy 71 in SW Travis County has once again been the focus of the media.  Sadly it has taken a recent, very tragic accident to prompt needed safety improvements.  A rough tally of recently platted developments runs close to 6,000 new homes translating to more than 52,000 additional car trips per day.   
Click here for more

February 25, 2008

3,000 acres protected in Hays County

"Imagine a trail system through Hays and Travis counties where you could bike, ride horseback, or walk for an entire day. Envision trails surrounded by cool clean streams, abundant wildlife, and breathtaking views."  A recent conservation deal brings the Hill Country Conservancy closer to this vision. 
Click here for more

February 25, 2008

Esperanza gets a green light from the City of Boerne

The questionable development agreement between the City of Boerne and the developers of Esperanza passed 3-2.  Two articles are posted below. 
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February 16, 2008

Texas Observer covers the question of LCRA's role in Hill Country growth

"That the LCRA has become one of the most despised and misunderstood governmental organizations in Texas has a lot to do with its varied and sometimes conflicting responsibilities. The agency has come a long way from its New Deal mission to build dams, boost employment and control floods in a region known as Flash Flood Alley, as well as supply water and hydroelectric power to raise the Hill Country out of Appalachian-level poverty. Today, its stated mission is to provide “reliable, low-cost utility and public services in partnership with our customers and communities and to use our leadership and environmental authority to ensure the protection and constructive use of the area’s natural resources.”  Read the full article by Joe Nick Patoski here.

February 15, 2008

Join GEAA on a guided tour of Helotes Creek March 1

"There is zoning and rezoning going on that is often not in the best interest of protecting the Edwards, and the general public needs to be better educated about their water resource because impervious cover is our greatest threat." Ron Green, Hydrologist.  Full Article Here  More about the GEAA event posted below.
Click here for more

February 13, 2008

Sustainable Urbanism event March 5th

"Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature".  Listen to Doug Farr, National Chair of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Neighborhood Development Core Committee.  Wednesday, March 5th at the Four Season's in Austin - Sponsored by ULI Austin, Westcave Preserve, Austin Children in Nature and Capital Metro
Click here for more

February 12, 2008

Carlos Guerra: Hill Country sisters determined to keep sanctuary undisturbed

Getting to the Fenstermaker sisters' spread is depressing. Roads are choked with construction trucks and littered with signs pitching "Hill Country Living." And nearby, developers have scraped thousands of acres to the limestone, which they are terracing before paving them with McMansions and asphalt. Read the full article here.

February 12, 2008

Kendall County moratorium on new permitted wells (not domestic or livestock)

The board of the Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District voted to approve a temporary moratorium on activities related to the issuance of operating permits. 
Click here for more

February 11, 2008

Hays County Subdivision Rules workshop Friday, Feb 15

The latest draft of the Hays County subdivision rules will be discussed at a Commissioner's Court Workshop this Friday, Feb 15.  The meeting will take place at 9:00 am at the Hays County Courthouse.  The public is welcome to attend.
Click here for more

February 7, 2008

General Land Office selling Hill Country land along the Blanco?

Agency criticized for land deal talks, by R.A. DYER, Star-Telegram Staff Writer: AUSTIN -- In an under-the-radar deal by the Texas General Land Office, about 2,000 acres of potentially environmentally sensitive land along the Blanco River in Central Texas could soon go to an undisclosed buyer.  Read the full article here

February 6, 2008

Plan Smart

Mike Mecke's letter to the SA Express is very well worth the read.  State agencies, River Authorities, Cities, Counties; it takes everyone working together to plan for growth.  Read on, write your own letters, talk to your neighbors and stay informed.
Click here for more

February 5, 2008

Esperanza development agreement for consideration Wednesday

The long debated development agreement between the city of Boerne and Esperanza (7,000 new residents) will be voted on Wednesday, February 6th at a special meeting of the Boerne City Council to be held at 6:00 pm.  Show up and speak up.
Click here for more

January 31, 2008

Historic Maverick Ranch in Bexar County threatened by new dam

The Maverick Ranch-Fromme Farm, a national landmark and endangered species wildlife refuge located in NW Bexar County has withstood four eminent domain fights in order to remain rare and sensitive open space.  Today it faces a questionable, City of San Antonio/Bexar County San Antonio River Authority 16+ million dollar dam.
Click here for more

January 29, 2008

Austin Water Issues forum February 6th at 7pm

Join the Austin League of Women Voters on Wednesday evening, February 6th from 7 p.m. to 8:45 for a panel discussion on Austin Water Issues. At this public meeting, we'll be hearing from the City of Austin, the Lower Colorado River Authority, and the National Wildlife Federation on the current status of our water supply and what plans are being made for the future. plans are being made for the future.
Click here for more

January 29, 2008

Preserve Our Water news online

Preserve Our Water (POW) continues to bring timely, useful water resource information to citizens in Blanco County.  In this issue: