Parks essential for health and wealth
In 1992, when we decided to relocate the corporate headquarters of AT&T to Texas, we did so for a number of reasons: the Texas business climate and the growth of economic opportunity; the work ethic of the Texas workforce; and the quality of life in Texas. State and local parks were an important part of our consideration. State... Read more
City reaches milestone for cave site restoration
City staff members have completed a draft land management plan to protect the city’s natural resources at the William H. Russell Karst Preserve, the 191-acre Southwest Austin site previously known as the Blowing Sink Research Management Area. The natural features of the land, which was formerly used as a livestock ranch, have been subject to decades of abuse, posing a... Read more
Conservation easements like on Cherry Springs Ranch push back against development
“It’s huge,” said Frank Davis, the Hill Country Conservancy’s chief conservation officer. He’s referring to the recent conservation easement on the 1,038-acre Cherry Springs Ranch in Spicewood. “Spicewood is right in the path of future development, and Cherry Springs Ranch, it’s pristine Hill Country land,” Davis said. “It’s something hard to find as we keep developing out to... Read more
‘History is being made’: Plans to turn former Boy Scout property into public park along Blanco River in Hays County
WIMBERLEY, Texas — More than 2,000 acres of land with Blanco River waterfront property has been closed off to the public for decades. The Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts owned the “El Rancho Cima” land for 60 years. But now, thanks to an opportunity for Hays County to purchase a piece of that land, 533 acres could be open... Read more
8th Annual Hill Country Alliance Leadership Summit Celebrates Conservation in the Heart of Texas
(October 7, 2019) —On Thursday, September 26th, conservation leaders from across the Texas Hill Country met at Camp Lucy in Dripping Springs for the Hill Country Alliance’s Annual Leadership Summit. The event theme, Conservation in the Heart of Texas, brought together more than 190 participants from across the region to celebrate conservation successes across Central Texas and to learn... Read more
Kyle City Council approves $2.7 million settlement over Kinder Morgan pipeline
KYLE, Texas (KXAN) — In the early hours of Saturday morning, Kyle City Council approved a settlement with Houston-based company Kinder Morgan over the Permian Highway Pipeline. The settlement was approved in a 5 to 2 vote. Under the agreement, Kinder Morgan will pay $2.7 million to the city of Kyle and will guarantee that they will not... Read more
The next megadrought in the American Southwest may be right around the corner
IF THE PLANET CONTINUES TO WARM AT CURRENT RATES, SCIENTISTS PROJECT THE LIKELIHOOD OF A MEGADROUGHT IN THE SOUTHWEST WILL INCREASE TO ABOVE 70 PERCENT. WE’RE SIMPLY NOT PREPARED. “This is absolutely abysmal,” David Gutzler said in March 2018, speaking to an auditorium full of US and Mexican water engineers and hydrologists in El Paso, Texas. He was... Read more
Crude oil pipeline averted over Recharge Zone points to lack of State oversight
The now-defunct plan by Houston-based Enterprise Products Company to build a crude oil pipeline from Midland County to Wilson County crossing the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone was a really bad idea. Enterprise is a midstream natural gas and crude oil pipeline company listed as 89 on the Fortune 500 list. An oil spill would have put the water supply... Read more
“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 unique character of the Texas Hill Country.” Learn More About HCA
The 2019 Calendar is available!
Order online
State Water Plan:
TWDB Director’s presentation on the 2017 State Water Plan
SAWS Vista Ridge Pipeline:
After the Storm:
Letting the River Heal
