December 2010 News Archive

  • December 31, 2010
  • News

December 28, 2010 Book chronicles struggles of early Texas environmentalists When a famed, elderly Dallas conservationist and mentor suffered a brain embolism 15 years ago, Austinite David Todd thought he ought to document the environmental stories of that generation before they disappeared. “It was kind of a wake-up call that there’s this generation of people that grew up in the post-war era and helped us to create many of the parks we enjoy, passed a lot of laws that fund…

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2010 County Authority News

December 8, 2010 Water, Land Use, Transportation and Economic Development CAPCOG has released the long-awaited Regional Growth Assessment. The report includes an analysis of growth in four key areas – water, land use, transportation, and economic development – then makes policy recommendations about what communities in the region should consider if they are experiencing the challenges identified. Water availability is the most prominent issue for the region. Download the report here. October 20, 2010 Travis County commissioners ban development that…

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2010 Land Stewardship News

December 28, 2010 Texas Land Conservancy announces Llano County easement Joyce Lucas, owner of the Birk-Sommerfeld Heritage Ranch (Llano County), donated a conservation easement on the 444-acre working ranch in December 2010 in order to protect it forever from the damages of land fragmentation and development. Learn more September 14, 2010 $100,000 grant awarded for public trails on Dahlstrom Ranch! The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) recently awarded Hays County a $100,000 Texas Recreational Trails Fund grant for public…

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2010 Habitat Conservation News

November 22, 2010 Critics of Habitat Plan are Spouting Nonsense The most important thing the public needs to know about the proposed plan is that it is completely voluntary. No one who doesn’t want to participate would have to do so at any price.” Read SA Express-News opinion piece here. Learn more about Habitat Plans here. View fact sheet. July 13, 2010 Comal County plans for Habitat Conservation Plan A public meeting will be held July 27th in Comal County…

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2010 Conservation Easement News

December 28, 2010 Texas Land Conservancy announces Llano County easement Joyce Lucas, owner of the Birk-Sommerfeld Heritage Ranch (Llano County), donated a conservation easement on the 444-acre working ranch in December, 2010 in order to protect it forever from the damages of land fragmentation and development. Learn more September 14, 2010 $100,000 grant awarded for public trails on Dahlstrom Ranch! The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) recently awarded Hays County a $100,000 Texas Recreational Trails Fund grant for public…

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2010 Water Quality News

August 9, 2010 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…

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2010 Water Planning News

January 25, 2010 Gov. Perry Names Timmerman Chair of Lower Colorado River Authority Board of Directors Read more here. November 17, 2010 Will Water Rights Be on the Legislature’s Agenda? Next legislative session, during the few minutes not taken up with the budget, redistricting and immigration, an old stand-by of an issue could creep onto the agenda: water. Observers say legislative proposals on groundwater rights are probable, given that Texas is just wrapping up a controversial process for planning the…

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2010 Water Conservation News

December 16, 2010 Water Conservation Council to continue and loan offered for Bastrop area water Sunset Advisory Commission chair Glenn Hegar opted on Thursday to withdraw a suggestion that the state Water Conservation Advisory Council be abolished. Read full Statesman.com article here. December 15, 2010 Will state abolish water conservation council? The Sunset Advisory Commission could decide on Thursday that the Legislature ought to abolish the Water Conservation Advisory Council to save some money. Read full Statesman.com article here. April…

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2010 Rainwater Harvesting News

October 26, 2010 Commissioners agree to keep rainwater rules for subdivisions flexible – for now A public hearing on new development rules drew only two speakers, both supportive of a proposal in the new rules that would allow subdivisions that rely on rainwater collection to provide potable water. Read full Boerne Star article here. August 20, 2010 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…

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2010 Groundwater News

November 17, 2010 Will Water Rights Be on the Legislature’s Agenda? Next legislative session, during the few minutes not taken up with the budget, redistricting and immigration, an old stand-by of an issue could creep onto the agenda: water. Observers say legislative proposals on groundwater rights are probable, given that Texas is just wrapping up a controversial process for planning the allocation of water from aquifers, while environmentalists will be pushing more measures for water conservation. Read more from the…

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