December | 2015 | Welcome to Hill Country Alliance

San Antonio’s Vista Ridge Pipeline project partners face off in legal dispute

December 23, 2015
News

In a move that could cause further turbulence for a proposed $3.4 billion San Antonio pipeline project, one groundwater company has sued another after it says it was cut out of money related to the deal. Brenham-based Metropolitan Water Company is suing Austin-based Blue Water Systems in Travis District Court over a dispute involving water at the proposed pipeline’s source, in areas to the northeast of Austin. The suit claims that Met Water signed into an revenue-sharing agreement with Blue…

A Win for Land Conservation!

December 21, 2015
Conservation Easements

In a strong bipartisan action, the Senate voted 65-33 on Friday to pass the bill that will make the tax incentive for conservation easement donations permanent. This has been a priority for the Land Trust Community led by the Land Trust Alliance, follow their work on the LTA blog here. To learn about conservation easements and land trusts working in the Hill Country, read and share this HCA issue paper on Hill Country land conservation.

SEP Habitat Conservation Plan is approved

December 20, 2015
Habitat Conservation Plans

The Southern Edwards Plateau Habitat Conservation Plan (SEP HCP) has been approved by US Fish and Wildlife. Read the release and learn more about this program that funds land conservation with development impact fees. This issue has not been without debate; read more from Milan J. Michalec as published in the Boerne Star.

Texas Water Symposium to explore the health and long-term sustainability of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer

December 19, 2015
Groundwater Resources

The first Texas Water Symposium of 2016 has been set for February 11th at Texas State University in San Marcos. The program will feature a conversation between leading groundwater scientists about the long-term health of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer, and its ability to sustainably serve the needs of a thirsty region. The symposium will take place from 7 pm to 8:30 pm on Thursday, February 11 in the LBJ Room of the Texas State University Student Center, San Marcos, TX. The…

Change is on the horizon for HCA

December 18, 2015
News

After 10 years in the executive director’s chair, Christy Muse will be stepping down in February 2016 to become Director of External Relations of the Shield Ranch. HCA is poised and ready for this new opportunity. Read more from HCA President Leo Tynan. And, a personal note from Christy Muse.

Hill Country Alliance receives laptop computers from Padgett Stratemann & Co.

December 15, 2015
News

The Hill Country Alliance is the proud recipient of three gently used laptops through a computer donation program run by the San Antonio-based Padgett Stratemann & Company. Padgett Stratemann is a locally owned CPA firm, and their not-for-profit Computer Equipment Donation program is designed to support the work of local nonprofits by donating lightly used laptop computers. HCA has already seen benefits from the laptops, which will streamline communications and provide a much needed technology upgrade for our staff. For…

Pride, Passion and Vision in the Texas Hill Country

December 9, 2015
Land Stewardship

In this guest post on the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation blog, Christy Muse explores some of the most fundamental threats landowners in the Hill Country face. In a region where private property rights are often held up as the rule of the land, we are increasingly seeing private property owners facing industrial sand and gravel mines, large developments and associated sewage disposals, unregulated groundwater withdrawals and large infrastructure projects — right on their fence lines. Christy lays out the…

NWF Names San Antonio First Monarch Butterfly Champion City

December 9, 2015
Native Landscapes

Mayor Ivy Taylor signed the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Mayor’s Monarch Pledge this week, making San Antonio the first city in the country to become a Monarch Champion in the national campaign to encourage mayors and local governments to increase Monarch butterfly and pollinator habitat. The Mayor will issued a proclamation announcing the initiative Wednesday evening at City Council Chambers. The special designation means San Antonio agrees to adopt all 24 specific actions suggested by NWF to support the declining…

Q&A with Meredith Miller

December 8, 2015
Groundwater Resources

The Texas Tribune has published an excellent Q and A piece with Meredith Miller on the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment’s citizen science Texas Stream Team. In addition to her other numerous duties at the Meadows Center, Meredith oversees the many citizen volunteers that monitor and protect our state’s watersheds. The Q&A: Meredith Miller by Madlin Mekelburg Dec. 1, 2015 Trib+Water Meredith Miller is a senior program coordinator at the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at…

Texas Master Naturalist Program Seeks Applicants

December 8, 2015
News

Twenty chapters of the Texas Master Naturalist program are conducting training classes in the spring of 2016 for volunteers wanting to learn about natural resource and conservation management. The Texas Master Naturalist program consists of 46 chapters across the state and aims to develop a corps of well-informed citizen volunteers to educate their communities about the management of natural resources. The main qualification needed to become a certified Texas Master Naturalist is an interest in learning and playing an active…