Economic Benefits Report from Great Springs Project

With the expert guidance of Alta Planning + Design and National Park Service, Great Springs Project is proud to present the Economic Benefits Report for the trail from the Alamo to the Capitol to quantify the financial return from the 100+-mile trail network and 50,000 conserved acres of land in the GSP corridor. The report includes economic, health, environmental, and transportation cost savings as well as climate change data including carbon sequestration. For more details and to read the full report from the…

Texas reimagines the fight against floods

For more than 60 years, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has been tasked with leading Texas efforts in securing the state’s water supply through the conservation and development of Texas’ water resources. The agency’s framework for fulfilling this mission combines the three key functions of science, planning, and financing. Read more from Peter Lake in the Texas Water Journal here.

Barton Creek Habitat Preserve conservation to continue ‘in perpetuity’ following Austin acquisition

June 10, 2021
HCAdmin
Conservation Easements, Habitat Conservation Plans, Land Conservation and Stewardship, Native Landscapes, News, Public Lands, Wildlife

A 10-0 vote by Austin City Council on June 3 ensured the permanent preservation nearly 4,100 acres of land home to one of the area's unique wildlife habitats and key sources of drinking water. Council via consent June 3 approved the purchase of a conservation easement on the Barton Creek Habitat Preserve, located near Hwy. 71 southeast of Bee Cave, from longtime owners and stewards The Nature Conservancy for up to $2.8 million. The Barton Creek preserve now represents one…

New Braunfels one step closer to hike-and-bike trail

June 10, 2021
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Community, Habitat Conservation Plans, Land Conservation and Stewardship, Land Stewardship, Native Landscapes, News, Planning and Development, Public Lands, Scenic Beauty

New Braunfels is one step closer to a new hike-and-bike trail. On May 20, the New Braunfels Economic Development Board approved a $375,000 deal with San Antonio-based engineering firm Bain Medina Bain to finalize design on a portion of the Dry Comal Creek Hike and Bike Trail. According to the Herald-Zeitung, the deal includes "civil, survey, environmental, wayfinding, materials testing and landscape architecture" for the new trail. Dry Comal Creek Hike and Bike Trail is part of the of the Dry…

Hays County POSAC seeking new project submissions

The Hays County Parks and Open Space Advisory Commission (POSAC), which was created in 2020 and recently restarted, is seeking additional project submissions that would be funded by Proposition A, a Parks & Open Space Bond, approved by voters in the November General Election. Prior to the passing of the bond, POSAC members announced a call for projects which resulted in an initial set of 15 recommended projects to the Hays County Commissioners Court. “The role of POSAC was to establish…

lege+water: April 2021 Update

May 10, 2021
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Groundwater Resources, Land Conservation and Stewardship, Legislature and Regulation, News, Planning and Development, Public Lands, Regional Planning, Water Conservation, Water Planning, Water Quality, Water Resources, Wildlife

Every month during the 87th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature, Dr. Todd Votteler and Dr. Robert Mace provide an update on water-related legislation. The key water committees are Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs in the Senate, chaired by Senator Charles Perry (R) of Lubbock, and Natural Resources in the House of Representatives, chaired by Representative Tracy King (D) of Uvalde. The Senate Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs Committee is still meeting weekly on Monday mornings at 8 a.m., while…

New Book: Wanted! Mountain Cedars, Dead and Alive

April 26, 2021
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Cedar/Brush Management, Habitat Conservation Plans, Land Conservation and Stewardship, Land Stewardship, Native Landscapes, News, Planning and Development, Public Lands, Scenic Beauty

Spicewood Publications is pleased to announce the release of Elizabeth McGreevy's book: Wanted! Mountain Cedars, Dead and Alive tells the story of Mountain Cedar trees that grow in the Texas Hill Country. Over the last 100 years, these trees have been characterized as non-native, water-hogging, grass-killing, toxic, useless species to justify their removal. The result has been a glut of Mountain Cedar tall tales and anti-cedar sentiments. Inside this ambitious, well-researched book, natural resources consultant and ecologist Elizabeth McGreevy presents another perspective of these trees,…

30×30: How important are private lands in meeting conservation goals?

April 26, 2021
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Community, Conservation Easements, Habitat Conservation Plans, Land Conservation and Stewardship, Land Stewardship, Legislature and Regulation, Native Landscapes, News, Planning and Development, Public Lands, Regional Planning, Scenic Beauty, Wildlife

Sagebrush bulldozed for a housing development. A pipeline carved through grasslands. Forest felled for a road. Every 30 seconds in the United States, a football field-sized swath of nature is lost to development, according to research from the Center for American Progress. This troubling trend runs counter to calls from scientists to protect more natural areas to mitigate against the effects of climate change and better protect plants and animals from extinction. Read more from Tara Lohan with The Revelator…

Bipartisan bill to help declining wildlife introduced on Earth Day in Congress

April 23, 2021
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Land Conservation and Stewardship, Land Stewardship, Legislature and Regulation, Native Landscapes, News, Planning and Development, Public Lands, Regional Planning, Scenic Beauty, Wildlife

With as many as one-third of America’s fish and wildlife species on the brink of becoming threatened or endangered, a bill introduced April 22 on Earth Day in Congress seeks to reverse this trend, while creating thousands of new jobs and investing in the outdoor recreation economy. The bipartisan proposal has nationwide support from conservationists, hunters, anglers, businesspeople, and the outdoor recreation industry. Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would provide $1.4 billion to state and tribal wildlife conservation initiatives to support…

Price of a park: San Antonio’s Mission Reach can offer valuable lessons for Great Springs Project

About 4,500 years ago, native Texans mapped their waterways on a cave wall in the Pecos River Valley. A rock painting called the White Shaman Mural shows four dots along a sinuous red line. Gary Perez, a descendent of the Hokan-speaking peoples of South Texas, said that these dots align perfectly with Barton Springs in Austin, Comal Springs in New Braunfels, San Marcos Springs, and the Blue Hole in San Antonio. A few millennia later, the Great Springs Project has…