Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Texas Water Symposium and the opening of the 2017-2018 season with a conversation about climate change and the future of water in Central Texas at 7pm on Thursday, November 9th. The program, titled Climate and Water in Central Texas: Planning for a Changing Resource, will be held at the Schreiner University Cailloux Campus Activity Center Ballroom in Kerrville, Texas. Texas Water Symposium is free and open to the public.
Our rapidly growing population, when paired with more extreme flooding events and severe droughts, is creating challenges for managing risk to human health and property, as well as long-term planning uncertainty. We rely on prevailing climate patterns to plan for development, agriculture, water supply, and ranching, but those patterns are changing.
At Native American Seed near Junction, owner Bill Neiman notes that, “On the Llano River, we are experiencing less regularity in the timing of our seasons, the rains, and traditional temperatures.  Investment in successful crops has always been risky, and our changing climate has made it even riskier.”
In order to maintain economic stability, communities across the state need to use and interpret climate modeling tools to predict future weather patterns and inform management and planning processes.
Join Schreiner University, Texas Public Radio, and the Hill Country Alliance as we gather diverse perspectives on climate change and its effects — and how that will change the way we plan for the future of Texas water resources. The discussion will be moderated by Weir Labatt, former director of the Texas Water Development Board, and will feature Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas’ State Climatologist, as well as officials from the San Antonio River Authority, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Bill Neiman, owner of Native American Seed in Junction, TX.
The Symposium is a partnership project of Schreiner University, Texas Tech University, Texas Public Radio and the Hill Country Alliance. For more information, visit www.texaswatersymposium.com, and listen to past shows online. To stay informed about future programs, subscribe at www.hillcountryalliance.org.
The Hill Country Alliance is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to raise public awareness and build community support around the need to preserve the natural resources and heritage of the Central Texas Hill Country. Visit us at www.hillcountryalliance.org.