Neighbor to Neighbor News - Hill Country Alliance June 2013

Neighbor to Neighbor News              Bringing back the Milky Way, May 14 in Uvalde HCA has been partnering with the McDonald Observatory and local Hill Country community organization’s creating an entire menu of programs aimed at reducing light pollution. The next workshop will take place May 14 at the Cactus Room of the Uvalde Convention Center. Details Texas Groundwater Levels Suffer Sharp Drop, Study Finds According to the report, the greatest decline during 2010-11 occurred in the Trinity Aquifer of Central Texas, where 33 monitor wells showed a median drop of 16.7 feet, and an average drop of 19.7 feet. (The water board also includes one well in the Edwards-Trinity Plateau in that calculation.) More from the Texas Tribune. Water for Cities vs. Ag - Is it theirs? Or ours? Some more enlightened utilities and political leaders are beginning to realize that Texas must grow smart – not just fast. Texas county governments, long weak on any ability to properly manage and plan growth, are beginning to band together to get the attention of a largely urban Texas legislature. More from Mike Mecke in Ranch and Rural Living Magazine. People conform to political boundaries. Water does not. Ten years ago, recognizing the rapidly growing threat to the water quality of the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer, 13 unconnected Texas Hill Country jurisdictions sat down together and talked. Acknowledging that water, especially groundwater, does not conform to human boundaries, they devised a bold plan to conform to water, by crossing those boundaries. With help from the HCA, 65 participants from those jurisdictions re-convened on April 26 in Buda for The Next Wave, a workshop to share how they are each implementing the plan now. Learn More More Hill Country Headlines Join HCA and The Rainwater Revival at the Texas Rainwater Catchment Association Conference this weekend in San Marcos Petitions opposing Needmore Ranch MUD sent to Sen. Donna Campbell and State Rep. Jason Isaac Join GEAA at City Hall in San Antonio on May 22nd San Antonio can lead in smart water policy Water, MUD and Beer: Recipe for an Explosive Hill Country Development Fight Interpretive Guide Certification Class Meet HCA’s first class of Certified Interpretive Guides- Congratulations! Learn about our program Upcoming Events May May 10 in Boerne - Grazing Practices to Mitigate Drought - Details May 11 in San Marcos - Texas Rainwater Catchment Association Annual Conference - Details May 14 in Uvalde - Night Skies over Uvalde - Learn how to save money, preserve our night skies and help bring back the Milky Way - Details May 16 in San Antonio - Inspired by Nature: Artists on Mitchell Lake - An Evening with Ansen Seale - 6:00pm to 8:30 pm at the Mitchel Lake Audubon Center -  Details May 18 in Blanco - The Bicycle Sports Shop Real Ale Ride - For all levels - Details May 22 in San Antonio - Join GEAA at City Hall in San Antonio on May 22nd - GEAA invites you to engage the Mayor and City Council of San Antonio in a dialogue about development on the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone, and whether or not to expand SAWS service into Comal County - Details May 22 in Fredericksburg - Texas Watershed Steward Workshop on water quality and availability issues related to the Pedernales River - Details May 28 in San Antonio - Native Plant Society of Texas, San Antonio meeting - Topic: Gardening for butterflies using native and adapted plants - Free and open to the public - Details May 28-30 in San Antonio - Southwest Stream Restoration Conference - Details May 30 near Hunt - Range and Wildlife Management Field Day - For landowners, land managers and brush control contractors operating in possible endangered species habitats - Details Pass it on: