CALL TO ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR WATER

CALL TO ACTION: Friends of Jacob’s Well and Cypress Creek , please show your support to protect of our local water supply and spring flows to Jacob’s Well by attending  the Summary Judgment Hearing  at the Hays County Justice Center (712 South Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos Texas) on Monday, July 16^th at 9:00am.

The Wimberley Valley Watershed Association and a group of concerned landowners are asking the 207th Judicial Court to confirm that the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District denied concerned citizens due process by rejecting their request for a hearing to contest a golf course and municipal groundwater permit for up to 163,000,000 gallons of water.  Hydrologic data indicates that this additional amount of groundwater pumping above Jacob’s Well will cause aquifer levels to drop and cause the spring to stop flowing in the future.  It is difficult to assess the full impact of the additional drawdown without performing an aquifer test on the wells being considered for use. The HTGCD issued the permit on Feb. 21^st 2011 without publishing the district’s recommendations or deadlines. 

  

Additionally, the district failed to require the developer to perform the mandatory aquifer test that is required under current district rules. The HTGCD rule 11 states that “Each applicant for a new well operating permit shall perform an aquifer test and submit a report as part of the operating permit application.” An aquifer test was never performed and the permit was approved via a split 3-2 board vote and in spite of broad public opposition. Numerous citizens protested the golf course and the permit conditions as written by the developer.  The permit allows for the transfer of  80,000,000 gallons of irrigation water to residential use with no further consideration on the impact to current water supply wells or the spring flow to Jacob’s Well, Cypress Creek and the Blue Hole swimming area downstream. 

In this case, the public was not provided notice of a February 21 meeting deadline to submit a hearing request.  Such a failure violated the local residents due process rights, was arbitrary and capricious, and constituted a violation of the District’s own rules.  Moreover, the Board’s 3-2 vote decision to reverse its deadline interpretation after-the-fact meets the very definition of that which is arbitrary and capricious, violating the due process and due-course-of-law clauses of the U.S. and Texas Constitutions, and amounts to a gross abuse of discretion.

Please consider attending the hearing on July 16^th to show support for your local water rights and the fair and balanced allocation of water.  Our future water supply and livelihood depends on responsible management of our limited water resources.  To view the full Motion for Summary Judgment Response please click here.

Hill Country Night Sky Co-op

From Hill Country Alliance
Hill Country landowners, businesses and communities who would like to advance a spirit of cooperation and commitment to protecting nights skies have created the Hill Country Night Sky Coop. All it takes to join is a simple promise to be a good neighbor and responsible with outdoor lighting choices. Sign up today!
Join founding members:
The Preserve at Walnut Springs - Blanco County
LBJ National Historic Park - Blanco and Gillespie County
Selah, Bamberger Ranch - Blanco County
Reese River Ranch - Blanco County
Garrison Brothers Distillery - Blanco County
Double H Ranch - Blanco County
Hershey Ranch - Gillespie County
Native American Seed Farm - Kimble County
Red Corral Ranch - Hays County
In taking this vow:
“We pledge to practice sound outdoor lighting management with the intention to eliminate light escaping over the horizon from outdoor lighting fixtures on my property and thus protect and preserve the treasured natural wonder that is the Hill Country’s starry nighttime skies.”

New Saturday Tours Coordinator

By Barbara Attwell
JWNA Volunteer Nancy Russell will be coordinating both the training and the scheduling for our Saturday tours. These tours are very popular and attract some of the most amazing visitors – like HBO filmmakers and scuba divers. Giving a tour is one of the most rewarding things our volunteers do, and is a wonderful way to learn more about the Jacobs Well Natural Area.
Please let Nancy Russell know when you are ready to train to lead a tour. She will partner you with a seasoned guide, and see you through until you feel comfortable leading them on your own. We strive to have at least 2 people present each Saturday for these tours – so you will always be with another volunteer.

Summer Reading List

Native American Seed Recommended this Seven Story Sequence
Knowing what happened in the past is essential to make meaningful, lasting changes to the future. Read this series in order. Learn what has occurred over the course of human history that got us to where we are right now. Learn to better understand where we may be going from here.
1) 1491
2) Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America
3) One Vast Winters Count
4) The Worst Hard Time
5) Hard Scrabble
6) My Ishmael
7) A Short History of Progress
Thanks to Native American Seed (LINK: http://www.seedsource.com)

Apps for the Outdoors

Smart phone user? Try these apps to enhance your experience of the outdoors. Get help with recognizing scat, bird songs, and butterflies. There is even an app for a Coleman lantern. Just don’t forget to spend most of the adventure with your senses aimed outwards and the phone resting quietly in your pocket.
12 iPhone Apps for Exploring the Great Outdoors 

Back to Nature at Aquarena Springs

From Hill Country Alliance
The dramatic removal of the Submarine Theater from San Marcos’ Aquarena Springs was completed with as much fanfare as nail biting.
Restoration of Aquarena Springs to its pre-amusement park condition started in earnest with the removal of Buck Winn’s iconic bloom statuary in August of 2011 and has proceeded steadily. The removal of the theme park’s 60-year-old infrastructure and non-native plant life will return the spring basin to a more natural state.
A large crowd gathered with news crews to witness the removal of the two sections of the Submarine Theater using one of the world’s largest transportable cranes. The first large cranes brought in to complete the job were not capable of lifting the massive structures out of the muck where they have been lodged since the late 1950s. The underwater structures weight and size required a massive, double-boomed crane with a 3.6-million pound hoist capacity to do the heavy lifting. This crane was delivered to the site be 100 full size 18-wheelers.

The project, overseen by Texas State University, and funded by the U.S. Corps of Engineers is expected to be completed in the summer of 2012, under budget, at a cost of $2.8-million. Aquarena Springs, along with Barton and Comal Springs, are the largest and most dependable springs in the Edwards Aquifer and are home to unique flora and fauna that rely on a constant flow of fresh, clean water.
Aquarena Springs mark the headwaters of the San Marcos River, and Texas State University has decided to return the site to a less commercial function. They have entrusted Andy Sansom, executive director of The Texas River Institute, to focus on the University’s primary function as a research and educational institute.
Biologists and hydro-geologists will have access to the educational benefits associated with the protection of endangered species, habitat conservation and the continued study of the region’s water-bearing aquifers.
Wonderful photos and more on this story from the San Antonio Express News here.

Restoration Rangers Update: Trash, Trees & Thistles

by Anne Child
The Restoration Rangers have been busy this year at 12 official workdays, one emergency workday and several watering days. We are excited to have new folks joining our ranks from the citizenry of Wimberley and the new class of Hays County Master Naturalists. What  have we been up to? Trash, trees & thistles.
It took several workdays to burn all the brush and construction debris we have been collecting over the last 3 years. While the burn ban is lifted we wanted to get those pile cleared up. What wasn’t burned was carted off to the trash transfer station. The areas where the brush had been cleared are coming back strong with grasses, barberry bushes and buckeye trees. It is quite beautiful and rewarding.
The wonderful trees donated by LCRA and planted last year continue to attract our attention. More cages were created, mulch was added, and many buckets of water have moistened their roots. We have learned the Monterrey Oaks prefer moister locations than we provided and that it is possible to over water Texas Mountain Laurels. But overall, we are happy with our efforts.
Then there are the thistles. The great winter rains have brought many flowers. Some are appreciated more than others. While the Texas Thistles are pretty purple natives, they were prolific, too much so for some. So up they came near Camp Jacob. Then we found some invasive Malta Star-thistles. And once we found some, we found many. Those got bagged and thrown away. Hopefully neither will be so prolific next year. As we were pulling thistles, we pulled Johnson Grass too. There is not quite as much as previous years so maybe we’re making progress. The real eradication success story is the bamboo. Only a few small shoots popped up this year.  Because of dedication in previous years, the “impossible to get rid of” bamboo is gone!
But the main event that caught us off guard was the flood in February. As was covered in a previous newsletter, the creek rose 13 feet after an 8 inch rain. This gully washer sheared our bridge off the weir and uprooted several of the trees planted in the floodplain. Nearby Restoration Rangers sprang into action, located and replanted most of the trees. Later the cages were found buried in debris. They were cleaned up, stretched into shape and put back around the trees. Interestingly the little cypress tree planted in the middle of the creek bed, that hadn’t looked well before the flood, stayed put and is thriving now. Hays County has installed a replacement bridge. As life returns to normal near the well, we reflect on this tough lesson of nature’s fury and resilience… and look forward to our next workday.