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Call for Action: U.S. Surface Transportation Act

May 1, 2009

In the next few weeks, the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will consider reauthorizing the Surface Transportation Act. We need your help to tell Congress to use this opportunity to reduce stormwater runoff pollution from the nation’s 985,139 miles of federal highway. These roads and highways, built with federal taxpayer dollars, have an enormous negative impact on water quality throughout the nation. Stormwater runoff carried from these roads impairs nearby lakes, streams, and rivers by dumping high volume, high velocity flows into waterways, which erodes streambanks and fills them with deicing agents, toxic metals, nitrogen, phosphorus, bacteria, and sediment. Before

S.B. 2222: Worthy of Our Support

April 30, 2009

Time is getting short to move important legislation onto the floor. Please take a minute to call or email your Representatives and Senators about S.B. 2222. As you may know, intense development is increasingly impinging upon the critical military mission at Camp Bullis in northern Bexar County. As land surrounding Camp Bullis is developed, endangered Golden Cheeked Warblers are relocating to the base, thus limiting the land available to the military to conduct training. It goes without saying that the Army contributes immensely to the local ecnomony, but their presence has meant good stewardship of several thousand acres over the Edwards

Check Out SA Mayoral Candidates’ Stands On Water

April 28, 2009

City of San Antonio Mayoral candidates, Castro, Cibrian and DeBerry-Meija discuss water issues at the Environmental Candidates Forum held at the Little Carver Theater on April 17th. Videos are used with permission by Greg Pasztor. Clip 1: The Aquifer Carrying Capacity Clip 2: Aquifer Development on the Recharge Zone Clip 3: Aquifer Impervious Cover Limits

GPS 101 at Cibolo Nature Center! Monday, May 4th

April 28, 2009

Take Advantage of the GPS Workshop for Beginners and Intermediates at the Cibolo Nature Center! When: Monday, May 4, 2009 What: Anne Adams and Dr. Kathy Ward will present an informal, outdoor class-with a GPS unit in your hand. Learn how to turn it on, scroll through screens, set up for use and practice basic navigation. Participants work in pairs and GPS units are provided. Cost: Members $15/person. Non-members $20/person. Limited to 12. Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Location: CNC Courtyard Pre-registration required: Call: 830/249-4616 or E-mail: nature@cibolo.org

San Marcos River Restoration Plan Meeting May 12th

April 27, 2009

The next San Marcos River Restoration Plan meeting will be on May 12th from 9am-12pm at the Price Center in San Marcos. This meeting will include discussion on outreach and education (discussion to be led by Flo Oxley of the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center), bank stabilization ( discussion to be led by Melani Howard of the city of San Marcos) and Fish Passage and Dam Alteration/Removal (discussion to be led by Mara Alexander of the USFWS ). Please contact Mara Alexander with any questions (contact information below). Thank you for your interest in helping to restore the San Marcos River. Directions:

It’s time Texas joins movement to stop the plastic-bag insanity

April 9, 2009

While strolling along the quiet northern end of the River Walk on Sunday, I was reminded of my pre-plastic childhood. In those days, seemingly all containers were either recyclable or biodegradable. Empty cans became planters for seedlings, jars found new uses, and we kids picked up all discarded bottles to collect the deposits. On Sunday, I saw a family of mallards dodging plastic bags floating in the river, and later I spied two more urban tumbleweeds tangled high in trees. The River Walk is not poorly maintained. Workers regularly pick up garbage on the walkways and, from barges, pluck the water-borne