Latest News
H-E-B Campaign to Benefit GEAA Member Groups
We are pleased to announce that H-E-B has selected Earth Share of Texas to be the beneficiary of its in-store coupon promotion for April, in recognition of Earth Day. This means that customers can tear off and add check-out coupons worth $1, $3, or $5 to their total bill. H-E-B has supported many Earth Share of Texas organizations with corporate grants or in-kind contributions. The April tear-pad promotion enables H-E-B customers to support the program work of Earth Share of Texas organizations. GEAA and our member groups will benefit, because the contributions will be divided among Earth Share of Texas organizations
Natural Resources Committee Hears GEAA’s Top Bill
The House Natural Resources Committee met yesterday to hear comments about HB 595 and HB 1508, among others. Several GEAA members and supporters came to speak in support of these bills – thank you! If you’d like to see a recording of yesterday’s hearing, go to the Natural Resource Committee’s archived broadcasts and click on the broadcast listed for 3/17/09, starting at 12:06 pm. For a list of relevant bills considered at yesterday’s meeting, read below: HB 595: Leibowitz/Rodriguez – Relating to a restriction on permits authorizing discharges of sewage effluent into any water in the contributing or recharge zone of
HaysCan News Roundup
Growth in Hays County is straining our roads, open spaces and water supply. Citizens are demanding intelligent, honest planning for future growth and special interests are jockeying for influence and a stake in the lucrative development bonanza. The RoundUp invites you to tune in as we will be presenting the “healthy skeptic’s view,” digging below the spin and uncovering the truth behind the votes and decisions of our local government decision makers. Read more here.
GEAA asks Legislature to Take Action to Protect Water & the Hill Country
When: Wednesday, January 14th at 1:30 p.m. Where: on the South Steps of the State Capitol What: Leaders of the 45 member groups of the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (representing 25,000 Texans in 19 Counties) go to the State Capitol to advocate their legislative agenda. Citizens from throughout the Texas Hill Country are concerned about the impacts of high-density development on our water resources – both in terms of the quantity of water available and the quality of our groundwater. The Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (GEAA), working with our member and the region’s elected officials has crafted a legislative agenda that
Rep. Leibowitz Files Bill to Prohibit Discharge of Sewage Effluent into Edwards Aquifer Waterways
“I filed H.B. 595 because the 1.7 million Texans whose source of drinking water is the Edwards Aquifer should not have to worry about treated sewage contaminating their water,” said Leibowitz. “In 2007, the Helotes debris fire contaminated wells near the aquifer when water was applied to the fire for just a few short days. Now, there’s a proposal to pour up to 1 million gallons of treated sewage each day into a creek that directly feeds the Edwards Aquifer. That’s just unacceptable.” The Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, the Alamo Soil and Conservation District, the cities of San Antonio and Austin,
GEAA Enlists Your Help with Warbler Watch Program
To help implement the proposed “Warbler Watch” program for the Texas Hill Country, GEAA recently established a partnership with Texas A&M University (TAMU) researchers. The goal of this collaborative program is to develop and implement a long-term and sustainable monitoring program, which will determine trends in distribution, abundance, habitat use, and breeding success of the GCWA across its breeding range. We propose to integrate with and expand upon comprehensive GCWA studies initiated by TAMU in 2003, which were enlarged to include a range-wide monitoring program during 2008. GEAA would help recruit volunteers and landowners, and distribute related educational materials to a
Check it out! Texas Water Resource Institute’s Newsletter
TWRI’s New Waves 2009 e-newsletter includes great articles relevant to water resource protection in Central Texas. Topics that might interest GEAA members include: a request
81st Legislature Status
With two weeks left of the 81st Legislative Session, we need to do all that we can to promote the bills that managed to make
Noche Verde May 14: Benefit for GEAA, BuildSA Green, USGBC & Green Spaces Alliance
Don’t miss your chance to party and shop to benefit your favorite green causes! Big Grass Bamboo is throwing a fundraiser for us on Thursday,
Hays County Greenprint Stakeholder Meeting: Monday, June 1st
Please save the date for the next Hays County Greenprint Stakeholder meeting: Monday, June 1st 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Dripping Springs ISD Central Administration
Call for Action: U.S. Surface Transportation Act
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
S.B. 2222: Worthy of Our Support
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.