Where did the water go?
Hummingbirds… White-Tail Deer… Guadalupe Bass… Bigtooth Maple… are you thriving on the Sabinal River?
On a weekend camping trip to Lost Maples, we found the level of the Sabinal River disturbingly low. As a long time river enthusiast, I see the drought as dire and remain concerned about the future of Texas rivers.
Can we continue to enjoy and share the waters with the Guadalupe Bass when rainfall is scarce? Are rivers in Central Texas endangered? Any feasible solutions?
Ask Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists, who insist the answer lies in native grass restoration of the Central Texas landscape. Planting bunch grass in the limestone? Can it be that simple?
Trek up scenic roads around Utopia and Medina, and you notice the omnipresence of an evergreen bush in various states of growth. Known as the Ashe juniper or mountain cedar, this plant is far from pleasant.
Ranchers and landowners consider the Ashe juniper a nuisance “weed” that consumes a disproportionate amount of groundwater. The pollen of the Ashe juniper is also a known allergan and a popular target of the Replace a Cedar movement.
There’s hope for watershed activists and allergy sufferers alike. Non-native Ashe juniper can be reclaimed into historical grassy watershed. Replacing nuisance mountain cedar with native bunch grasses not only provides habitat for wildlife, but also controls runoff and restores rivers and creeks.
Where did I put my Cedar Eater?
Rebecca on 17 Jun 2009 at 1:03 pm #
The weather remains dry in June even on the Gulf Coast: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6481582.html
Rebecca on 25 Jul 2009 at 5:09 pm #
As of the end of July, drought is still keeping people from enjoying the rivers in Central Texas: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/outdoors/tompkins/6542900.html
Rebecca on 28 Aug 2009 at 4:59 am #
Rainstorms reported in San Antonio on Thursday evening, August 27. http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/weather/55589257.html
Susan Williams on 12 Sep 2009 at 5:03 pm #
Where did the water go? Perhaps it was dammed – which impacts the wildlife in the river.
In my town, our water supply is jeopardized by Pan Am Railways and Ford Motor Co., which are partnering to build a 25 acre parking lot over an aquifer that supplies water to 15,000 people.
No one I elected — state, local or federal — is able to intervene because of an outdated federal law protecting railroads right to ignore local regulations. I feel like I live in a third-world country because outside powers control our local resource.
Please let Ford Motor Co. know you object to them risking clean water for 15,000 people by placing corporate convenience over envrionmental protection. Go to http://www.cleanwaterwarrior.com.