Texans on the Brink
Texans on the Brink

Author: Brian R. Chapman

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Published: 2019-03-27

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 1623497329

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What good is a rattlesnake? What purpose do animals serve? All species play a vital role in their biological communities, and the removal of just one can have a noticeable and catastrophic ripple effect. Yet social and political pressures frequently pit species conservation against economic progress and prosperity, and scientists fear that we may be in the midst of a mass extinction event. Brian R. Chapman and William I. Lutterschmidt make the case that the effort to preserve animals is the responsibility of every Texan and that biodiversity contributes enormous economic value to the citizens of Texas. Texans on the Brink brings together experts on eighty-eight endangered and threatened animal species of Texas and includes brief descriptions of the processes that state and federal agencies employ to list and protect designated species. Species accounts include a description of the species accompanied by a photograph, an easy-to-read account of the biology and ecology of the species, and a description of efforts underway to preserve the species and its required habitat. Sobering examples of species that were once part of the Texas fauna but are now extinct or extirpated are also given to further demonstrate just how vulnerable biodiversity can be. All species require healthy habitats, and every species—even a rattlesnake—provides important services for the biotic communities in which they live. It is imperative to learn as much as we can about these animals if we are to preserve biodiversity successfully in Texas.

Review of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan
Review of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2018-12-29

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 0309481945

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The Edwards Aquifer in south-central Texas is the primary source of water for one of the fastest growing cities in the United States, San Antonio, and it also supplies irrigation water to thousands of farmers and livestock operators. It is also the source water for several springs and rivers, including the two largest freshwater springs in Texas that form the San Marcos and Comal Rivers. The unique habitat afforded by these spring-fed rivers has led to the development of species that are found in no other locations on Earth. Due to the potential for variations in spring flow caused by both human and natural causes, these species are continuously at risk and have been recognized as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). In an effort to manage the river systems and the aquifer that controls them, the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) and stakeholders have developed a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). The HCP seeks to effectively manage the river-aquifer system to ensure the viability of the ESA-listed species in the face of drought, population growth, and other threats to the aquifer. This report is the third and final product of a three-phase study to provide advice to the EAA on various aspects of the HCP that will ultimately lead to improved management of the Edwards Aquifer. This final report focuses on the biological goals and objectives found in the HCP for each of the listed species.

Water Policy in Texas
Water Policy in Texas

Author: Ronald C. Griffin

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-06-25

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 1136521992

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As a water-scarce state with deep cultural attachments to private property rights, Texas has taken a unique evolutionary path with regard to water management. This new resource surveys past and current challenges for managing both groundwater and surface water, telling a comprehensive story about water policy in Texas, and identifying opportunities for improving future governance. Texas is the U.S. state that has experimented most thoroughly with water markets. In Water Policy in Texas, experts from broad disciplinary perspectives describe and analyze Texas water laws and management agencies, and the practices of water marketing and rate making in Texas. They explore the unique cases of the Edwards and Ogallala aquifers, the science and policy of environmental water stewardship, the extensive history of formalized water sharing with neighboring states and Mexico, and the opportunities for harnessing new technologies that might aid in addressing scarcity. This multidimensional, interdisciplinary book will be a valuable resource for students and researchers of Texas water policy, as well as for water managers worldwide, particularly those working within contexts of water scarcity.

Review of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan
Review of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2015-06-10

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 0309368901

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The Edwards Aquifer in south-central Texas is the primary source of water for one of the fastest growing cities in the United States, San Antonio, and it also supplies irrigation water to thousands of farmers and livestock operators. It is also is the source water for several springs and rivers, including the two largest freshwater springs in Texas that form the San Marcos and Comal Rivers. The unique habitat afforded by these spring-fed rivers has led to the development of species that are found in no other locations on Earth. Due to the potential for variations in spring flow caused by both human and natural causes, these species are continuously at risk and have been recognized as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). In an effort to manage the river systems and the aquifer that controls them, the Edwards Aquifer Authority and stakeholders have developed a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). The HCP seeks to effectively manage the river-aquifer system to ensure the viability of the ESA-listed species in the face of drought, population growth, and other threats to the aquifer. The National Research Council was asked to assist in this process by reviewing the activities around implementing the HCP. Review of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan: Report 1 is the first stage of a three-stage study. This report reviews the scientific efforts that are being conducted to help build a better understanding of the river-aquifer system and its relationship to the ESA-listed species. These efforts, which include monitoring and modeling as well as research on key uncertainties in the system, are designed to build a better understanding of how best to manage and protect the system and the endangered species. Thus, the current report is focused specifically on a review of the hydrologic modeling, the ecological modeling, the water quality and biological monitoring, and the Applied Research Program. The fundamental question that Review of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan: Report 1 addresses is whether the scientific initiatives appropriately address uncertainties and fill knowledge gaps in the river-aquifer system and the species of concern. It is hoped that the successful completion of these scientific initiatives will ultimately lead the Edwards Aquifer Authority to an improved understanding of how to manage the system and protect these species.

Heads above Water
Heads above Water

Author: Robert L. Gulley

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Published: 2015-01-21

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 1623492688

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Since the 1950s, competing interests for use of Edwards Aquifer resources—the primary source of water for more than two million people in south central Texas—were at war. They had tried many times to resolve their differences about how to conserve, allocate, and use the water, but had always failed. Finally, under the patient leadership of Robert Gulley, thirty-nine diverse stakeholders reached a consensus on the use of the Edwards Aquifer that balanced the needs of south central Texas for water with the needs of eight species protected by the Endangered Species Act, culminating a half century of rancor and legal wrangling. In this book, Gulley tells the inside story of the Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program (EARIP), a federally sponsored process put in place by the Texas legislature. How such a large and fractious group came together to resolve one of the nation’s most intractable and longstanding water problems serves as a case study in consensus building. That consensus brought certainty to the region regarding the use of the aquifer while creating an unlikely but lasting partnership for conservation. To learn more about The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, sponsors of this book's series, please click here.