Committed to Conservation, Featuring DRC Board Member

txH20

Ruthie Russell (center) owns Sycamore Canyon Ranch, which borders the Devils River.

“If I was a billionaire, I would buy as many ranches as I could and preserve them all,” said Ruthie Russell, owner of Sycamore Canyon Ranch in Val Verde County. “But all I can do is keep doing my best to preserve the land I do have. Especially for legacy landowners, land stewardship starts with the deep passion that you have for the land; you’re so bonded to it,” Russell said.

Russell is a third-generation cattle woman and one of the landowners recently recognized by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) with a 2014 Lone Star Land Steward Award.

“It’s a beautiful place,” Russell said. “We thought that it was key to protect and conserve this land because not only is it a transitional zone for different ecoregions, it also has multiple springs and 3 miles of riparian land along the Devils River.”

READ FULL STORY →

Why Water is Not the New Oil

TribTalk

It’s indisputable that there’s money to be made in water, especially as it becomes scarcer. But at what cost? Treating water as a commodity, no different than oil, neglects fundamental differences that we ignore at our peril.

READ FULL STORY →

Water Wars Pt. 2: Company Responds to Pipeline Concerns

CBS 7

VAL VERDE COUNTY/WEST TEXAS - A water pipeline could bring freshwater all the way to West Texas oilfields. The water is needed, but the plan leaves lingering questions.

Hundreds of miles away, landowners who live along the pristine Devil’s River are worried about the impact of pumping groundwater.

The company behind the plan has been turned down by cities before, even so, nine counties in West Texas passed resolutions in support of the pipeline.

READ FULL STORY →

Water Wars Pt. 1: Pumping Water for Fracking Sparks Concern Along River

CBS 7

An ambitious water pipeline is set to bring billions of gallons of water each year to the oilfields of West Texas. Nine counties signed off on the plan to bring the water in for fracking and for water supplies.

The water will make its way to West Texas from hundreds of miles away, where some question the pumping’s impact on the Devil’s River near Lake Amistad—near where the pumping will occur.

Those whose way of life is along the river say it’s worth protecting. “Anything that’s good about water. The clarity, the taste, the smell. No chemicals, no heavy metals,” said Devil’s River Outfitter Gerald Bailey. “It’s a baseline for the quality of all river water in Texas.”

READ FULL STORY →

Disappearing Rio Grande: Old Books, Day 152

The Texas Tribune

View fullsize

A detail from the rock art of the White Shaman cave shows what is believed to be a man and a small boat, possibly a canoe. Photo by: Colin McDonald

A labyrinth of canyons, cliffs and caves surrounds the confluence of the Pecos, Devils and Rio Grande rivers. It is a sprawling mess of natural subdivisions providing protection from the cold wind and scorching sun with springs that run year-round scattered throughout. 

For more than 10,000 years, this protection has allowed people to survive in the inhospitable desert. The work they left behind is everywhere.  

We spent the day with Carolyn Boyd, the executive director and founder of the Shumla School, which specializes in the research of and education about the rock art found along the three rivers.  

READ FULL STORY →