Resources
With the majority of the land in the Bandera Canyonlands region under private ownership, it is of vital importance to the future of this area that landowners understand and engage in sound land stewardship and conservation-oriented practices.
Finding Professional Help
Bandera County Agri Life Extension — Extension education in Bandera County: https://bandera.agrilife.org/
Texas Parks & Wildlife
Texas Parks & Wildlife — Find a wildlife biologist: https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/technical_guidance/biologists/
Texas Parks & Wildlife — Wildlife district and contacts: https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/habitats/hillcountry/regulatory/?county=bandera
Plateau Land & Wildlife Management — Wildlife and land services: https://plateauwildlife.com/biologist/
Water Availability & Wastewater Management
The Nature Conservancy — Texas Water Program: Securing Texas’ Water Future: https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/texas/stories-in-texas/tx-water-program/
Save Barton Springs / No Dumping Sewage — Sewage Problems and Solutions in the Texas Hill Country: https://nodumpingsewage.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/SBCA-Hill-Country-Sewage-Report-10.14.20.pdf
Hill Country Alliance — The “One Water” Approach for the Texas Hill Country: https://www.hillcountryalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/HCA_NWF_One_Water_Report_FINAL_SinglePage.pdf
Environmental Defense Fund — Beneath the Surface and Above: The Journey of Groundwater: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52Ln-LBr5ZU
Nueces River Authority — Various Informational Resources and Programs: http://www.nueces-ra.org
Riparian Management
The riparian area is the interface between land and water along a body of water. It includes the vegetation, soils, and features from the water’s edge across the flood plain to the upland area.
Hill Country Alliance — Riparian management: https://hillcountryalliance.org/RiparianManagement
Ash Juniper (Cedar) Control
Experts agree good land management means more water, however, good land management doesn’t always mean cedar eradication and it clearly doesn’t mean cedar removal alone.
Hill Country Alliance — General cedar information: https://hillcountryalliance.org/cedar/
Arbor Care & Consulting — Cedar myths debunked: https://arborcareandconsulting.com/blog/cedar-myths-debunked
Preserving & Planting Native Plants for Pollinators, birds, and other wildlife
Identifying the native plants on your land before clearing will inform you on those important to pollinators, birds, and mammals. Planting native plants will add beauty to the landscape while saving water.
General information from the Hill Country Alliance: https://hillcountryalliance.org/NativeLandscapes
Native Plant Society of Texas: http://npsot.org/wp/
Native Plant Society of Texas — Native plants for butterfly gardens: http://npsot.org/wp/story/2014/4971/
Native American Seed: https://www.seedsource.com/Default.asp
Texas Parks and Wildlife — Butterfly and pollinator guides: https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/bioblitz/guides
Arbor Care & Consulting — Butterfly and bee-friendly landscapes: https://arborcareandconsulting.com/blog/butterfly-bee-friendly-landscapes
Hill Country Alliance — Habitat Conservation Plans: https://hillcountryalliance.org/HabitatConservation
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center — How-Tos: https://www.wildflower.org/learn/how-to
Hill Country Plants Providing Fall Color
Arbor Care & Consulting — Texas Hillcountry Autumn Color: https://arborcareandconsulting.com/blog/texas-hill-country-autumn-color
Miscellaneous
Texas Parks and Wildlife — Dark Skies Program: https://tpwd.texas.gov/spdest/programs/dark_skies/
Texas Wildlife Association — Various Informational Resources: https://www.texas-wildlife.org