Stewards of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve checked in on the status of its most vulnerable residents at their last meeting. Debra Scott, who is the environmental project manager for Travis County, filled in members of the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan Coordinating Committee on species that are “up and coming on the endangered species list.” In […]
Balcones Canyonland Conservation Plan
Established in 1996, the Balcones Canyonland Conservation Plan set rights and standards for incidental “take” of eight endangered species, jointly, for the City of Austin and Travis County.
Posted inParks
Balcones Canyonlands gets ready to welcome a new visitor center
The Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan (BCCP) Coordinating Committee heard an update from Travis County on May 12 about the plans for a new visitor center at the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve (BCP). Kimberlee Harvey, the committee’s secretary, delivered the update, which was initially created by Melinda Mallia, director of the county’s Natural Resources and Environmental Quality […]
Posted inEnvironment
Travis Audubon gives update on sanctuary and potential environmental peril
Reports of celebration and concern were highlighted at the Balcones Canyonland Conservation Plan (BCCP) Coordinating Committee meeting last Friday. Nicole Netherton, executive director at Travis Audubon, began by giving a general overview of some of the county’s conservation advocacy efforts worth recognizing. “There is certainly a lot to celebrate about the beauty and uniqueness of […]
Posted inParks
Cyclists, motorcyclists get committee to postpone update to Balcones conservation plan
Dozens of mountain bikers, motorcyclists and others who enjoy using trails within the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve showed up at City Hall Friday ready for a fight over an update to the preserve management plan that they said endangers their access to the parks and trails. In response, members of the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan Coordinating […]
Posted inEnvironment
Leander ISD continues uphill battle for controversial road project
The Leander Independent School District has taken its quest to build a road across environmentally protected land all the way to the feds. It’s the latest development in the district’s long-running effort to build a second roadway connecting RM 2222 to its joint Vandegrift High School and Four Points Middle School campus in Northwest Austin. […]
Posted inRoads
TxDOT can’t participate in Balcones permit program
An official with the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan has informed the Texas Department of Transportation that the department is not allowed to participate in the BCCP permit in conjunction with its work on State Highway 45 Southwest. Carlos Swonke, director of the Environmental Affairs Division of TxDOT, sent a letter in late July to Kimberlee […]
Posted inEnvironment
City to purchase preservation land
Austin will move forward with the purchase of slightly more than 10 acres of land in the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, despite concerns from some City Council members about whether the purchase price could be lower. Council voted 9-2 to move forward with purchasing 10.099 acres at 11101 and 11105 Zimmerman Lane for $400,000, with Council […]
Posted inEnvironment
Council likely to purchase endangered species tract
Despite questions about the price from City Council Member Don Zimmerman, Council appears poised to move forward Thursday with the purchase of a significant tract of land in the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. The tract is within Zimmerman’s District 6. City real estate specialist Junie Plummer told Council on Tuesday that an independent appraiser had appraised […]
Posted inAustin, Hays County, Roads, Transportation, Travis County
US Fish and Wildlife concerned about SH 45 SW
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sent letters to Mayor Steve Adler, Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt and others Wednesday, expressing concerns about the potential environmental impacts of the proposed State Highway 45 Southwest on the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan, or BCCP. Eckhardt has called for a hold on current plans for the highway. In […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Government, Local Politics, Transportation
Leffingwell keeps his seat on BCCP coordinating committee
Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell will stay on as the City of Austin’s representative to the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan’s coordinating committee. His presence there — as one of only two representatives — had irked some of his colleagues in the wake of recent apparent forward movement for the long-debated State Highway 45 Southwest extension. Travis […]
Posted inLocal Government, Transportation
City asks TxDOT to stop SH45SW environmental impact statement
City Manager Marc Ott has asked the Texas Department of Transportation to withdraw its current draft environmental impact statement of State Highway 45 Southwest and suspend its technical review. In making the request, Ott cited three “pending critical environmental studies,” which the city believes must be considered in the evaluation of the impact the road […]