Drought, wildfires, and extreme weather — is this the new normal for Texas?
Years from now, when Texans talk about 2011 they’ll probably remember one thing above everything else: the weather. The drought , the extreme heat and the fires that came with it have made this an historic year for Texas. And it will leave a mark that will be felt long after the drought is over. […]
It’s Thursday, which means a new drought monitor has been released from the National Drought Mitigation Center, and there’s some good news as Texas heads into the new year: 32 percent of the state is in the highest level of drought, “exceptional,” down from 39 percent just last week and 86 percent of Texas three […]
As 2011 winds down, the environmental story of the year for Texas is undoubtedly the drought. The last year has seen record heat, record dryness, devastating wildfires, and widespread losses of crops and cattle. There are two new books on drought and water in the Southwest that may provide some insight as we head into a 2012, […]
The Texas drought killed millions of trees but time may be running out to salvage them.
You’re probably recovering from too much nog and eating leftover ham sandwiches, but in case you missed it, here’s out top five new posts from the last week: Due to Drought, Houston Drinking More Dallas Wastewater: It’s long been a joke based on facts: take a drink from a tap in Houston and say ‘thank you’ […]
Christmas came a little early for a small slice of Texas this year. We can now say that part of Texas is no longer in drought. A small part, to be sure, only 0.01 percent, but it’s happy news nonetheless. According to new data from the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska […]
This story was co-reported with Andy Uhler of KUT News. On the Sunday of Labor Day weekend in Bastrop County, Kasey Tausch had just woken up from an afternoon nap. She heard her son come into their house yelling. “Mom! There’s a fire!” her son called out. She opened the front door and saw a […]
In October, word got out of a scuffle between scientists and the Texas government. On one side, Rice University oceanographer John Anderson, who submitted an article on rising sea levels for a report to be published by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) on Galveston Bay. On the other, the TCEQ itself, which didn’t like […]
Tens of thousands of birdwatchers across the country are participating in the Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count this month. But in Central Texas, the tradition has a special importance. During a year of exceptional drought, heat and wildfires, conservationists across Texas are paying close attention to the welfare of local bird populations. This is […]
It’s long been a joke based on facts: take a drink from a tap in Houston and say ‘thank you’ to your friends in Dallas for flushing their toilets.
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