EVENTS 2021

December Outreach: Farmers Market, New Braunfels, TX

The CCCA outreach booth was at the New Braunfels Farmers Market. The Farmers Market is a weekly community event held at 186 S. Castell Ave. New Braunfels, TX, next to Krause's Cafe. The market is held Saturday, from 9:00 to 1:00pm and hosts local vendors with a variety of goods to offer. Meet neighbors from all over Comal County as you stroll through the aisles and shop for everything from baked goods, to locally made honey, and to pet necessities such as leashes and toys. And amid the booths, the live music, and the libations, you will find outreach committee volunteers demonstrating the action of the Edwards Aquifer, the importance of land preservation, the need to save our water, and what conservation means to wildlife.

November Program: "Comal County, Texas:
​Opportunities and Challenges Within the International Year of Caves & Karst"

Dr. George Veni, Executive Director, National Cave and Karst Research Institute & President, International Union of Speleology

On November 9, Dr. George Veni, Executive Director, National Cave and Karst Research Institute & President, International Union of Speleology, joined "Friends of CCCA" to speak on the topic, "Comal County, Texas: Opportunities and Challenges Within the International Year of Caves & Karst."

Comal County sits along the edge of the Edwards Plateau, one of the largest karst areas in the country,

and over the Edwards and Trinity Aquifers that provide water for more than two million people. Comal County’s karst contains one of the most biodiverse aquifer ecosystems in the world with bizarre aquifer-dwelling species that occur nowhere else. Comal County’s karst also contains the longest cave in Texas. Dr. Veni made us proud as he put Comal County’s karst in a national and global context.

October Outreach: Monarch Fall Festival

CCCA had our outreach booth at the Monarch Fall Festival at Fischer Park, where we shared information about the importance of land preservation, the need to save our water, and what conservation means to wildlife.
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The Fischer Park Monarch Waystation Butterfly Garden became a Certified Wildlife Habitat from the National Wildlife Federation. A Certified Wildlife Habitat garden must provide natural sources of food, water, cover, and places to raise young and is maintained in a sustainable way that incorporates native plants, conserves water and doesn’t rely on pesticides. The Fischer Park Monarch Waystation Garden features a milkweed plot for Monarch Butterflies along with many other native plants that attract a variety of pollinator species of pollinators. The Monarch Waystation provides the New Braunfels community with great wildlife watching opportunities daily and is utilized in Fischer Park’s nature programming including being heavily featured in the Monarch Fall Festival.  

October Outreach: ​Folk Fest

CCCA had our outreach booth at New Braunfels Folk Fest, where we shared information about the importance of land preservation, the need to save our water, and what conservation means to wildlife.
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New Braunfels Folkfest is held in April at Heritage Village. New Braunfels Folkfest is an annual Family Heritage Festival sponsored by the Heritage Society of New Braunfels on the grounds of the Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture. Starting the second Saturday in October, Folkfest features living history re-enactments, pioneer craft demonstrations, free furniture museum tours, children’s activities, musical entertainment, and delicious food. All proceeds benefit the Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture and their historic preservation projects.
 

September Fundraiser: Big Give 2021

Watch our Keep Comal Wild video.

September Program: "Prioritizing Nature’s Role in Building Resiliency"

Suzanne Scott, Texas State Director of The Nature Conservancy

On September 14, 2021, Suzanne Scott, Texas State Director of The Nature Conservancy, joined "Friends of CCCA" to speak about "Prioritizing Nature's Role in Building Resiliency."

​The Nature Conservancy in Texas will soon commemorate its millionth acre of land protected in Texas. Although it is a big milestone, it is a small percentage of the land that needs to be protected. There is so much more

to do and with the growth in Texas and Comal County specifically, the Nature Conservancy is working hard and fast, including with partners like the Comal County Conservation Alliance, to advance the role of nature to mitigate floods and improve water quality but also to protect biodiversity and ensure that people and nature can thrive together.

September Outreach: Comal County Fair

CCCA had our outreach booth at the Comal County Fair & Rodeo, where we shared information about the importance of land preservation, the need to save our water, and what conservation means to wildlife.
Comal County Fair is annually held in September at the fairgrounds in New Braunfels, Texas. The fair was founded in 1893. It is a family-friendly event that offers something for all age groups. The fair features livestock, entertainment, kids events, food, parade, contests, rodeo, and lots of fun.

July Program: "Having Growth & Green Space"

Hays County Commissioner Lon Shell

On Tuesday, July 13, 2021, CCCA hosted an evening program on “Having Growth and Green Space.” Guest speaker, Hays County Commissioner Lon Shell, talked about the whys and wherefores of Hays County’s efforts to preserve land in the county: the Hays Regional Habitat Conservation Plan, Parks and Open Space Master Plan, and the highly successful open space bond election.

He described their planning processes and highlighted some of the wonderful parklands and natural areas to be protected as a result of these efforts. Commissioner Shell has a well-deserved reputation for 

fiscal conservatism, ensuring that tax dollars are spent with the utmost respect for those who pay them. He has also been an architect and champion of land protection efforts in Hays County.

Commissioner Shell is a local small business owner and County Commissioner for Precinct 3 in Hays County. In his service to the county, he has developed a well-deserved reputation for fiscal conservatism, ensuring that tax dollars are spent with the utmost respect for those who pay them. He has also been an architect and champion of land protection efforts in Hays County.

May Program: "It's (Past) Time to Save Our Rural Land Heritage"

David K. Langford and his wife Myrna Langford

On Tuesday, May 11, 2021, from 6:00 – 7:00PM, the Comal County Conservation Alliance (CCCA) hosted an evening program on “Saving Our Rural Land Heritage.” Guest speakers were David K. Langford of the Hillingdon Ranch in Kendall County, and Rob and Teresa Ohlrich Johnson of the JO Ranch in Comal County. They told tell their stories about their families’ use of conservation easements as a tool to preserve their families’ land and ranching heritage along with the natural and cultural heritage of our beautiful Texas Hill Country.

David K. Langford is an internationally known wildlife photographer and the co-founder and Executive Vice President (emeritus) of the Texas Wildlife Association. He and his wife Myrna live on their part of the historic Hillingdon Ranch where seven generations of the extended Giles family have lived and ranched. The Langford family recently put their ranch under a conservation easement with the Texas Agricultural Land Trust (TALT), an organization David also helped found. David was once a critic but is now one of the strongest advocates of conservation easements as a tool for preserving a family’s land and legacy. He is also well aware of all the public benefits that protected open space lands provide, including clean air and water, native wildlife, pastoral beauty, and a way of life.  ​

Rob Johnson and his wife Teresa Ohlrich Johnson

Under the pressures of rapid population growth, Comal County’s rural lands are turning into subdivisions, shopping centers, quarries, roads, and other elements of an urbanizing landscape. Comal County is losing its rural heritage, and that is affecting the well-being of our entire county. It’s time we did something. These two families have done something, and they’re prepared to share their stories.

​Rob and Teresa Ohlrich Johnson recently did the same: preserve their family’s heritage on their JO Ranch in Comal County. They too used a conservation easement held by TALT. Teresa’s ancestors were among the first settlers who traveled from Germany with Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels in 1845. Five generations of her family have lived on the ranch her ancestors settled. Through the generations, the ranch has been divided among descendants and some parts have been sold off.  The Johnsons have now assured their historic family ranch will remain intact and undeveloped for future generations.

We owe them all a debt of gratitude.

April Outreach: Earth Day

CCCA participated in Earth Day 2021, setting up our Outreach information table with what to do to preserve our natural environment and our water. It was a free event for the entire community to celebrate our local natural resources. People were able to explore native prairie restoration, stroll along the spring run and see where the Comal River begins, participate in hands-on activities and scavenger hunts, and enjoy some time getting connected with nature. They also had take-home kits and plant giveaways, so Earth Day could be celebrated all year long in our backyards!

Diane Desimone, CCCA Outreach Chair, shares information with an interested visitor on Earth Day 2021 at ​The Headwaters at the Comal.

March Program: "Protecting Honey Creek & Impacts to Environmentally Sensitive Hill Country Watershed"

Annalisa Peace, GEAA Executive Director

Annalisa Peace, Executive Director of the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, joined CCCA for a Zoom presentation on Tuesday, March 9th from 6:00-7:00 PM . The presentation  addressed efforts to protect Honey Creek and the adjacent State-owned properties, and described how waste water and high-density developments impact our environmentally sensitive Hill Country watersheds.

January Program: "Watershed Protection Initiatives & the Importance of Protecting Our Local Water Resources"

Mark Enders, Watershed Program Manager

​On Tuesday, January 12, Mark Enders, City of New Braunfels Watershed Program Manager, spoke on “Watershed Protection Initiatives & the Importance of Protecting Our Local Water Resources”.  Mark’s presentation focused on Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan activities, the status of implementation of the Dry Comal Creek and Comal River Watershed Protection Plan and the City’s MS4 Stormwater Management Program. Mark also discussed  ideas for furthering conservation of our local water resources. Time for questions and answers was provided following the presentation.