The Plum Creek Current

Winter 2022

2022 Update

to the Watershed Protection Plan

Every two years, the Watershed Protection Plan is updated with recent activities, progress on implementation, and recommendations for adaptive management.

The Steering Committee has reviewed a draft, which is now under review at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Once approved, the 2022 Update will be available on our website.

Environmental Enforcement in Caldwell County

Caldwell County has a newly formed Environmental Enforcement Unit.

Environmental Investigators Anthony McCauley and Alberto Luna work to deter illegal dumping and address other environmental concerns across Caldwell County.

McCauley and Luna are pictured above at the Keep Lockhart Beautiful 2021 Fall Cleanup and Tree Giveaway Event.

More Information

Feral Hog Abatement and Control

Programming for 2022

Central Texas Feral Hog Task Force is back with Bounty Claim Events, Workshops, and more for both Caldwell and Hays Counties.

Event dates and times will be posted on Facebook, Instagram, and the Central Texas Feral Hog Task Force W ebsite.

Steering Committee Meetings

In December, the Steering Committee held its first in person meeting since the onset on the pandemic. We heard updates from the City of Kyle's Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion and added two new members to the Steering Committee.

Welcome:

San Hwang, PhD, PE, Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering, Texas State University

Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust

The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for March 24, 2022.

Plum Creek Page Turners

An environmental book club, the Page Tuners are reading their second book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants.

Meetings are held on the second Wednesdays of the month at Lockhart Arts and Craft. New members are always welcome to join.

We will discuss the first half of Braiding Sweetgrass on Feb. 9th at 6:30 PM.

RSVP to clopez@plumcreekwatershed.org.

Plum Creek Stewards

Our citizen science water quality monitoring group is seeking volunteers to test sites throughout the Plum Creek Watershed on a monthly basis.

The water quality data are added to a state-wide database: Texas Stream Team Datamap. Hundreds of volunteers have collected data for 30 years through this program!

To become a certified monitor, a three-hour training is required. After training, the time commitment is about 1 to 2 hours per month.

Upcoming Training Events:

January 23
February 20
March 20

Contact clopez@plumcreekwatershed.org to get involved.

Upcoming Events

Texas Well Owners Network Workshop

Scheduled for March 3 and 4 at The Luling Foundation, the workshop is for Texas residents who depend on household wells for their drinking water needs.

Well owners who want to become familiar with Texas groundwater sources, water quality, water treatment, and well maintenance issues should attend.

Registration information TBA.

Informational Video on TWON

37th Annual

Great Texas River Clean up

Every Spring on the first Saturday in March, folks from all over Texas participate in the world's longest river cleanup. Working with the City of Kyle, volunteers will clean the upper portion of Plum Creek.

March 5, 2022

Follow the Great Texas River Cleanup for Event Updates

Accomplishments: Trash and Trees

Organized by the Plum Creek Watershed Coordinator, the Keep Lockhart Beautiful 2021 Fall Clean and Green Event was held on November 6, 2021.

Over 120 volunteers collected nearly 1,000 pounds of trash in 6 parks across Lockhart, including Town Branch Creek.

Thanks to a generous donation from Scenic Texas, 100 trees were given to cleanup participants.

Volunteers were also fed breakfast tacos and received “Keep Lockhart Beautiful” reusable facemasks.

The Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust held its second Re-Leaf Event at the Plum Creek Wetlands Preserve on November 5-6, 2021.

During the two-day event, 30 volunteers planted over 750 native trees.

The event attracted volunteers from various organizations, such as the Lost Pines Master Naturalists, Guadalupe County Master Naturalists, Lockhart ISD, Texas A&M Forest Service, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, Plum Creek Watershed Partnership, Keep Lockhart Beautiful, and Texas State University.

Visit our Website

Funding for the development and support of the Plum Creek Watershed Protection Plan is through a Clean Water Act grant provided by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.