Victoria’s Choice: the nuke, or the Guadalupe and the whooper?

I suppose I can respect why the city of Victoria thinks its water needs are covered by spending millions of dollars on water rights - it’s their job to make sure they’ve secured enough water for the city - at least on paper. But those rights have little value if there is no water in the river.

$57.8 Million in grants to support land acquisition and conservation planning for endangered species

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced more than $57.8 million in grants to 27 states to support conservation planning and acquisition of vital habitat for threatened and endangered fish, wildlife and plants. The grants, awarded through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, will benefit numerous species ranging from the desert tortoise to the Indiana bat.

Freshwater research also warns of danger

The recent rains were a wonderful respite from what is becoming one of our region’s worst droughts. But we are still far short of the rainfall needed to make this an “average year.”

And let’s not forget that during the record 1950s drought, there were 408,000 San Antonians while today, there are 1.4 million of us.

San Antonio and Austin, and the burgs around the two, continue to be among the nation’s fastest-growing cities, with no slowing of growth in sight.

So if we must now limit our water consumption, we are likely to face even greater shortages in the near future.

Will Water War Drain Area Supply?

As an urban guzzler battles for rights to lower Colorado River basin water, many in the Crossroads worry stalled talks may hurt this region’s supply.

The San Antonio Water System on Tuesday declared the Lower Colorado River Authority in breach of contract for pulling out of a water supply project the two considered for years.

The Lower Colorado River Supply Project, proposed in 2001, was estimated to create up to 330,000 acre-feet of water for both agencies, including 150,000 acre-feet for San Antonio.

Human Use of River Water is Killing Whooping Cranes

The winter of 2008/2009 was the worst in recent history for the whooping crane, the icon of federally protected endangered species. The flock had grown from 16 birds in 1941 to 270 birds in the fall of 2009. However, last winter seven adults and 16 chicks died, totaling 23 birds and 8.5 percent of the flock. This is rivaled only by the 1990/1991 winter when 11 birds out of 146, or 7.5 percent of the flock died.

All But One Whooping Crane Nest at Necedah Abandoned

A multimillion-dollar effort to reintroduce whooping cranes to the eastern United States was dealt another blow this week when all but one pair of cranes abandoned their nests.

Spring Blizzard Destroys Calgary Zoo’s Endangered Whooping Crane Eggs

Unseasonably cold weather has dealt a blow to the Calgary Zoo’s whooping crane breeding program, freezing two of the rare birds’ eggs.

Zoo curator Bob Peel said a blizzard last week demonstrated the fragility of conservation efforts for an endangered species with a world population of less than 500.

“Every adult is important. Every egg is important,” he said.

Worry About Whoopers

No one knows what happened to the birds that didn’t make it south this year. Power lines, predators and to a lesser extent, illegal hunting, have taken their toll on the whooping cranes in the past. But most of the deaths in Texas this year are linked to a protracted drought at Aransas that has resulted in a severe shortage of blue crabs, which are key to the whoopers’ beefing up for the breeding season.

Bird Study Linked to Water Debate

The marshes along San Antonio Bay produce enough food — even when little water is flowing from the Guadalupe River — to sustain the flock of endangered whooping cranes that winter there, according to a new study that could play a key role the state’s ongoing debate over water rights.

Severe Texas Drought Threatens Coastal Wildlife

A severe drought gripping Texas is causing unusually salty conditions along the Gulf Coast, upsetting the region’s ecological balance and threatening coastal wildlife including oysters, crabs and whooping cranes, the most endangered crane species.