Hill Country Chapter

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Next Monthly Meeting is Monday, 28 January

“Climate Change and Water”

presented by Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon

Climate change affects water in many different ways, which in turn affects supplies and ecosystems. Higher temperatures allow for faster evaporation and more water in the atmosphere, but globally-averaged rainfall amounts should not change much. Instead, precipitation is expected to become more erratic and intense, and some of these changes are already evident in historic data across Texas. At the same time, increased carbon dioxide concentrations reduce the water needs of plants, potentially making them more resilient to drought and allowing water to stay in the ground longer. How these competing influences sort themselves out will have important implications for aridity, streamflow, riparian communities, and water infrastructure.

JOHN NIELSEN-GAMMON has been on the faculty at Texas A&M University since 1991. He is currently a Regents Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and also serves as the Texas State Climatologist. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, receiving a Ph.D. there in 1990. He does research on various types of extreme weather from droughts to floods, as well as air pollution and computer modeling. As Texas State Climatologist, he helps the State of Texas make the best possible use of weather and climate information, through applied research, outreach, and service on state-level committees. He is a fellow of the American Meteorological Society.

Meetings are held in the Upper Guadalupe River Authority Lecture Hall, 125 North Lehmann Drive near downtown Kerrville on fourth Mondays excluding August and December. Join us at 6:15 p.m. to chat with members and guests, chapter business at 6:45, presentation begins at 7.

Hey Members! Here is a quick guide to help you choose project code extensions when reporting hours on VMS.

Texas Master Naturalist, Hill Country Chapter is one of 48 regional Texas Master Naturalist volunteer corps. Our chapter serves Bandera, Edwards, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Mason, Menard, Real, and San Saba counties. Members receive comprehensive training in natural resource management specific to the Texas Hill Country and share their knowledge to promote conservation and good stewardship in their communities. Our chapter is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Now in our sixteenth year of commitment to education, outreach, and service, we have trained 525 Master Naturalist volunteers who contributed more than 320,000 service hours to their communities. A contribution to the state of Texas valued at $7, 400,000.

Want to join a group of friendly folks who love nature and the Texas Hill Country? Explore our site for details, then email questions to our Membership Director. We look forward to hearing from you!