Category: Nature-Based Solutions

Use Hill Country landscape to mitigate water risks

The Texas Living Waters Project works to ensure that Texas has the water it needs for thriving communities and abundant fish and wildlife.
Texas Living Waters

This article is by Jennifer Walker, National Wildlife Federation and Vanessa Puig-Williams, Environmental Defense Fund. It originally appeared in the San Antonio Express News on Aug 7, 2023. There’s a

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Water Wins & Losses: Key Takeaways from the 88th Legislative Session

The Texas Living Waters Project works to ensure that Texas has the water it needs for thriving communities and abundant fish and wildlife.
Texas Living Waters

Texas Living Waters partner organizations were hard at work this session aiming to protect our water resources and to ensure healthy, safe, reliable water infrastructure for all Texans.  Prior to

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Amidst record growth, Texas needs to conserve its open land & water resources

The Texas Living Waters Project works to ensure that Texas has the water it needs for thriving communities and abundant fish and wildlife.
Texas Living Waters

We’re used to bad water news in Texas. This #WorldWaterDay there’s something genuinely worth celebrating: Texas lawmakers are coming together behind two bills (HJR138/HB3165) that would grant $2 billion to

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It’s time for a water session at the Legislature

The Texas Living Waters Project works to ensure that Texas has the water it needs for thriving communities and abundant fish and wildlife.
Texas Living Waters

by Jennifer Walker, National Wildlife Federation and Suzanne Scott, The Nature Conservancy There are now over 30 million Texans. The state crossed that landmark in mid-2022, gaining the most new residents

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Key Solutions to Texas’ Water Woes Are Simpler Than We Think

Director, Texas Coast and Water Program at National Wildlife Federation
Jennifer Walker is the Director of the Texas Coast and Water Program at the National Wildlife Federation. She focuses on statewide water policy issues with an emphasis on water planning, infrastructure funding, urban water management, and bay and estuary protection. Jennifer is a water resources expert with twenty years of experience helping city, utility, and state agencies achieve ambitious water supply management and conservation goals. She has helped develop and inform strategic action by utilizing scientific and technical expertise, engaging stakeholders, and approaching resource management challenges with a solutions-oriented perspective. Jennifer is Chair of Austin's Water Forward Task Force, a team working to implement Austin’s groundbreaking 100-year water plan that is focused on deploying One Water solutions to meet future water needs. In 2021, she was appointed by the Texas Water Development Board to represent Environmental Interests on the Texas Water Conservation Advisory Council. Jennifer has a BS in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology from the University of Texas at Austin.
Jennifer Walker

The National Wildlife Federation was recently invited to give testimony to the Texas Legislature on the condition of Texas’ water and flood infrastructure and cost-effective ways to improve it. Jennifer

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Thinking Beyond and Before the Ike Dike: Why Texas Needs Holistic Solutions to Coastal Protection

Policy Specialist/Counsel at National Wildlife Federation
Danielle became a member of the Texas Living Waters Project in August 2019. She attended the University of Toronto for her undergraduate degrees in environmental geography and environmental studies, with a minor in Geographic Information Studies. Later, she continued her studies at the University of Georgia School of Law. During her time at Georgia Law, Danielle interned at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 4 office and served as a Georgia Sea Grant Legal Fellow working on coastal resiliency policy. Danielle enjoys deep dives into rulemaking and state planning processes and works to improve policies in Texas that advance community resilience through research, advocacy, and outreach.
Danielle Goshen

The National Wildlife Federation was recently invited to give testimony to the Texas Legislature on the proposed Texas Coastal Barrier — a sprawling project that includes the so-called ‘Ike Dike’

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Be Heard on Environmental Issues Shaping Texas’ Water Future

Director, Texas Coast and Water Program at National Wildlife Federation
Amanda has 10 years of experience advancing water and coastal policies for the benefit of people and wildlife. Since joining NWF in 2013, she has worked to identify and advance water and coastal policies and ecosystem restoration priorities in Texas and the Gulf region for federal, state, and local decision-making venues. Amanda works to improve the health of Texas bays and estuaries while advancing the use of nature-based solutions to natural hazards exacerbated by our changing climate. Amanda holds a law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law, where she focused on environmental and water law, and an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Texas Christian University. As a mom of two young boys, Amanda is passionate about preserving Texas’ treasured natural resources for future generations.
Amanda Fuller

We’ve written before about the state’s Sunset Review process, a top-to-bottom look at the work of — and the need for — various state agencies. This year, the Texas Commission

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4 Ways Climate Change is Impacting Key Species in Texas Estuaries—and 4 Ways to Combat It

The Texas Living Waters Project works to ensure that Texas has the water it needs for thriving communities and abundant fish and wildlife.
Texas Living Waters

You haven’t truly seen a whooping crane until you’ve wandered onto the wetlands where they winter. The horizon is just a bit bigger there. Salt-marshes and ribbons of water unfurl

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National Wildlife Federation Urges Texas Legislature to Prioritize Climate Resilience, Sustainability, Water Solutions

The National Wildlife Federation’s Texas Coast and Water Program urged the Texas Legislature, in policy priorities unveiled today, to promote water supply innovation, enable sustainable management of groundwater, invest in

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Harris County Passes Bylaws for Community Task Force to Create a More Resilient Future

Policy Specialist/Counsel at National Wildlife Federation
Danielle became a member of the Texas Living Waters Project in August 2019. She attended the University of Toronto for her undergraduate degrees in environmental geography and environmental studies, with a minor in Geographic Information Studies. Later, she continued her studies at the University of Georgia School of Law. During her time at Georgia Law, Danielle interned at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 4 office and served as a Georgia Sea Grant Legal Fellow working on coastal resiliency policy. Danielle enjoys deep dives into rulemaking and state planning processes and works to improve policies in Texas that advance community resilience through research, advocacy, and outreach.
Danielle Goshen

Listen below as Texas Living Waters’ Danielle Goshen discusses the reconstituted Harris County Community Flood Resilience Task Force with two of the architects of the Harris Thrives Resolution: Iris Gonzalez,

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Citizens Advisory Committees: A Rare Opportunity for Texans to Help Shape Pre-Disaster Flood Mitigation

Outreach Manager at National Wildlife Federation
Teal contributes to Texas Living Waters outreach efforts helping Texans tackle floods, droughts, and ensure freshwater for every living thing. She is passionate about connecting people with nature and using community outreach, experiential education and media to motivate action. In the recent past, Teal has designed and implemented place-based outdoor education programming in New Orleans, LA, has researched effective practices to motivate water quality stewardship among U.S. farmers in 11 states, and has produced a virtual case study highlighting the socio-ecological implications of dams and their removal in Northern Michigan.
Teal Harrison

Texans have a tangible opportunity to shape how their communities prepare for future heavy rain and flooding. It’s buried in a maze of bureaucratic language and comes with some unknowns,

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Big Opportunities Lie Ahead for Green Infrastructure in Texas

Policy Specialist/Counsel at National Wildlife Federation
Danielle became a member of the Texas Living Waters Project in August 2019. She attended the University of Toronto for her undergraduate degrees in environmental geography and environmental studies, with a minor in Geographic Information Studies. Later, she continued her studies at the University of Georgia School of Law. During her time at Georgia Law, Danielle interned at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 4 office and served as a Georgia Sea Grant Legal Fellow working on coastal resiliency policy. Danielle enjoys deep dives into rulemaking and state planning processes and works to improve policies in Texas that advance community resilience through research, advocacy, and outreach.
Danielle Goshen

By Danielle Goshen, Water Policy and Outreach Specialist, Galveston Bay Foundation Green infrastructure and nature-based solutions are essential to creating flood resilient communities in Texas. Traditional gray infrastructure techniques such as

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