Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census,its population was 609,017. Its county seat is Georgetown. The county is named for Robert McAlpin Williamson (1804?–1859),a community leader and a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto.
Dirk Arthur Kempthorne is an American politician who served as the 49th United States Secretary of the Interior from 2006 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party,he previously served as a United States Senator from Idaho from 1993 to 1999 and the 30th governor of Idaho from 1999 to 2006.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is the primary law in the United States for protecting and conserving imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation",the ESA was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28,1973. The Supreme Court of the United States described it as "the most comprehensive legislation for the preservation of endangered species enacted by any nation". The purposes of the ESA are two-fold:to prevent extinction and to recover species to the point where the law's protections are not needed. It therefore "protect[s] species and the ecosystems upon which they depend" through different mechanisms. For example,section 4 requires the agencies overseeing the Act to designate imperiled species as threatened or endangered. Section 9 prohibits unlawful ‘take,’of such species,which means to "harass,harm,hunt..." Section 7 directs federal agencies to use their authorities to help conserve listed species. The Act also serves as the enacting legislation to carry out the provisions outlined in The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The Supreme Court found that "the plain intent of Congress in enacting" the ESA "was to halt and reverse the trend toward species extinction,whatever the cost." The Act is administered by two federal agencies,the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). FWS and NMFS have been delegated by the Act with the authority to promulgate any rules and guidelines within the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to implement its provisions.
The golden-cheeked warbler is an endangered species of bird that breeds in Central Texas,from Palo Pinto County southwestward along the eastern and southern edge of the Edwards Plateau to Kinney County. The golden-cheeked warbler is the only bird species with a breeding range endemic to Texas.
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is a 2,088-acre (8.45 km2) National Wildlife Refuge situated along the banks of the Rio Grande,south of Alamo in the Lower Rio Grande Valley,in Hidalgo County,South Texas.
Glenn Allen Hegar Jr. is an American attorney who serves as Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. He was a Republican member of the Texas Senate representing the 18th District,west of Houston. He succeeded fellow Republican Susan Combs as comptroller on January 2,2015. He was elected Comptroller in the general election on November 4,2014.
Longhorn Cavern State Park is a state park located in Burnet County,Texas,United States. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is administrator of the facility. The land for Longhorn Cavern State Park was acquired between 1932 and 1937 from private owners. It was dedicated as a state park in 1932 and in 1938 was opened to the public. In 1971,the cavern was dedicated as a National Natural Landmark. The park's administration building was listed as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1989.
Balcones Canyonlands is a national wildlife refuge located in the Texas Hill Country to the northwest of Lago Vista,Texas. The refuge was formed in 1992 to conserve habitat for two endangered songbirds,the golden-cheeked warbler and the black-capped vireo,and to preserve Texas Hill Country habitat for numerous other wildlife species. The refuge augments a similarly named preserve in Austin called the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve.
The 2014 general election was held in the U.S. state of Texas on November 4,2014. All of Texas's executive officers were up for election as well as a United States Senate seat,and all of Texas's thirty-six seats in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on March 4,2014. Primary runoffs,required if no candidate wins a majority of the vote,were held on May 27,2014. Elections were also held for the Texas legislature and proposition 1,seeking funds for Texas highways.
Jamie Rappaport Clark is an American conservationist and former government official working as the president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife. She joined the organization as executive vice president in 2004.
The 2018 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 6,2018,along with other elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives in additional states. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz ran successfully for re-election to a second term against Democratic candidate Beto O'Rourke. The primary for all parties was held on March 6,2018,making it the first primary of the 2018 season. As Cruz and O'Rourke both won majorities in their primaries,they did not participate in the May 22 runoff primary that was held for some nominations in Texas.
Conservation banking is an environmental market-based method designed to offset adverse effects,generally,to species of concern,are threatened,or endangered and protected under the United States Endangered Species Act (ESA) through the creation of conservation banks. Conservation banking can be viewed as a method of mitigation that allows permitting agencies to target various natural resources typically of value or concern,and it is generally contemplated as a protection technique to be implemented before the valued resource or species will need to be mitigated. The ESA prohibits the "taking" of fish and wildlife species which are officially listed as endangered or threatened in their populations. However,under section 7(a)(2) for Federal Agencies,and under section 10(a) for private parties,a take may be permissible for unavoidable impacts if there are conservation mitigation measures for the affected species or habitat. Purchasing “credits”through a conservation bank is one such mitigation measure to remedy the loss.
Meridian State Park is a state park in Bosque County,Texas,United States. The park is 505 acres (204 ha).
The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas was held on November 3,2020,to elect the 36 U.S. representatives from the state of Texas,one from each of the state's 36 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election,as well as other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the U.S. Senate and various state and local elections. Primaries were held on March 3 and run-offs were held on July 14.
James Roy Dickey is an American executive from Austin,Texas and the former chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. He was elected by the 64-member Republican State Executive Committee meeting in Austin on June 3,2017,and re-elected at the state convention on June 15,2018. In his third campaign he was defeated by Allen West on July 20,2020.
The 2022 Texas gubernatorial election took place on November 8,2022,to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican governor Greg Abbott won re-election to a third term,defeating Democratic nominee and former Congressman,Beto O'Rourke. All statewide elected offices are currently held by Republicans. In his previous gubernatorial race in 2018,Abbott won with 55.8% of the vote.
The 2022 Texas Attorney General election took place on November 8,2022 to elect the Attorney General of Texas. Incumbent Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton won re-election to his third term. Paxton won all but 21 counties and won the popular vote by a margin of 9.7%,underperforming Governor Greg Abbott's concurrent bid for re-election by 1.1%.
The 2021 Texas's 6th congressional district special election was held on May 1,2021. The seat became vacant after incumbent Republican Ron Wright died on February 7 of COVID-19.
The 2022 Texas elections were held on November 8,2022. Primary elections were held on March 1,with runoffs held on May 24 for primary candidates who did not receive a majority of the vote.
Honey Creek State Natural Area is a nature preserve of almost 2300 acres in western Comal County,Texas,United States. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department acquired part of the natural area from the Nature Conservancy in 1985 and the rest from a private individual in 1988. Honey Creek opened in 1985 with access by guided tour only. Since Honey Creek is designated a "Natural Area" rather than a "State Park",the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's first priority is the maintenance and preservation of the property's natural state.
