Wimberley Valley Watershed Association

“Each member of the board of directors is provided a copy of the form 990 for review prior to the board meeting. At the next board meeting, each member is given the opportunity to comment on the final or near final version prior to the form 990 being filed with the irs.”

“The organization passed a conflict of interest policy on 10/28/2010. The policy calls for an annual review of the policy and the organization's compliance therewith, and the results of the review are recorded in the minutes. Each board member signs an annual statement recorded in the minutes that they have received, understand, and subscribe to the policy.”

“The governing board of wvwa is composed of independent, uncompensated volunteer business and professional people, including at least one each of lawyers, accountants, entrepreneurs and educators. The board met contemporaneously with the compensation decisions for deliberation, substantiated the decisions from personal knowledge of reasonable salaries in the marketplace, and made the final determinations.”

“Governing documents are made available to the public upon request.”

“Wvwa's mission is to ensure that communities are aware of their connection and responsibilities to the watershed and are supported in implementing water policies and practices that will ensure ecological sustainability for future generations. To achieve this mission, wvwa advocates for clean clear flowing springs and streams and the sustained health of the wimberley valley and engages the community in land and water stewardship through research and education.”

“Policy advocacy & environmental planning - the wvwa works with regional nonprofits, local governments, and resource mangement agencies to promote sustainable environmental policies that encourage the protection and preservation of land and water resources. The wvwa engages stakeholders in community and regional planning processes that promote best management practices for new development and incentives for protecting open space for aquifer recharge and water quality. Protect our blanco - pob was formed by wvwa and blanco community members in response to the city of blanco's request to release 1.6 million gallons of wastewater daily into the blanco river. We are currently collaborating with engineers, hydrogeologists, legal staff, community members, and elected officials to work with the city of blanco to find an alternative engineering solution for discharge that will satisfy the city's projected growth and be protective of both surface water quality and groundwater quantity and guality. Wvwa is acting as fiscal sponsor for protect our blanco, a registered texas nonprofit. Save the hill country - is an effort of the wvwa to stop the kinder morgan permian highway pipeline, which is currently planned to be built through the hill county (less than 1.5 miles from jacob's well), and will directly impact 82 properties in hays county. This oil & gas pipeline threatens our rivers, creeks, streams, aquifers, springs, and drinking water supply. Wvwa is working with legal staff, environmental experts, and pr firms to formulate the best case to get this pipeline out of the hill country.”

“Education & outreach - the wvwa education programs inform the local community and policy makers about the value of water and land conservation and the importance of sustainable watershed management through public tours, school programs, and private landowner outreach programs and events. The wvwa is involved in community outreach through partnerships with local governments, agencies, universities, schools, nonprofits, and local businesses. The texas brewshed alliance - is a current sub-program of education & outreach, the goal of this project is to create a platform to connect brewers and communities to their local watersheds. The tba engages communities all across texas through fun, educational events and inspires them to take action to steward their local lands and waters which are vital for brewing exceptional craft beer. Wimberley isd "one water" elementary school is the first school in texas of its kind and will reduce groundwater dependency by 90%. This revolutionary project was made possible by a collaboration between wvwa, the meadows center for water & the environment (mcwe), and the wimberley independent school district. The elementary school will feature rainwater harvesting system with clear pipes, educational signage, and specialized curriculum also an onsite reuse wastewater system and green stormwater infrastructure to offer greater opportunities for the students and the community to learn more about the one water integrated water management framework and it's benefits to the sustainability and resilience of jacob's well, blue hole and the cypress creek.”

“Land conservation - the wvwa is focused on conserving and managing land to protect the water quantity and quality of the trinity aquifer, jacob's well, cypress creek and the blanco river watershed. The wvwa works with private and government partners to promote the use of conservation easements and fee simple land acquisitions for wildlife habitat preservation, water quality protection, establishing public parklands and scenic open space. The wvwa has protected the 96 acres of land surrounding jacob's well with conservation easements designed to restore and protect the conservation values of the land in perpetuity and serve as a public nature preserve, center for environental research, education and ecotourism. The association also monitors three conservation easements on properties in the wimberley valley and actively stewards wvwa's property adjacent to jacob's well. The wvwa purchased coleman's canyon ranch, a 168 acre property adjacent to jwna, to protect critical groundwater recharge and wildlife habitat that includes the endangered golden cheeked warbler habitat and the wimberley bat cave, a geologically unique karst cave. Wvwa continues efforts to strategically conserve land in critical recharge areas and threatened habitats.”

“Watershed protection & conservation science - wvwa initiated the cypress creek watershed protection plan (ccwpp) in 2008, which is the first proactive epa-approed plan in texas to focus on groundwater protection to support surface water quality. The plan is designed to mitigate nonpoint source pollution and protect groundwater resources. The wvwa continues to serve on the executive committee, working actively with the mcwe to support ccwpp education and outreach activities. Wvwa is one of the only nonprofit organizations in the state of texas collecting quality assured water quality data used to assess whether surface water in the blanco river and cypress creek is meeting federal clean water act standards. Wvwa has been in a partnership with the guadalupe blanco river authority and the texas clean rivers program since 2003. The jacob's well groundwater management zone is an initiative of the wvwa that involves working with regional stakeholders to determine drought triggers and management practices in the critical recharge zone for the jacob's well spring. Working with the hays trinity groundwater conservation district, water utility companies, regional nonprofits, and landowners, we are ensuring that jacob's well spring, the headwaters for cypress creek, can maintain flow even during times of drought. The texas hill country conservation network is a group of more than 160 ngos, businesses, universities, and governement agencies working to promote community sustainability and resilience in the 17 country texas hill country. Through research conducted by wvwa the founded the steering committee of twelve key organizations to develop a strategic plan and advance network development. Thccn member organizations are expanding their reach, scaling up their work and leveraging the benefits of collaborative action. Through the power of the network, member organizations have more collective impact and influence, attract greater resources, and elevate their solutions-focused agenda among other networks in the region. Monumentally, in 2018, the thccn received a pledge of 5.15m grant from the regional conservation partnership program, part of the usda's natural resources conservation service to provide funding to private landowners performing land stewardship best practices and ensuring the long-term conservation of sensitive agricultural lands across the blanco, middle colorado, and llano river basins. Incentivization for land stewardship and conservation such as this is critical to protect ecosystems and family farms and ranches in one of the fastest growing regions in the united states.”

“Education & outreach 275 0 0 easement monitoring 1,650 0 0 consulting 10,000 0 1,250 engineering 12,437 0 0 education & outreach 68,500 0 0 policy & advocacy 200,334 0 0 pob services 19,417 0 0 total 312,613 0 1,250”