ESC Leading Numerous Water Quality Projects in Austin’s Urban Core Over the past three years Environmental Survey Consulting (ESC) has engaged in numerous projects along Lady Bird Lake and contributing creeks, all of which serve to stabilize vulnerable riparian slopes, catch and treat runoff from impervious cover, and slow down and dissipate storm flows to reduce flood severity. By using the principles of ecological restoration on these projects, ESC is…
A Palatability Ranking of Central Texas Hill Country Forb and Woody Plant Species for White-Tailed Deer David Mahler has ranked central Texas hill country forb and woody native plant species on their ability to survive white-tailed deer browse pressure. Species ranked 1 can survive under very high browse conditions while species ranked 5 can only survive under very low browse conditions or in protected areas. As an interesting note, some…
Six Native Texas Plants that Can Tolerate Flood and Drought Texas weather can be fickle to extremes, especially when compounded with global climate change and changes in storm patterns. In the past year Central Texas and the southwest experienced both extended drought and historical flooding resulting in altered landscape conditions. ESC has observed a few plants in both our residential landscape projects and ecological restoration efforts that have achieved a…
AISD’s Wildlife Habitat Demonstration Garden Approaches One Year Anniversary This coming May, ESC will mark the 1st anniversary of completion on a key project in the local wildlife habitat restoration movement. On May 16, 2013 AISD’s Wildlife Habitat Demonstration Garden officially opened to a well attended crowd of volunteers, sponsors, workers, teachers, parents and children. The garden was a project of the National Wildlife Federation and AISD, with generous…
Given the challenges with the persistent drought and the concern about using too much water, many people are considering getting rid of their lawns. ESC encourages people to reduce water usage in their landscapes. (See our previous blog post regarding ideas for responsibly modifying an irrigation system.) The issue of water is real, and it’s expected to become more pressing in the future. While the latest rating by the…
Water is on most Austin-area residents minds these days. With decreasing supply due to drought, increasing demand due to population growth in the area, and rising rates for water due to over-burdened water utilities, we face a formidable task to assure that we will be able to access reasonable amounts of water moving forward. Many interested parties are looking at what can be done to conserve water, and one…
Realizing that your landscape requires a lot of water when a drought arrives, is similar to seeing that your roof leaks when it rains. Intelligent people not only repair the damage caused by the leak, but fix the roof also. So, what are you planting now? When I design a planting project I use the plant species that are native to the part of the state that I am in,…