Summer in Austin is a hot, humid, sweaty affair that revolves around staying cool. Hence the legendary spot Barton Springs Pool holds in the hearts of many Austinites. The fourth larger spring in Texas, this man-made pool is fed by natural springs and stays relatively cool year round.
As I head towards West Texas and the greater Southwest, I’m sure there will be many an opportunity to reflect fondly on the prospect of a cool dip in the springs.
Side note: In the wake of the recent Fish and Wildlife Service decision not to place the dunes sagebrush lizard, found only in New Mexico and West Texas, on the endangered species list, salamanders in Central Texas are facing a rejuvenated push to keep them off the list as well.
Earlier this week U.S. Rep. John Carter, a Texas republican, said that
he will introduce federal legislation aimed at stopping any proposals to add four species of Central Texas salamanders to the endangered species list, including the Barton Springs salamander.
According to the Austin American-Statesman, Carter said marking the species as endangered — and the federal regulations associated with that — could shut down development in “three of the most dynamic counties in the country,” all found in Central Texas of course.
This is a similar argument that was used by the oil and gas industry to keep the dunes sagebrush lizard off the list: that it would slow development and cost countless industry jobs.
