Save Barton Creek Association

Since 1979, the Save Barton Creek Association has worked to preserve our natural heritage through our public education, advocacy, and conservation programs. See below for some of our recent work.

Public Education - By educating children and the broader public about the value of Barton Creek, the Edwards Aquifer, and our other natural resources, we help instill conservation and preservation as a cultural value.

• Mother Earth Day Festival - SBCA has sponsored Bill Oliver's Mother Earth Day Festival for nearly a decade. Each year, the event reaches hundreds of children ages 4-13 with activities designed to teach environmental awareness in a fun setting.
• Barton Springs Splash! Exhibit - SBCA was an original sponsor of the Splash! exhibit and continues to support the program. The Splash! exhibit offers a fun and exciting learning experience deep inside a simulated limestone cave. Multimedia displays and interactive exhibits demonstrate how the aquifer was formed and how it maintains its average daily flow of 32 million gallons of water at Barton Springs. The endangered Barton Springs salamander and other native aquatic species on display illustrate the diversity of life dependent on the water quality of local springs, creeks and rivers.
• Karen Kocher - We have worked frequently with local media producer Karen Kocher on a number of interactive media projects. Our latest collaboration is Living Springs, a media-rich website about the culture, history and science of Barton Springs pool. The website will engage young adult and adult learners in an interactive exploration of Barton Springs in Austin, Texas to foster greater understanding of how the natural environment helps to define human culture

Advocacy - Although our non-profit status prevents us from advocating directly for specific candidates or issues, we make every attempt to ensure that the public and our elected officials understand how political and policy choices impact our environment.

• City Council Questionnaire and Forum - For several years, SBCA has joined with other local environmental groups to produce a comprehensive environmental questionnaire for City Council candidates. We also invite candidates to participate in a public forum in front of hundreds of potential voters. This work allows voters to make better informed decisions at the ballot box.
• EcoChange ExChange - In 2009, we participated in a grass-roots effort to understand what environmental policies Austinites want to see enacted by their elected officials. Over 300 people attended, producing a comprehensive policy document we delivered to the City Council.
• CAMPO 2035 Plan - As supporters of the ideals behind the Envision Central Texas project, we have asked CAMPO to prioritize urban and mass transit projects over the traditional suburban sprawl model.

Conservation - SBCA has always advocated for increased conservation, whether it be for sensitive environmental lands or scarce natural resources.

• Conservation Lands - SBCA directly holds several conservation easements over the Edwards aquifer. We also support the efforts of groups like the Hill Country Conservancy and the City of Austin to acquire such easements and properties.
• Electric Lawn Mower Program - SBCA has long supported the Gas Mower replacement program ran by the City of Austin and local advocate Scott Johnson. The program offers a subsidy to customers who turn in their gas mower and buy an electric.