The Devils River Conservancy

We told the judges exactly what would happen to this view if the transmission line routes across the Devils River, and what that would mean for landowners, for paddlers, and for every Texan.

When DRC’s Executive Director, Romey Swanson, served as an expert witness in last week’s contested case hearing before the State Office of Administrative Hearings, the River Mile 20 Paddler Camp on Skyline Ranch became part of the official record. He described the impacts that looming 160-foot towers, a 200-foot-wide swath of cleared land across miles of intact habitat, and the accompanying lights and sounds of 765-kilovolt electrical lines would have on the landscape and its people. A landscape that the Dickinson Family of the 6,600-acre Skyline Ranch, the Devils River Conservancy, and a coalition of partners have worked for years to protect, culminating in a permanent conservation easement put in place earlier this year.

DRC was ready to provide that testimony on behalf of the entire Devils River Conservation Corridor, following over a year pushing ourselves to the edge to ensure the Devils River is not overlooked in a regulatory process dominated by economics, engineering, and political pressure.

But now we need your support—to recoup the resources it took to be prepared for this defining moment and everything leading up to it, and to be ready for what comes next. Because the PUCT could still decide to breach the heart of the Devils and forever fragment this iconic river basin.

If you believe our wild places are still worth defending, now is the time to stand with us. You can make a gift today through the link in our bio or by visiting devilsriverconservancy.org and clicking the Donate button on the home page. And please like and share this post to help us spread the word.

It's nearly time for our upcoming San Felipe Creek Cleanup in Del Rio! Are you signed up?

Help us keep this beloved local waterway clean for people and wildlife!

We will meet up this Saturday, May 30, at 9AM at Casa de la Cultura to arm ourselves with supplies provided by the campaign, and go forth to remove litter and document it through Keep Texas Beautiful’s Texas Litter Database, a statewide community science project.

🔗 Sign up now at trashfreegulf.com/find-a-cleanup/template-a4djs

🦞 This crayfish was found among litter removed during last year's cleanup and returned to the creek.

Sign up now for the San Felipe Creek Cleanup on May 30th, hosted by The Devils River Conservancy, San Felipe Creek Coalition, and Casa de la Cultura, El Comite Cultural del Pueblo, Inc. in Del Rio, TX!

Last year, the same event saw 1,000 pounds of trash removed from the creek with the help of 39 wonderful volunteers. So let's do it again!

This Texas Watersheds Cleanup is one of 60 cleanups happening across the state through Trash Free Gulf, presented by H-E-B’s Our Texas, Our Future. Join the movement in collaboration with the Gulf Trust and other partners to keep our Texas waterways clean and healthy, from the springs to the creeks and rivers all the way to the Gulf!

📅 Saturday, May 30th, starting at 9AM

📍 Meet at Casa de la Cultura, 302 Cantu St, Del Rio, TX 78840

🚮 Cleaup supplies, cold drinks, and light snacks will be provided.

🔗 Sign up now at www.trashfreegulf.com/find-a-cleanup/template-a4djs so we know how many folks to expect!

And if you aren't able to join our cleanup in Del Rio this year, you can find another cleanup happening near you this month at trashfreegulf.com.

📷 Casa de la Cultura

Remember to sign up for this free webinar hosted by DRC and the Texas Wildlife Association to learn all the latest on the imminent New World Screwworm situation.

📅 Wednesday, May 6
🕛 12-1:30PM CST
🛋️ Watch on Zoom from the comfort of your home or office!

🔗 Sign up at www.tinyurl.com/newworldscrewworm-webinar

New World Screwworm is a parasitic blowfly species whose larvae feed on living tissue and pose serious risks to livestock, wildlife, pets, and even people.

The threat is getting closer to Texas, and becoming informed now is a critical step as we prepare for this parasite to reach our borderland communities.

This webinar will include:
✅ The historical context of combating New World Screwworm
✅ The current status of the advancing Screwworm population and the sterile fly production and dispersal programs
✅ How to identify and report potential cases in livestock, wildlife, and pets
✅ Firsthand stories from Southwest Texas ranchers who lived and worked through the first infestation of the mid-twentieth century
✅ A live Q&A

Happy Earth Day! 🌍

While conservation happens year-round, Earth Day is a dedicated moment to reflect on all the ways our environment supports us daily, and what we as a global community must do in return to ensure its health now and in the future.

The Devils River Basin is a microcosm of this, exhibiting the power of collective action across generations of stewards to protect a wild place, but it still requires constant effort to safeguard it from human impacts. So let's keep working together to preserve the Devils River and all ecosystems across our beautiful planet!

🤝 If you were not able to join a cleanup or other conservation project for Earth Day, sign up for a Trash Free Gulf cleanup, happening all across Texas this May. DRC will be hosting a cleanup in Del Rio with the San Felipe Creek Coalition as part of the campaign on Saturday, May 30th! Sign up here: www.trashfreegulf.com/find-a-cleanup/template-a4djs

💌 Check out all six of our digital Earth Day cards and send your favorites to friends to let them know you’re thinking of them on this day of celebration and community! Let’s encourage each other to keep appreciating and stewarding the wild places we all love.

🎨 Original watercolors handmade by DRC team member, Natalia Kauffman!

Fireflies are more than summer nostalgia—they’re indicators of ecosystem health and flickering links to our natural and cultural Texas heritage. And they are disappearing.

The Devils River Conservancy’s latest Conservation Currents story, “Fireflies and Darks Skies Over the Devils River,” explores how one scientist’s curiosity sparked groundbreaking research—and why the Devils River may hold important clues to understanding the evolutionary history of Texas fireflies, and offer a refuge to protect their future.

From unique populations like the all-black morph of Photinus concisus to the lost Amber Comet firefly, this story connects one pristine river, with its intact riparian habitat and dark skies, to the survival of our beloved ‘lightning bugs’.

Preserving them means protecting groundwater, native vegetation and soil health, and the night itself.

👉 Read the full story at devilsriverconservancy.org/conservation-currents/2026/devils-river-fireflies and learn how you can help keep Texas nights glowing.

Storytelling and resources provided by Ben Pfeiffer, founder of Firefly Conservation & Research.

Timelapse merge photo of fireflies flashing at the Devils River 📷: Radim Schreiber