LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Edwards Plateau
built 608 days ago
The Edwards Plateau is the drainage area for the Edwards Aquifer, which provides water to over 2.2 million people. The plateau ... provides other ecosystem services, such as wildlife habitat and the sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The public concern for continued delivery of these ecosystem services is increasing; with private landowners of the plateau region affecting the delivery of these services. A geographic information systems spatial analysis was conducted for Bandera and Kerr counties, with two components being: (1) biophysical and (2) landowner interest. Together these resulted in an overarching map depicting the optimal locations to allocate government assistance to landowners for managing their property to support three ecosystem services: water yield, wildlife habitat, and carbon sequestration.In April 2003, a mail survey of selected landowners was conducted to determine their opinions regarding ecosystem services and cost-share programs (Olenick et al. 2005). In July 2004, a supplemental survey of respondents to the first survey was conducted to follow-up on a few questions answered incorrectly and to focus on landowner opinions regarding cost-share assistance programs and land management activities.
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[One] major factor for declining sheep and goat production on the eastern periphery, and increasingly in all areas of the Edwards Plateau, has been the changing land use away from sheep and goat production. This occurs through the sale of properties due to economic pressures, especially near urban centers and recreational areas. This results in the fragmentation of rural lands into smaller parcels, which generally are too small to maintain the economy of scale for traditional farming and ranching (Wilkins et al., 2000). It often follows that the new land managers and absentee landowners do not pasture sheep or goats, or in many cases, do not allow coyote-control activities on their properties. Consequently, sheep and goat producers who border, or are surrounded by properties where coyote control is not conducted, bear the brunt of the coyote predation. These producers on the fringe of the sheep- and goat-production area find that it is very difficult to control losses to predators on their ranges (Nun-ley, 1995).
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The watersheds of major streams in the Edwards Plateau that recharge the Edwards aquifer were largely undeveloped rangeland in the late 1990s—but that is changing. A common sight in the area is the construction of new subdivisions on land that for generations has been devoted to ranching. Edwards, Bandera, and Kendall Counties were among the top 10 statewide and the top 50 nationally in percentage of population increase during 1990–98. Urban development in the Edwards aquifer recharge zone, particularly in Bexar County (San Antonio)... is increasing. Bexar County ranked fourth among counties statewide and 15th nationally in numeric population increase during 1990–98. Continued development on a scale suggested by those U.S. Census Bureau statistics has the potential to affect surface- and ground-water quality in the Study Unit.
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The re-establishment of coyotes within the Edwards Plateau had further progressed by fiscal year 1980 as reflected by Figure 8 (Hawthorne, 1980). A total of 637 coyotes were taken from within the former coyote-free area. This continued encroachment of coyotes into the sheep- and goat-production areas had become a serious concern. In 1981, a request for the emergency use of Compound 1088 bait stations as per Section 18 of FIFRA was prepared and submitted to EPA for consideration (Nunley, 1981). The request was eventually denied by EPA after a lengthy administrative hearings process. In fiscal year 1990, 2,168 coyotes were taken from within the former coyote-free area (Nunley, 1990) (Fig.
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Description - The Edwards Plateau is entirely contained within Texas. This hilly area is clearly demarcated by the Balcones Fault escarpment to the east and south, but grades into the Chihuahuan Desert to the west and the Great Plains to the north. The plateau can be divided into four subregions. The central and western portions of the plateau are characterized by broad, relatively level uplands moderately dissected by gently sloping stream divides. The deeply dissected portion adjacent to the escarpment, the Balcones Canyonlands, is popularly known as the Texas Hill Country. This region is highly dissected by fast-moving streams through steep-sided canyons.
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The Edwards Plateau culture was located in central Texas and is closely related to the Eastern Archaic Tradition. Known for their “burned rock mounds” which consist of ash and bone fragments, the Edwards Mound culture dates back to at least 4000 BC. Large quantities of bone fragments and chipped rock material suggest that hunting was the most important activity.
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Edwards Plateau