For Love of Water
A Conference in Wimberley, September 11-13

We can use less water so there is more for the river and the wildlife. We could capture the raindrops falling on our roofs. Would we do this voluntarily or do we need meters on our wells? And what of Dr. Emoto’s work? Can we really affect our water by expressing love and gratitude?

For registration information, call Peggy Cole 512-847-3822 or Amy Normand 830-868-2427 or go to www.hmitexas.org

Cool, clear spring-fed streams, framed by limestone ledges and tall graceful cypress trees, are why so many of us fell in love with the Texas Hill Country. We have moved here in droves, making Hays County now the 13th fastest growing county in the United States. The allure of the area, once mostly rural ranchland in close proximity to fabulous cities, has changed it dramatically. Now those large tracts of land are fragmented subdivisions full of families needing fresh, clean water to drink and to grow their personal landscapes. This fragile ecosystem on the edge of the desert struggles to maintain its balance.

Jacob’s Well, a magical artesian spring in Wimberley represents the canary in the coalmine. As a child, I remember the well’s fountain bubbling up taller than I was. Now it flat-lines.

"All things are connected, like the blood that runs in your family. The water's murmur is the voice of my father's father. The rivers are our brothers. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and feed our children. You must give to the rivers the kindness you would give to any brother.”

—Chief Seattle

“For Love of Water,” the Sept. 11-13 conference in Wimberley, explores ways we can give this kindness to the waters that sustain our life. We can use less water so there is more for the river and the wildlife. Would we do this voluntarily or do we need meters on our wells? Can we re-use wash water to water our plants? Or plant plants that are adapted to using less water? We could capture the raindrops falling on our roofs, or falling on deep-rooted grasses in nature’s way of collecting water and sending it to the aquifer. And what of Dr. Emoto’s work? Can we really affect our water by expressing love and gratitude?

“Anything else you're interested in is not going to happen if you can't breathe the air and drink the water. Don't sit this one out. Do something. You are by accident of fate alive at an absolutely critical moment in the history of our planet."

—Carl Sagan

For Love Of Water conference, Wimberley Community Center, September 11-13, 2009. Friday features “The Allure of Water” art event and film screening. Saturday conference will have top speakers and fascinating interactive workshops that will bring appreciation, awareness and action for a sustainable future. Water ceremony is on Sunday at Jacob’s Well. Local, state and national nonprofits are collaborating with Holistic Management Texas to produce this event. Get involved!