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Congrats to Lee Dustman, who just retired! T hanks to Lee, we have this lovely booth at the Bastrop Rodeo tonight and tomorrow night — in the Carnival area. Come sign the petition to stop the Vista Ridge water pipeline and pick up an “I oppose the San Antone hose” yard sign. It’s free to visit the Carnival area. The rodeo prices are: ( with more details here ) Weekend pass $35 Nightly rodeo only ticket prices: $10 adult $5 kids ages 6-12 5 & under free It was pretty nice out last night starting about 7:30 and it’s open late! PS Please mark your calendars now for a Vista Ridge Information Session on Monday, August 24, 6:30 – 8:30 pm at the First National Bank in Elgin. #BastropRodeo #LeeDustman

We have conference calls every other Sunday at 6 pm. Call us at 512-213-4511 or email us to join the next call. Yesterday, we delivered these comments to the Texas Water Development Board at a hearing on new rules for resolution of regional water conflicts. Beware: the Governor-appointed TWDB may be under political pressure to establish rules that favor the “California plan” of mass movement of water to new developments in dry areas. Starting at about the 8-minute mark, you’ll see some moving testimony from landowners who came from NE Texas, Region D, who are fighting the Marvin Nichols Reservoir — video here . You can submit your own comments before the deadline on August 4th by 5 pm OR, you can wait to see our full comments coming to you before the Aug. 4th deadline . Send comments here: rulescomments@twdb.texas.gov with the subject line simply as: Rules Comments . Here’s what else you can do: Join our sign campaign and get an “I oppose the San Antone hose” yard sign (18″ x 24″ with bracket). They’re free with a $10 membership. OR IF WE GET AT LEAST 100 ORDERS , you can get a 4′ x 4′ sign for $25 or a 4′ by 8′ sign for $50. Here’s where you can order signs . Note: please follow the instructions on this page carefully, so we know what you’re asking for or just call us. Join an online forum about this, or start your own, on Yannect.com . Here’s what else is happening: NEXT WEEK! July 30-Aug. 1, 6 to 9 pm: Visit us or volunteer at our booth at the Bastrop Rodeo. The FARFA 9th Annual Farm & Food Leadership Conference , Sept. 25-26, Bryan-College Station. League Board member, Michele Gangnes, will be speaking on the water panel. Note:  FARFA also has a part-time position open! Hope to “see” ya on Sunday’s call — reply for the new conference line. P.S. What are you waiting for? Invite us to your community as we plan to go on the road! #RegionalConflicts #TexasWaterDevelopmentBoard #VistaRidge

We hope to see you at one or both of these upcoming events in Bastrop! ► This Sunday! (July 26th) . It’s the Bastrop River Rally by Keep Bastrop County Beautiful! Come help clean up the El Camino Paddle Trail. This is a great event including an opportunity for you to paddle — bring your own kayak or canoe, or one is provided. There’s even a run at 8:30 am. DETAILS HERE Or reply to this email or call us at the League, as we can use a few hands as well. ► Starting a week from this Thursday . Volunteer at our booth at the Bastrop Rodeo starting from Thursday, July 30, Friday July 31st or Saturday, August 1st, 6 pm to 9 pm (evenings only). We’ll be asking folks to join our growing network and to donate for the “I oppose the San Antone hose” yard signs. Reply or call us to lend a hand or just come pick up a yard sign. Details here. More information coming about regional and statewide events coming real soon! #BastropRiverRally #BastropRodeo #KeepBastropCountyBeautiful

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Thomas Edison. On the last statewide conference call (now every other Sunday at 6 p m), we had a great  discussion. It was about the number one problem in this country — the decline in civic participation. Do you think people would attend a football game, if they knew what the outcome would be? Can you remember a competitive election? We’ll bet the turnout was higher. This ain’t rocket science. The only real (and really hard) question then is how do we make elections competitive? We resolved that building new alliances between the Baby Boomers and the Millennials (18 to 30 year olds) is where we start. Afterall, it’s the Millennials who will soon be running the country. It’s the Boomers who have tried and failed…and must keep trying for the incoming generation. So, how do we do that? We’re going to experiment with connecting and we need YOU to help. So…you’re invited to join our experiment to connect… or shall we say Yannect?! Yannect is an online forum site where people can chat, network and share information about their communities. It’s for non-commercial users. It’s free. It’s geographically organized — there’s a site for every single town in Texas.  It’s very simple to use. And, there is NO commercial tracking (like, well, you know those other sites), therefore no real name is required. Yannect just set up a statewide forum called “Texas Independents” at our request. This is a statewide forum:  posts here will appear on every Yannect city page in Texas. Please go to www.yannect.com and “sign up” by following the simple directions. Then go to any city page (e.g. Austin, Dime Box, Dallas…wherever you are), click on the “Texas Independents” forum and start posting! We’ve started the ball rolling on Yannect with this statement in the Texas Independents Forum. I have a feeling you’ll have something to say about this: Tired of hearing from Democrats and Republicans and the same ol’ tired partisan politics? You’re at the right place. Ponder this. The most recent Gallup Poll on party identification has us at 42% of the electorate. So-called “Millennials” (18-30 year olds) are a whopping 50% independent. What does being politically independent mean to you and, if you are an independent, say why Don’t give up on each other — Boomers and Millennials and whatever your generation. P.S. We’ll be at the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District monthly meeting this Wednesday, 7 pm, at Bastrop City Hall. Pick up an “I oppose the San Antone hose” yard sign for $10 to support our work. P.S.S. Got time to work our booth at the Bastrop Rodeo – July 30 thru Aug. 1st? Reply or call us! #Millennials #independent #Yannect #BabyBoomers #civicparticipation

More and more people are asking us how they can help and get involved in building the independent movement, so here’s your chance. Get your sign and get involved! The Vista Ridge Project — the 142-mile water pipeline from Burleson County to San Antonio — will fully implement the disastrous “California water model” in Texas. This map is worth a thousand words: Click here to see the map . If you live in Bastrop or nearby, join us on Saturday at 10 am until noon, at Coffee Dog ( at Hwy. 71 & Loop 150, near Goodwill ) to pick up this sign (they come free with membership that starts at just $10) and learn how you can volunteer. Wherever you live in Texas, please join us on this Sunday’s conference call, at 6 pm (our calls are now every other Sunday at 6 pm) . Conference Call number:  (530) 881-1000, PIN106940# With election season coming up, we want to bring our message into the debates across Texas. We’re gonna need your help to do it, so we hope to see you or hear from you. This informative article “Rural Water Relief May Follow Drought Relief” , by our own League Board member, Michele Gangnes, was in last week’s Giddings Times newspaper. Thanks to the many of you who came out to last Thursday’s Party. It was a blast — invite us to your community. Special thanks to volunteer Charlotte Gilman, Allen Penn for the poetry and Paul for your assistance!

If you’re getting this message, you should be close enough to join us tomorrow night, July 2nd, 6 to 8 pm at Neighbors Kitchen (601 Chestnut — the old Brewhouse) on the beautiful Colorado River in Bastrop. It’s our Declare Your Independence Celebration. We buy the pizza. You buy your drinks. We’ll have an open mike so bring a song, poem, magic trick…or just your independent self. We’ll update you on the latest turn in the water wars and how we’re gonna beat back the most imminent threat to sensible management of groundwater in Texas — the San Antone hose, aka Vista Ridge . Spread the word from here please or just forward this message. Bring a friend or two — especially any hams in the family! #NeighborsKitchen #VistaRidge

You’re invited to our Independence Celebration! This Thursday, July 2nd, 6 to 8 pm, Neighbors Restaurant, 601 Chestnut, in Bastrop on the beautiful Colorado. Bring a song, a poem, a magic trick or just your independent self. More here. Your membership dues and donations will help us gear up now to stop the San Antone hose — aka the 142-mile Vista Ridge water pipeline just as landowners are facing the threat of emiment domain. Help us get these signs out to stop the hose! ►►►►►► Can’t make it to the party? Here’s our join/donate page . Quick updates on the water grabs: Forestar Real Estate Group (45,000 AFY = 40 million gallons per day) had their “reservation agreement” with Hays County canceled by the Hays County Comissioner’s Court, thanks to 4 out of 5 Commissioners. A big hug to Hays County water watchers who kept pushing for this as good neighbors to the people of the Lost Pines. End Op LP (46,000 acre-feet/year = 41 million gallons per day). Lost Pines GCD heard arguments on Wednesday and put this on the agenda for their next meeting on July 15 in Bastrop. More background here and here . Please note that our conference calls are every other Sunday at 6 pm. Call in tomorrow at 6 sharp: — call us at 512-213-4511 for the number or send an email to info@independentleaguetx.org Hoping to see you in Austin ( Tuesday at this event ), in Bastrop on Thursday might or in East and NE Texas real soon. Tell ya more on the call tomorrow. #SanAntonioWaterGrab #VistaRidge #EndOpLP #ForestarRealEstateGroup #LostPinesGroundwaterConservationDistrict

Big news, y’all! Remember, when Forestar Real Estate was given a 12,000 acre-feet-year permit from the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District in July 2013? Forestar turned around and sued Lost Pines GCD for the full 45,000 AFY (41 million gallons per day) and got the Hays County Commissioners Court to sign on to a “reservation agreement” that Forestar used in their litigation against Lost Pines. Anyway, today, the Hays County Commissioners, canceled the agreement. Read more about it here If you can make it to Bastrop tomorrow night to hear End Op LP’s argument before the Lost Pines GCD for their 46,000 AFY, please do! Starts at 7 pm at the Bastrop Convention Center, 1408 Chestnut. Come a little early if you can, to read some materials we’ll have for you. Thank you all for hanging in there to oppose Forestar — especially our very good friends in Hays County! #EndOp #ForestarRealEstate #LP

Media Advisory Please attend hearing of Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District, Wednesday, June 24, 7 pm Bastrop Convention Center, 1408 Chestnut Today Hays County pulled plug on Forestar water reservation agreement. Tomorrow, End Op LP’s mega-water permit comes back to Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District. This morning, the Hays County Commissioners Court canceled their groundwater reservation agreement with Forestar Real Estate Group by a vote of 4 to 1. This agreement helped bolster Forestar’s continued litigation and pressure tactics against the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District to expand their permit from Lost Pines (granted in July 2013) from 12,000 acre-feet per year to 45,000 AFY (41 million gallons per day). Tomorrow, another water marketer, End Op LP, is coming back to the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District for 46,000 AFY of groundwater, after having settled their disagreements with local water supplier, Aqua Water Supply Corporation. A state court appeal for disgruntled landowners who were shut out of party status in the Aqua-End Op dispute is still pending in Bastrop County. Michele Gangnes, board member of the League of Independent Voters of Texas, said “We thank our friends in Hays County who stood up and locked arms with us here in the Lost Pines — Lee and Bastrop counties — to speak out against the Forestar contract. The hypocrisy of decrying Electro-Purification’s water grab of 2,000 acre-feet from under Hays County, while Hays County was enabling a much bigger grab of their neighbor’s water was obvious. Now we look forward to End Op’s arguments tomorrow. After we see what Lost Pines GCD is going to do about End Op, we’re on to fight ‘the San Antone hose’, otherwise known as Vista Ridge.” Gangnes is also a landowner who lives over the coveted Simsboro formation of the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer in Lee County and helped lead the grassroots effort that fought off San Antonio Water System’s water grab nearly 15 years ago. Texas media following the central Texas water wars: come on out to Bastrop to see the next chapter unfold. #EndOpLP #Forestar #ForestarRealEstate #HaysCountycommissioners

Now that Gridzilla was sent packin’ in the legislative session — we need your help to sic Gridzilla on the water grabbers themselves. So…come out to these events, or help us set up a meeting in your community. We appreciate you sharing these important announcements with your friends. Come on out, y’all!!: This coming Wednesday, June 24th, at 7 pm, join us at the Bastrop Convention Center for a VERY important hearing (canceled last month due to weather) related to water marketers’ continued push to over-permit the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer in the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District. End Op LP wants 46,000 acre-feet/year (41 million gallons per day). Your presence tells the LPGCD that you support their efforts to protect the aquifer — and all our communities facing dewatering and eminent domain seizures. It also sends a message of support to communities where this water may be piped to fuel unsustainable and unaffordable development. Show up and bring your friends! Details here will motivate you to get out to this hearing . Linda Curtis will be speaking at this event in Austin on Tuesday, June 30th, 6:30-8:30 pm sponsored by the Texas Anti-Corruption Campaign on, “What will be different next time you get ready to vote?” More here — reserve a seat . The League of Independent Voters is kicking off a membership drive in each county starting in Bastrop. Come celebrate your independence* (from the party machines) a little early — on July 2nd, 6 to 8 pm at Neighbor’s Restaurant on the Colorado – – before you run off with family. Pick up a new yard sign. This one’s a doozy. Come back and visit this page in a day or two and you’ll see it. Event details here. *We also wish to remind you that the League is not a political party. Therefore, we encourage you — regardless of which primary next March you may or may not vote in — to help the League influence the debate on protection of our most critical resources and cleaning up the electoral process itself. Please note that our conference calls will be held every other Sunday at 6 pm (no longer on Saturdays). Our next call is on Sunday, June 28th at 6 pm. We look forward to seeing you or hearing from you! #corruption

We will hold an urgent and special conference call on Sunday evening at 6 pm to discuss some developments in the “water war” impacting all of us in the fight. (No conference call will take place tomorrow morning). Call the League at 512-213-4511 for the call in number. ALSO, PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS !  All you Texans fighting the dewatering of your communities have a stake in this, so please come in from across the region. Wednesday, June 24, 6 pm or 7 pm (time uncertain, will let you know)Bastrop Convention Center1408 Chestnut Street, Bastrop, Texas Details : End Op LP’s hearing is on their continued attempt for 46,000 acre-feet/year of groundwater from the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District. That’s right — this is in addition to Forestar Real Estate’s litigation pressing LPGCD for the full 45,000 AFY (12,000 AFY was not enough for them). To top it all off is, of course, the 142-mile Vista Ridge water pipeline already secured by San Antonio from the Post Oak Savannah GCD. It’s all from the Simsboro formation of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer underlying Burleson, Milam, Lee and Bastrop counties. And yes, the Hays County Commissioners Court that has been up-in-arms about 2,000 AFY bid by Electro-Purification, is helping Forestar with a costly reservation agreement for Simsboro water. Do you live in the City of Austin? Read this Austin Bulldog article about the lawsuit filed by city activist, Brian Rodgers, represented by former Travis County Judge, Bill Aleshire on city management’s continued efforts to thwart the Texas Public Information Act. Got questions? Reply to this message or give us a call. Thank you! #Simsboro #ForestarRealEstate #CarrizoWilcoxAquifer #PostOakSavannahGroundwaterConservationDistrict #VistaRidge #LostPinesGroundwaterConservationDistrict

On a serious note, our hearts go out to all in Texas caught in the wake of the floods and tornadoes. In the midst of all the chaos, Texans managed to stop the petty-“Larson-y’ (as in Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio) of “Gridzilla” the $2 million study on moving masses of Texas water to the triangle (DFW, Austin and San Antonio , smacked down the anti-petition bill, and even passed a good water bill. But eminent domain reform went down…along with lots of other good bills. We provide you this report with some humorous relief. As they say, “truth is stranger than fiction.” This is all true…including that it’s now game on for Vista Ridge San Antonio $3.4 billion water grab some 142-miles away in Burleson County. More soon… So…during this legislative session did you feel like: Your chance of getting a bill passed was about as likely as this woman’s chance of getting hit by a meteor? We actually managed to pass one — HB 3163 — thanks to freshman Rep. John Cyrier (R-Lockhart) and his capable staff — to protect water conservation district board members from being sued individually or held liable when performing their duties in good faith. That you looked like melted dummies from the Madam Tussauds Wax Museum to  members of the ________ Committee (fill in the blank) when you testified? But didn’t the 11th-hour (Sunday, May 31st at 9 pm), failed amendment for the Vista Ridge 142-mile water pipeline project make you feel better? Watch the Senate give it the stomp ! You might just be beating your head against a wall in the face of a herd of corporate lobbyists who waltzed right in and took their time making scurrilous claims legislators never asked them to prove? “The lobby” killed SB 474, a modest eminent domain reform bill. Watch the the carnage in this video here (starting at about 2 minutes.) You were just a tad weirded out by the gun-obsessed in this session, while your local control was under serious fire? A cross-partisan populist coalition thankfully laid waste to HB 2595, protecting 103 years of Texans’ right to petition in home-rule cities. Watch these powerful testimonies, especially the three mad-dog attorneys! On the very same night as the floods in central Texas, May 25th, another storm blew in the Texas House as Rep. David Simpson rode hard on Gridzilla, the Trans-Texas Water Highway and the attacks on the rights of regions to have an equal seat at the water planning table before their water is ripped out from underneath them by other regions. Check out the list of 58 other reps who stood with Simpson! (Forgive the bad singing, “These Independent Boots are Gonna Walk All Over You!”) click here to watch the House ride ’em high ! These are no big fish stories, despite the little attention received in the media. And it is OH SO TRUE THAT THIS WAS DUE TO YOU and your many phone calls, emails and efforts to spread the word. Our very serious fight — to protect our land, our water and our political rights — has only just begun. So…don’t let them drive you to drinking…start thinking…about what you can do to help us build the independent movement! There’s more coming, but we wanted to get these out to you today. PS Additional and special thanks to Steve Box (Environmental Stewardship), Judith McGeary (Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, Ken Kramer (Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter), Brian Rodgers ( ChangeAustin.org ) , Brent Golemon, Eleanor Bravo (Food and Water Watch), an anonymous professional lobbyist for all your free advice and LIV board members Michele Gangnes and Calvin Tillman for all your help in the 2015 legislative session! #corporatelobbyists #petitionrights #texaslegislativesession #TransTexasWaterHighway