Sign in

forrest4thetrees.bsky.social

@forrest4thetrees.bsky.social
72 followers 74 following 23 posts
PostsRepliesMedia
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
One of the truly underrated defects of Trump is his utter lack of any connection to the natural world. The "rake the forests" real-estate developer sees places like Big Bend National Park as nothing more than a wasteland for his "beautiful wall."
000
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
NEW from me: A border wall in Big Bend, including the state and national parks, would "ruin the whole area forever"—and even MAGA politicians from the region are against it. Yet Trump is marching forward. www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
texasmonthly.com
Even MAGA Republicans Hate Plans to Put a Border Wall in Big Bend
Virtually no one, it seems, thinks a physical barrier in the region is a good idea. The Trump administration is rushing to build one anyway.
101
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
NEW from me: The abruptness with which Islamophobia reemerged in the past year or so suggests something deeply cynical. The border's quiet and the trans panic has waned. Time to bring back an old bogeyman for the mid-terms. www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
texasmonthly.com
Burning Qurans and Banning Sharia Yet Again: Inside the Texas GOP’s Anti-Muslim Campaigning
With national prospects looking bleak for Republicans heading into the midterms, the party has dusted off an old bogeyman.
000
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Drought is extreme in far West Texas and portions of Central and South Texas. Unfortunately things are likely going to get worse before they get better. Drought is expected to intensify across almost all the state, with below-average precip expected through May.
010
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Rivers and creeks are also in bad shape, particularly in West and Central Texas. The red dots represents stream gages where flow is currently at or below the 10th percentile for this time of year. E.g. Parts of the Pedernales and Guadalupe are barely a trickle and are setting record lows.
100
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
This isn't a chart per se, but here's today's reading at the J-17 well, the well used as an index for the health of the Edwards Aquifer, the source for most of San Antonio's drinking water and the lifeblood of San Marcos, Comal & Barton Springs. It's about 40 ft below normal for this time of yr.
100
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Most startling to me is Canyon Lake. I grew up fishing/boating here, and Canyon was just incredibly reliable. Now it's in precipitous decline, thanks in part to the insatiable demand of downstream industry. Background: This great @dylanbaddour.bsky.social story www.texastribune.org/2025/01/23/t...
100
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
If you zoom into individual reservoirs, the problem looks even more acute. E.g. Lake Amistad, a massive impoundment on the Rio Grande near Del Rio, has never been this low. Mexico's water debt plays a big part, but so does persistent drought & the slow death of the Rio as a viable river system.
100
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
As we transition into an unseasonably hot and dry spring, let's look at the state of Texas' water supply—a looming calamity told in charts. Reservoirs on three of the state's major river basins (Nueces, Guadalupe, and Rio Grande) are at or near all-time lows.
111
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
We get a taste of what life was like in the Middle Ages and the response from some of these guys is "More of that!"
000
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
God bless the Texas Legislature. The state is the epicenter of a measles outbreak that has already killed one child and the response from GOP lawmakers is to eliminate mandatory vaccines in schools. capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/...
110
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
The mere filing of legislation has had an impact by signaling to agencies & corporations that they shouldn’t do business w/ media in disfavor. Eg In recent years TX Tribune lost sponsorships from Texas A&M, UT-Austin & Texas State University System. Legislation in ‘23 appears to have played a part.
000
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
NEW from me: National DOGE attacks on the media have reinvigorated attempts in Texas to weaken independent media by using state power to cut off governments doing business with media (advertising, sponsorships, and subscriptions). www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
texasmonthly.com
DOGE Has Reinvigorated the Right-Wing Crusade Against Texas Media
Political operatives want to crush the state’s independent press. They’re using a crude messaging strategy.
141
Reposted by @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 03/03/2025
New from Justin Miller: This state of disaster has been continuously renewed, even as border apprehensions have fallen precipitously. Now four years old, the Texas Legislature has allocated more than $11 billion in funding.
texasobserver.org
Abbott’s Border Disaster Has Created a No-Bid Bonanza for Private Contractors
There is now a powerful, well-heeled constituency that has built up around Operation Lone Star.
1615183
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
And now this: www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
texasmonthly.com
“Terrible, Thoughtless, and Reckless”: Inside the Firings at Big Bend National Park
Tourists are flocking to the 1,252 square miles of rugged terrain, where visitor safety is a primary concern. DOGE just slashed five employees from the already understaffed park.
000
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
Sicich is the antithesis of a lazy federal worker. Before she was fired, she was essentially working two jobs at the refuge, and had grown deeply attached to the land. “Even on my days off, I would come out here and just go birdwatching... It’s really not just work—it’s a place I want to be.”
020
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
NEW from me: Bianca Sicich, a 30-year-old Texan, was abruptly fired by DOGE two weeks ago. She's so dedicated to protecting the endangered Attwater prairie chicken that she's been working her federal job at a Texas ntl wildlife refuge *without pay* ever since. www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
texasmonthly.com
After Elon Musk Fired Her, She Kept Showing Up to Work—for Free
The billionaire and his followers are out to cull federal employees they think are lazy and overpaid. But without people like Bianca Sicich, the Attwater’s prairie chicken could go extinct.
42414
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
I accidentally added another 'e' to my email sign-off — 'beset' — and I think I might keep it...
030
Reposted by @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social
Alicia Maria Orta @aliciamariaorta.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
more than a year ago, the TM editorial staff concluded that we needed to cover this disaster in our backyard in the same way were then covering the uvalde shooting: with human depth and mightily resourced reporting. i’m so proud to see that effort come to fruition today.
1105
Reposted by @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
NEW from me: How an argument over backyard swimming lessons sent a gated community in Dripping Springs off the deep end. A question I tried to answer, and probably failed: How does a fight over almost nothing turn into a fight over everything? www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
texasmonthly.com
The Neighborhood Spat That Went Nuclear
How an argument over backyard swimming lessons sent a gated community off the deep end.
013
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
They wanted to take us back to the 19th century and now they've got it www.chron.com/news/houston...
chron.com
Unvaccinated West Texas child is first measles death amid surging outbreak
A child hospitalized with measles in West Texas has died. It's the first death in an outbreak that began last month.
000
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
NEW from me: How an argument over backyard swimming lessons sent a gated community in Dripping Springs off the deep end. A question I tried to answer, and probably failed: How does a fight over almost nothing turn into a fight over everything? www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
texasmonthly.com
The Neighborhood Spat That Went Nuclear
How an argument over backyard swimming lessons sent a gated community off the deep end.
013
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 09/02/2025
Texas beating South Carolina is my Super Bowl #hookem
010
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
First glance read this as “Daniel Perry”— the Army captain who was convicted of murder for shoot and killing a BLM protester in Austin and was then pardoned by Greg Abbott — but it’s hard to keep ‘em all straight. Hey it’s America and there is more than one killer vet named Daniel blessed by elites.
000
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
today, i talked to a W. Texas county judge, who began the conversation by telling me a story. once, she worked at a hospital where she had to often call out unusual patient names. One kid was named "Sssst." the judge winged it: 'ssss-t?" The mom about took her head off. "It's pronounced 'Forrest'!"
000
Reposted by @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social
anna walsh @annamccachren.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
This reminds me of @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social and @dansolomon.com’s piece in @texasmonthly.bsky.social in 2023 ranking right-wing Texas photo ops at the border www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
texasmonthly.com
Who Wore It Best? We Rate Politicians on Their Border Photo Ops
Rick Perry rides a gunboat. Ted Cruz goes militiaman. Ron DeSantis and George P. Bush try their best.
0134
forrest4thetrees.bsky.social @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
let's do this, i guess
030