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Did You Know?BWy Connie McFall Clarkhat is now the Honey Creek State Natural Area consisting of 2,293.7 acres is located by theGuadalupe State Park off State Hwy 46 and Park Road 31 in Spring Branch. Early settlers to the area included the Doeppenschmidts from Bavaria who were among the German immigrants who came with Prince Carl von Solms-Braunfels to settle in Central Texas. They began to homestead in the Honey Creek area in 1866.Over the years, members of the Doeppenschmidt family acquired several parcels of land, including what would become Honey Creek Ranch. The various parcels were consolidated under the ownership of Adam Doeppenschmidt in 1894. He sold the land to Otto Weidner and Fred Rust in 1910. The Weidners workedMayor’s Cornerthe tracts of Honey Creek Ranch until 1971. They then sold the property to W. O. Bartle, Jr., of Houston.Honey Creek State Natural Area is a protected piece of land harboring plants and animals nurtured by a 1.5-mile spring- fed creek. In the limestone throughout the natural area, visitors can find fossils of sea creatures alive 125 million years ago when the area was underwater. Chipped stone tools are all that remain of early people who roamed the Edwards Plateau region. Native American tribes later gathered in this place, as evidenced by other artifacts found on the property.Texas Parks & Wildlife Department acquired part of the natural area from the Texas Nature Conservancy in 1985 and the rest from a private individual in 1988. Honey Creek opened for limited access in 1985.Access to Honey Creek is only through the Guadalupe State Park entrance and by guided tour. The tours and programs begin at the Rust House located in the State Park. At the scenic overlook, Spanish moss in the live oaks and Ashe junipers don’t hinder the view of Honey Creek as it winds through bald cypress trees and ferns far below the overlook. The end of the tour takes visitors on a walk by the pristine and peaceful creek. https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/honey- creeksurface of what we can do. Here are a few. • Know your daily usage – the average household in Texas consumes over 200 gallons per day. Compare your usage to the average. If you’re on a well, consider putting in a meter and tracking your usage • Take shorter showers –• Consolidate laundry loads• Run the dishwasher with full loads• Teach our kids the importance of water conservation and what they can do to help, like not leaving the faucet running when brushing their teeth or washing their handsContact me at connieclark. conniecanwrite@gmail.com to provide historical events, people and places that our readers would be interested in.Connie McFall Clarkspotlights historical and human interest stories from the area. www.conniecanwrite.com• Consider rainwater catchment – a typical 2000 sf home can capture as much as 2500 gallons of water from 1” of rain.Please, continue to conserve this most precious natural resource!Spring Branch Mayor James MayerContact Info info@cityofspringbranch. orgDrought or No Drought?By Mayor James MayerNo question that we saw significant improvement with the recent rains. My weather station recorded nearly10”betweenJune1andJuly31.That’s more rain than we’ve seen in some recent full years! Canyon Lake jumped from 45% full to 69% in a matter of a week or two. And the drought monitor shows Comal County out of the two highest levels of drought.So, we can all relax and go back to our pre-drought water usage, right? Not so fast...we’re still a long way from done with this drought. While improved, all of Comal County is still in some level of drought. The last time Canyon Lake was 69% full was September of 2023 and has fallen steadily each month until July 2025. Water well monitors on the Trinity aquifer showed a positive response to the June and July rains but are already starting to trend back down.We can’t lose sight of how quickly this vital resource can disappear, and weStrategies For Students Facing Challenging Classescan’t afford to abandon the conservation practices that helped to sustain us through these past 3 years. Everyone has a role in conserving water. Outdoor watering restrictions only scratch they Staff BElook back fondly on the years spent in the hallowed halls of their alma maters. High school might be the last step before learning a trade career or serve as four years of preparation for college. Either way, it is important to get good grades.Continually challenging oneself with coursework can help students get the most out of their academic careers. General level classes are often taken freshman year and honors classes sophomore year. Students may then decide to enroll in advanced placement or dual enrollment classes as an upperclassman. As students continue to push themselves and classes get harder, they may have to revise their approach in order to excel. These guidelines can help students continue to be successful.• Establish a solid foundation. The first step towards success in any class is gaining a solid understanding of the basics, says Stemly Tutoring. If there are gaps in foundational knowledge, assignments and tests can be particularly difficult as the coursework becomes harder. Routinely reviewingvery student takes something unique from their high school experience, and many eventually$125 OFFCleaning Is A BIG Deal To Us.TMTry MaidPro today and sweep up this$25 OFF YOUR 2ND, 4TH, AND 6THCLEANINGS Reference Stone Oak Highlights and also receive a FREE Fridgeor oven Clean! $50 value.Use Code: BSBHL125Kim Folden -OwnerCall 210-664-4884 or visit maidpro.com/stone-oakprevious material and ensuring that the fundamental concepts are mastered is essential.• Practice active learning. Active learning involves engaging with the material in a way that goes beyond passively reading texts. Ideas include formulating questions, quizzing classmates, explaining the material to others as a teacher would, and writing down key words and topics so they are more likely to be remembered.• Focus on time management. In high school, five or more classes run concurrently Strategies- continued on page 64www.bsbhighlights.comSeptember 2025