On the record is brought to you by Steve and Adele Dufilho San Antonio is a fast growing, fast moving city with something new happening every day.

We have a lot.

That's why each week we go on the record with Randy Beamer and the newsmakers who are driving this change.

Then we gather at the Reporters Roundtable to talk about the latest news stories with the journalist behind those stories.

Join us now as we go on the Record with Randy Beamer.

Hi, everybody, and thank you for joining us for this edition of On the Record.

Now that school's out.

Summertime is here.

You might want to get out around San Antonio more and check out places like Phil Hart, Burger Park and the Big Land Bridge over Wurzburg Parkway.

The Robert Louis Tobin Land Bridge officially.

Joining us to tell us about exactly what's going on there and how many animals you're finding these days, The research is K.C.

Cowan, a Parks naturalist with the San Antonio Parks and Rec Department.

Thank you very much for coming in.

Thanks for having me.

So you've been doing some research on what the land bridge has brought us since it opened in December of 2020.

What are you finding?

So we have documented 16 different species of animals.

Now, I'll preface that with I have not looked at every single picture.

There are a lot of those ones that I've reviewed.

I've identified 16 different species and they're all your usual suspects that you would suspect.

There was one unusual thing that we found, and that would be the access deer that's living in Hart Burger Park.

We suspect I've seen her in person one time and I've caught her on the camera.

So it's the access to literally one.

Right.

Which is sort of unusual behavior for access.

They tend to be more gregarious.

So they live in herds of usually like ten or more.

But this doe is always by herself when I see her.

And so I joke that she's like this bachelorette living in Hart Burger Park.

And Coyote is and of course, the land bridge is because there are two parts of Hart Burger Park that had been separated by the big words BLOCK Parkway.

And you wanted to get the different populations of animals to be together or.

Yeah, right.

So it serves multiple purposes moving people from one side to the other, moving wildlife from one side to the other.

Because before they were a little more isolated.

And when you isolate populations of animals, you can have an increased risk and genetic diversity declining, which can decrease the robustness of populations.

Right.

So when you make that habitat, habitat connectivity, you increase the flow of the animals to and from each other and different habitats, areas where they can access food, water and the space.

And while we say land, bridge and people can get across, you can't drive across and.

People don't drive across.

And you can't really see.

But there is a a walkway up above the vegetation and that's steel.

And it's just basically for walking.

Yes.

So I think you're referring to the skywalk.

Skywalk?

Yep.

The skywalk is another way to access the top of the bridge.

And so it's on the west side.

The east side, I'm sorry, of Heartbreaker Park.

So you can go you can get to it from either side.

But yeah, it gently climbs up the canopy up to the top of the land bridge where you and then you can also come on either side on the main trail.

And this was the first in the country when this opened.

And how, how deep is that land and what kind of vegetation does it support?

Are we going to see big, big trees?

The trees are not huge yet.

That they did.

We're able to save a lot of the natural vegetation around a bridge, but had to do a lot of clearing for construction and everything.

But there were tons of trees planted on the bridge, which we hope will, you know, bring that forest canopy on eventually.

There were all native plants planted, so there's lots of different grasses and forms and if you go there now, it's just amazing how much the vegetation has grown even in the past year.

In fact, the cameras that I have out are having a hard time seeing having a clear line of sight because there's so much vegetation.

What kind of cameras are out there and what are you seeing?

A time lapse as well as using artificial intelligence to sift through all those images?

Yes.

So the cameras that we have out are programable.

They run from about an hour before sunset all throughout the night and then an hour after sunrise.

So they're catching activity When animals are most active, they're only taking images.

And so what we're looking at is, are the wildlife using the bridge in totality or are they going from one side to the other or are they coming up to the bridge utilizing some resources and then going back to where they came from?

So this is a newer design concept, this mixed use land bridge.

And so there's not a lot of science pertaining to how wildlife use mixed use land bridges because they're used for people and wildlife.

Right.

Most of the wildlife crossings in the world, in North America are just that for wildlife.

So most of the science that you find is just for those specific wildlife crossings.

And what else are you finding through the artificial intelligence to make it easier for you to find these images?

Right.

So we process a lot of images.

Before we had the Programable cameras in just two days, we were getting 22,000 images on just two cameras.

So you're sitting there and fast forwarding or possible?

Impossible.

Right?

So now we have the programable cameras.

We get better quality images, meaning more of wildlife, less of those erroneous things we're not interested in.

And so we use this AI model called the mega detector.

We send the images to our contact with the mega detector.

They run them through the model, and that shoots back a file of the images that have bounding boxes around the subjects that we're interested in.

So that's the things that they can see are people, animals and vehicles.

And you're going to be having some of those photos where on the website.

There are photos you can find on the Phil Hart Burger Park Conservancy's website, as well as the Parks Department's Instagram and Facebook pages.

Yeah.

All right.

Well, thank you very much.

Does the access there have a name?

She doesn't have a name.

Well, maybe we should.

Anyway, we think we should.

Thank you very much.

Casey Cowan Parks, naturalist with the San Antonio Parks and Rec Department.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Over the spring, we've had kind of a kinder and gentler drought.

You could say a little cooler than last year, a little Rainier and you'll be able to save some money as we go into the summer because SaaS is offering some rebates, some coupons, some cash for you.

Joining us to tell us all about that, as Karen goes with the San Antonio water system, thank you very much for coming in.

Thanks for having me.

Now, tell us about this rebate rewards program for switching out some of the water guzzling plants for something else.

Well, a lot of people are motivated after last summer, last summer with a rough summer to even keep grass going, especially if it was in the full baking hot sun.

If you wanted to keep grass grow.

If you wanted it right.

So a lot of people are just over it and they are looking for other opportunities.

We have a whole website we've created to help people because we are unique.

South Central Texas is different from a lot of other places in the country, so there's a whole website, garden style, San Antonio dot com.

All things of your options for our diverse plant palette that's available as well as a list of the various education and incentive programs.

We have to help you get that going.

I know you want to stay away from the zero escape word because people are confused.

It's zero.

Right.

And it's also confusing because people think it's rocks or no plants or just cactus.

But what are you trying to encourage that we should do in our yards?

Well, what we are trying to promote to people is think of your landscape holistically.

What are you trying to do with it?

Do you want an outdoor living area that's pervious.

That water can flow through.

We have a rebate outdoor living to help you expand your deck or a patio for that.

If you would like to have less grass and some things that are easier to maintain, we have coupons to help you reduce the cost of that, to get the supplies, the plants basically that you're going to need.

How does that work?

So the way it works is we think of it as saying to people, you know, we're going to take it all on at the same time.

This is a do it yourself program, really.

And if you hire someone, it's going to cost you a lot.

If you're willing to put some sweat equity in, this doesn't cost you too much.

And you want to get rid of grass.

You want to get rid of the grass.

So we recommend thinking of it as 200 square feet at a time.

That's a manageable project over a couple of weekends.

So you pick where you're going to do it.

We even have downloadable designs for you, depending on where you're trying to do it, so you don't have to be a master gardener and figure this out.

We will say, okay, you got a hot area up near your driveway or near the street.

The grass never looks good.

Okay, we've got a plan for that.

You've got a shady area that's too shady for the grass.

We've got some options for you.

And you also have some advice on how to get rid of that grass.

We do.

And then the plants that replace them.

If you spend $30, you'll give them a coupon for $30.

No.

So the way it works is for every 200 square feet of grass that you're going to get rid of and put in something else.

We will give you a $100 coupon, up to eight coupons in the lifetime of your home.

You can get up to four at a time, which is a lot to take on.

But you can apply for up to $400 in coupons to offset the cost of those plants.

It's an instant coupon comes on your phone.

You have options as to where to go shopping.

You go to the cash registers.

But mainly local stores that have local plants.

Right.

So we have fortunately, we have a great green industry here.

And we've got places like Rainbow Gardens, Mill Burgers, the Garden Center fanatics that all accept these coupons and they even have displays set up so that you go straight to these are on the sales list for the plants, for the coupons.

And then they'll redeem that coupon, take $100 off at the cash rate.

And the sweat equity part is getting rid of the grass, which.

Is.

Hard.

That could be what do you do?

So it's not as bad as it sounds.

And you don't have to use chemicals if you don't want to.

So our advice and we have we have articles on this on garden style is to cut it down to the nub, right down to the soil, mow it down.

But you don't need a tiller.

You say, I.

Don't recommend it, especially if you have some of the tenacious grass like Bermuda.

It's tough.

Any little root that's left from that tilling is just going to be happy to come right back.

To the bone.

And what do you do next?

And then you're going to smother it because you're going to deprive it of of what it needs, which is sunlight and oxygen.

So you're mainly at sunlight.

So you're going to get it down to the nub and then you maybe saved up a newspaper.

And people don't have that so much anymore.

So cardboard is good.

Or you can buy rolls of thick brown.

Paper, but not to pin.

It down and.

Moderate barriers say.

Yeah, weed barrier is not what I prefer because you're going to have to cut through that and it's going to make it a little harder long term for water to get down to the roots.

So I've not been a fan of weed barrier personally, and I do find Bermuda Grass is capable of coming right up through it.

So you say you can staple cardboard or newspaper?

Yeah, you can.

How sick.

So pretty thick.

You don't want to have any spaces showing because if you leave a gap, those Bermuda roots are going to find a way to grow right up through it and then spread on top.

So you take that area that you want to eradicate the grass.

And when I say pin it down, you can you can make or buy these U-shaped metal things, steaks basically to pin it down tight.

And the rain won't mess with cardboard or.

It'll eventually disappear into the ground.

So whether you've used newspaper, cardboard or you buy the rolls of thick brown paper that you can order on Amazon can find it, then that over a couple of seasons is going to be gone.

But and then you lay mulch on top of it and we say, wait a while, let that smothering do its work.

And if the grass tries to pick back up, chop it off and smother it, so do that.

20 by ten segment, get rid of the grass.

Right.

Or you do the rewards.

Before you do the coupons, before you buy your plants and want to put them in the ground, make sure that grass is good and gone.

And if you haven't done that and you've already planted still some other all around there, if you possibly can, because the hard part is getting that grass to not come back and try to overwhelm your new plant.

Or if you have a big lawn, what do you want to do?

What do you want to put in plants?

What kind of plants can you get for that $100?

Well, we have a lot of options, fortunately, here in San Antonio, and it depends on the look you want.

If you want a more traditional look, you might choose evergreen plants that are going to have the same look year round.

If you are really into pollinators, you want to encourage those bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Then when on our Web site you can sort by those things and see whether the plants you're looking at are evergreen or they going to be pollinators, what color will they be?

And so full sun shade and you take a look at those options, take a look at the examples we have on the website to pick what suits you and the taste of your home.

Yeah, but you're used to a big green yard.

You carve out a 20 by ten.

Yeah, you have to have mulch in there for that.

Or can you get some of those plants that'll spread and be green, you know, in the sun.

You can change ground, cover.

You know, people sometimes choose things that are ground cover.

Traditional would be Asiatic jasmine.

There are many things beyond that new weird plant is frog fruit.

This is a frog fruit.

Frog fruit is a new one.

People pick or they choose like foot daisy or all kinds of things that will spread over an area.

But often they do say that they want some blooming perennials and they choose things, whether it's, say, Turk's cap flamingo salvia is that are going to bloom down and those is are going to help.

They do a lot of things.

They discourage the weight.

They discourage that grass from trying to come back.

They keep the temperatures more moderate it.

Now the water has to get through that mulch.

But once it does, it's not going to evaporate as.

Quickly and you don't have to water it.

I mean, that's not as much.

So we we advise people you're going to have to water those new baby plants that don't have a big root system.

And also last thing here about idle time, you keep track of whether that actually cuts their water usage.

And on average, it does, especially if you used to have an irrigation system there.

If you do have one, you're not going to need it.

But if you don't cut your water use.

You won't save water.

So the whole point is that these plants need less water than that grass did to look good.

And you won't get coupons anymore.

Well, it's more if you don't plant those plants and take care of it, you won't get coupons.

And you have to send in pictures.

Right.

So you do your project, you upload a picture of it and you're good with us.

But if you don't, then you can't get more.

And then the water police will come.

No, we just won't let you have another coupon.

All right.

Well, thanks very much, Karen.

Good.

Appreciate all the good information about sweat equity.

It.

Thank you.

On our Reporters roundtable, we are going to take an in-depth look at the drama at the state legislature over the past couple of weeks and who knows over the summer.

Joining us to tell us all about it is the primary political correspondent for the Texas Tribune, Patrick Switek.

Thank you very much for coming in.

Thanks for having me.

What what do you make of all this, especially with the property tax special session coming up and the trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton?

The impeachment?

Yeah, what we saw was probably one of the messiest most dramatic ends to a regular legislative session that I've seen in recent history in Texas.

You know, as you pointed out, this regular session coincided the end of it coincided with the impeachment of the attorney general, which is something that doesn't happen every day in the legislature.

But on top of that, we saw state leadership really fail to find common ground and strike last minute deals on a host of priority issues, including property tax relief and border security.

And so that triggered almost an immediate special session that started technically on Monday night.

The governor, basically hours after the regular legislative session ended on Monday, the governor issued a proclamation calling them back for a special session immediately to take up two of those pieces of unfinished business, property taxes and border.

Security and the more conservative Senate it's been versus the less conservative, I guess you'd say, and maybe not moderate House.

Where does the governor stand right now in terms of property taxes and how that deal might work?

Yeah, that's a great question.

We saw the House and the Senate at odds over the best way to deliver property tax relief.

All of the regular legislative session.

I'll try to keep this short and sweet, but basically the Senate, their big proposal was increasing the homestead exemption.

The House's big proposal was tightening appraisal caps.

And now in this special session, the governor sets the agenda.

And what he's done is he said he only wants them to pass legislation focused on what's known as compression, which is basically the state buying down the school district property tax rate, providing state funds to make up for that.

That's why it's called compression, pressing the write down, which is an interesting move by the governor, because in this special session, he's taken off the table, at least on the face of it, the potential for the House and Senate to go back to their corners and fight over those two things that I just described they were fighting over during the regular session, the homestead exemption and the appraisal cap.

And so he's taken an interesting route here in asking them to focus only on passing legislation on one specific method of property tax relief now and.

The attorney general and the trial.

What's the timeline on that?

So the House voted to impeach him in an overwhelming and bipartisan vote on the Saturday before the regular legislative session ended.

It now goes to the Senate where there will be a trial on the last day of the regular session.

The Senate very quickly adopted a resolution that lays out kind of a tentative timeline for how this is going to go in their chamber.

Basically, what's going to happen is the Senate put together a seven member committee that's going to consider a rules of procedure for the trial.

And then on June 20th, that Rules Committee, if you want to call it that, is going to present its recommendations to the full Senate.

And so sometime shortly after that, they will probably finalize what the rules are going to be for the trial.

That's June 20th.

And then they agreed to start the trial no later than August 28.

And now this.

You talk about as messy because I don't I didn't see it coming.

I guess a lot of reporters, even legislators, didn't see it coming, even though when Paxton asked for that $3.3 million in settlement money that triggered an investigation that nobody knew about, the word at least didn't get out.

Correct?

Yes.

So the House general investigating Committee had been probing this since at least March.

But the way that they conduct their business, they only refer to investigative matters as a matter a matter be matter.

See, And so this one was referred to as matter A And so to the public and to the media for months, all we knew was that this committee was investigating something called Matter A, and they did not publicly revealed the content of that investigation until basically just days before voting to impeach.

And nobody talked about it.

It didn't leak, although Paxton seemed like he knew it was going to happen because he kind of took a shot at speaker.

Yeah, so answer both those questions.

It's remarkable.

It did not leak out that this House committee had been investigating the city attorney general for for not just weeks, but months.

It seems like Paxton started getting wind that it was going to become a public issue for him.

And that's why you probably saw him kind of take a preemptive strike against the speaker, call for him to resign, accuse him of being drunk while presiding over the House based on a video clip of the speaker slurring his words from a late night session the Friday before.

So it really all just blew up and became very public and acrimonious very quickly that week.

And he's been defiant about this.

But as you know, there's, what, 20 official charges or something like that.

And there's been, you know, the whistleblowers in the trial.

There will be testimony, public testimony.

And is he expected to sit there and take questions?

He could.

It's it's definitely a possibility.

We don't know for sure if he's going to do that.

But there are going to be witnesses under oath.

There's going to be a, you know, a much more thorough vetting of the allegations against him.

And then it would require a two thirds vote of the Senate to remove him from office.

Going into it, it looks like an uphill battle to reach that to two thirds margin threshold to remove him from office.

There are 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats in the Senate, so two thirds would be 21.

I believe, which means you've got to get all the Democrats, which you could maybe you could probably count on, and then you got to get about half the Republicans, majority of the Republicans in the Senate.

And right now, you know, based on just what we know about the politics of the Republicans in the Senate, that does seem like an uphill battle.

But, you know, it's very early and this is very almost it is unprecedented.

And so it's hard to make predictions.

And it was overwhelming the vote in the House, which I think is also surprising.

Yeah.

In the House you saw 121 of 149 members vote to impeach Paxton.

That included 61 Democrats and 60 Republicans.

So just about as many Republicans as Democrats voted to impeach him.

And there were some, though, in the Senate and the House saying, well, you know, the process, they didn't like the process.

Even Democrats as well as Republicans.

You think that's going to be an issue in the trial or is that kind of behind us now?

I think that is largely behind us because what you're going to see in the Senate is because of this committee they've assembled, the Senate is going to make a very deliberate decision together to approve the rules of the trial.

So there's going to be a lot of focus on how the trial is structured and what just basically the rules of the trial.

So they're going to have to agree to that upfront.

They're going to have to probably be very transparent with each other, with the public about what those rules are going to be.

And so I think to the extent there's going to be process concerns in the Senate, it would be concerns of their own making because they're setting the rules on June 20th.

So I think some of those process concerns should should fade away.

And people wonder about the timeline of the trial and the timeline of the property tax issue for this session.

Do we know what's going to happen?

Basically, no.

I mean, we know that that trial could start no later than August 28th.

We know that the governor has said he's going to call multiple special sessions this summer.

But, you know, sitting here today, we don't know exactly how those timelines are going to overlap.

I mean, I think it's likely that they could overlap, that they could be in special session dealing with legislative issues while also preparing for this trial and maybe even while they're conducting the trial.

Now, those two issues overshadowed, it seemed like everything in the last couple of weeks.

What are some of the big, big stories that you thought were going to be at the end of the session?

And what did we miss?

What happened?

What did the legislature do or not do that we should be concentrating on as well?

Yeah, One of the.

Big leadership priority issues that did get passed during the regular legislative session was the lieutenant governor's big crusade to increase power grid reliability and in his words and mean he that was one of his top priorities this session.

It was basically to incentivize the construction of more natural gas capacity in this in this state so that when the grid is under strain, there's more reserve power.

This is was done at the expense of renewable energy resources this session.

But in any case, that was a big priority.

Lieutenant governor, that got done.

He put out a statement in the final weekend of the session saying he was very satisfied.

He believes that he's delivered on his promise heading into this session to kind of fix the grid, as he as he calls it.

So that was one big thing that got done.

But like I said, I mean, they finished the regular legislative session without deals on a host of issues property taxes, border security, and of course, the governor's signature issue this session, what he calls school choice or providing doubt, diverting taxpayer dollars to let parents take their kids out of public schools.

And they're right back at it.

Instead of a special session just down the road that they have done sometimes in the past.

So you are going to be busier than ever without a vacation?

Definitely.

All right.

Well, thank you very much, Patrick Switek, primary political correspondent for Texas Tribune.

Appreciate it.

And thank you for joining us for this edition of On the Record.

You can always see this show again or download the podcast KLRN dot org.

We'll see you next time.

On the record is brought to you by Steve and Adele Dufilho