 In this Issue:
What an incredible turnout for New Year's Day! The 2026 SOS Polar Bear Splash was out of this world, and we were thrilled to see so many familiar faces (and MANY more new ones) in community at Barton Springs. An estimated 4,000 people moved through the park over the course of the morning, and participated in the community jump at 9:30am. That moment may go down as one of the greatest spectacles we have witnessed in recent springs' history. There was a shared charge in the air, the kind that makes a moment feel unforgettable.  That’s always been the magic of this day. People from every background show up together, side by side, to start the year with courage and joy of the shared ritual of washing off the old year and welcoming the new. Multiple generations of family trudging in together, gaggles of friends, and plenty of solo dippers who show up brave and leave smiling. One of our favorite sights was a group of women who arrived dressed to the nines before taking the plunge.  A huge thank you to our hardworking volunteers that showed up for the mayhem on a national holiday! Thanks to Epoch and Barrett’s for donating more than 10 gallons of fresh coffee early that morning, powering up the thousands of sleepy-eyed people arriving for their New Year's tradition. This year, Flavor on Wheels food truck also rolled up with Korean-Mexican treats for the masses. We are so grateful for community partners who show up, literally before dawn, to make moments like this even better. Big thanks as well to Porkchop Screenprinting for printing our commemorative Polar Bear Splash shirts!
Because of your support, we are fully energized to kick off the year strong. And we will need that energy. There are several critical fights ahead that require immediate attention, including the proposed MoPac South expansion over the Recharge Zone and a wave of massive water and energy guzzling data center developments targeting Central Texas.
Thank you for starting the year with us in cool water, good company, and shared purpose. We’re grateful you’re here, and we’re ready for what’s ahead. Onward Into 2026, SOS Alliance  New Year’s Day is this Thursday, which means it’s almost time for one of Austin’s great traditions: the SOS Polar Bear Splash at Barton Springs Pool. For decades, this has been our way of washing off the old year and starting the new one grounded and reinvigorated. It’s joyful, it’s refreshing, and this year, it’s exactly what we all need. WHO Everyone is welcome! WHERE Barton Springs Pool WHEN Thursday, January 1st. SOS staff & volunteers on site: 8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. (front and back gates). Community group jump: 9:30 a.m. WHAT Celebrate the New Year and the Soul of Our City. Free coffee & donuts from local legends Epoch and Barrett’s, plus find out ways to get involved with SOS. Flavor on Wheels food truck at the back gate. Cool 2026 commemorative SOS t-shirts available for $30 supports our work (both gates)  The Polar Bear Splash is about showing up for the springs and for one another. We are fortunate to live in a city where a spring-fed pool still flows through the heart of town, and that doesn’t happen by chance. The soul of Austin endures because we choose again and again to protect it. On New Year’s Day, we come together not only to celebrate, but to recommit -- to organizing, to stewardship, and to keeping our home waters safe and clean.
A quick and important note: the Polar Bear Splash will not have lifeguards on duty. It is swim at your own risk. Barton Springs is 70 degrees year-round with a natural (slippery) bottom, and we expect the air temperature to be about the same. If you have health concerns or limited swimming ability, please proceed with caution, or come be part of the fun hillside. There are plenty of ways to participate without getting in the water. This is a chance to reconnect with neighbors, with the springs, and with the work ahead. We’ll be sharing updates on how to get involved with Save Our Springs Alliance in 2026. If you do take the plunge, we recommend bringing a warm robe and beanie, and of course grabbing a screen-printed commemorative shirt to throw on after your New Year's dip. We can't wait to see you there! SOS Alliance
 Having clean, fresh and flowing water is a right for humans and for nature. Together we can save our springs. We hope to see you at Barton Springs on New Year's Day for coffee, donuts, and a plunge into the best swimming hole in Texas! With gratitude, Bill Bunch, Executive Director, Save Our Springs Alliance P.S. Be sure to check out our newly wrapped SalaVander at the Springs, and watch for our 2026 schedule of eco-tours, classes, and community events.   Whether you made a gift this year, volunteered your time, raised your voice when we called for action, or have been standing with Save Our Springs from the beginning, you’re part of a community that shows up for Central Texas waters. At a time when our water, our public lands, and even our democratic institutions face unprecedented pressure, you choose to stay engaged, and that choice matters. Your support matters, too. Please consider including Save Our Springs Alliance in your end-of-year giving.  This year, in the face of relentless development pressure and our increasingly strained aquifer levels, your support delivered real, measurable protection for the Texas Hill Country. Here is some of what we accomplished together in 2025: Education at the Heart of Lasting Change
Advocacy That Lifts Community Voices
Legal Action That Protects Water, Wildlife, and People
Thanks to supporters like you, 2025 was one of the most ambitious years in SOS’s 33-year history. As 2025 comes to a close, an end-of-year, tax-deductible gift to Save Our Springs Alliance helps ensure we enter 2026 prepared to protect our home waters, precious wildlife, and access to direct democracy. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Best Wishes for the New Year! We can’t wait to celebrate with you at the Polar Bear Splash on New Year’s Day at Barton Springs Pool :) With gratitude and hope for the year ahead, Save Our Springs Alliance   Speak Up Now to Defend the Endangered Species Act!
The federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed in 1973 with broad bipartisan support to protect the ecosystems that endangered and threatened species depend on and to conserve these species. Despite surveys showing that nearly 84% of Americans continue to express support for the ESA, political plans to weaken the landmark environmental statute are underway by changing several of the rules that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) uses to implement the ESA by limiting protections for species listed in the future and infusing political bias into the agency’s processes. You have the power to stand with SOS and the endangered species we share our home with by submitting comments at the links below by 11PM on December 22nd and reminding the FWS that the ESA mandates that decisions be made on the “best scientific information,” not politics. Below are brief summaries of the proposed rule changes and instructions on how to comment for each one. Updated Regulation on Listing Species as Threatened Currently under the ESA, with a few exceptions, species that are listed as threatened rather than endangered automatically receive almost all of the same protections that endangered species do. Such an approach gives threatened species immediate and important protections that will hopefully allow their populations to recover. However, the proposed regulation seeks to make the exception the rule and under the new regulation, every newly listed threatened species would need the FWS to take additional action to set out any prohibitions designed to protect the species; threatened species will no longer automatically receive many of the same protections as endangered species, and under the new rule it would be up to FWS to decide what those protections would be. Unfortunately, these species specific rules are unlikely to be adequate, will leave threatened species unprotected from harassment and other forms of harm, and will take a long time to develop and finalize. This rule’s proposals related to threatened species could impact SOS’s work in getting new salamander species listed if the FWS decides to list the Pedernales River springs salamander or Lipan salamander as threatened instead of endangered. If that happened, it would no longer be a guarantee that the salamanders would quickly receive adequate protections. To comment on this rule and tell the FWS that threatened species need to be protected just as much as endangered species, go to this link and fill out the form. Updated Regulation for Designating Critical Habitat When listing a species as endangered, the FWS often designates critical habitat for a species (critical habitat is habitat areas that are especially important for conserving a species) and any area designated as critical habitat receives special protections under the ESA. While the FWS is allowed to take into account the economic and national security impacts of a critical habitat designation, the critical habitat designation is supposed to be based on the best available science and prioritize the conservation of species in line with the purpose of the ESA. But the new proposed critical habitat designation rule directs FWS to give more weight to the opinions of industry when deciding whether to exclude areas from a new critical habitat designation and encourages the FWS to rely on unreliable sources of information to find that the economic impact of a critical habitat designation outweighs the benefits. Since habitat loss is one of the main causes of extinction, regulations that limits or make habitat protection more difficult under the ESA are untenable. This rule could impact SOS’s work by making it more difficult to get a critical habitat designation for the salamander species that will be listed under the ESA in the future, like the Pedernales River springs salamander and the Lipan salamander. To comment on this rule and urge the FWS to keep politics out of endangered species conservation, go to this link and fill out the form. Updated Regulation on Unoccupied Critical Habitat This proposed rule will also impact how FWS designates critical habitat moving forward by directing the agency to no longer consider designating any currently unoccupied but historic range as critical habitat. This change represents a missed opportunity to protect historic habitat and give species a chance to recover during a time of rapid habitat loss. The proposed rule also invites the agency to make findings that the designation of critical habitat is not prudent on a more frequent basis, a move that leaves endangered species without important habitat protections. This same rule also makes changes to the regulations on listing and delisting species by proposing to limit the phrase “foreseeable future” as it is used in the definition of endangered and threatened species. This could limit how impacts like climate change and resultant shifting species distributions are taken into account when listing a species. The proposed rule also will remove the regulatory language prohibiting the consideration of economic impacts when deciding whether to list a species. To comment on this rule and remind the FWS that protecting habitat is key to protecting endangered species, go to this link and fill out the form. Updated Rules on Section 7 Consultations A key protection under the ESA happens under section 7 of the statute which requires federal agencies to consult with the FWS for any federal actions that may affect an endangered or threatened species to ensure that federal actions do not harm listed species or critical habitat. The proposed rule would limit which impacts are considered and how the impacts are considered during the course of a section 7 consultation. The changes would direct FWS to not consider many indirect, cumulative, or climate-driven effects from being considered. This change could impact SOS’s work by making it more difficult to get TXDOT, CTRMA, and the FWS to take impacts from highway expansion on the Bartons Springs and Austin Blind salamanders into account and provide adequate protections for the species. To comment on this rule and demand that FWS continue to take the impacts to endangered species from federal projects seriously, go to this link and fill out the form. Thank you for submitting comments on these important issues! Our voices matter and can help to ensure continued protections for endangered and threatened species. Please also consider donating to SOS to support our work protecting threatened and endangered species in the Texas Hill Country.  PBS 2024 photo by Carli Rene @inkedfingers Austin, TX — Start your New Year with a splash—and a celebration of clean water! Join Save Our Springs Alliance on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2026, at Barton Springs Pool for the annual SOS Polar Bear Splash, a cherished Austin tradition that has brought the community together for over 30 years. From 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., SOS staff and volunteers will greet guests at both the front gate near the Philosopher’s Rock and the back parking lot entrance. Don’t miss the community group jump at 9:30 a.m., the perfect way to wash off the old year and dive into 2026 with energy, fun, and purpose. For more than three decades, Save Our Springs Alliance has been at the forefront of protecting Barton Springs, the Edwards Aquifer, and Central Texas waterways. This iconic event is a joyous celebration of the community resilience, environmental stewardship, and clean water advocacy that SOS has championed since 1992. As Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea says, “SOS is the reason we can still swim in Barton Springs today.” Participants can warm up with coffee and donuts, grab a 2026 commemorative t-shirt, and connect with the people and programs that keep Austin’s waters safe. Special appearances will include Commissioner Brigid Shea at 10:00 a.m. and local artist and muralist Fabian Rey at 12:00 noon at the north gate.
Whether you’re a longtime supporter, a first-time jumper, or just looking for a unique way to kick off the year, the SOS Polar Bear Splash is the perfect way to celebrate Austin’s natural treasures and the people who protect them. Come make a splash, meet your community, learn how to get involved, and greet 2026 with Save Our Springs Alliance. Mark your calendar:
Part of what truly sets Save Our Springs apart —and what keeps Barton Springs flowing— is our stellar legal team. We are the only local nonprofit with full-time staff of attorneys dedicated to water quality. On a day built around radical generosity, it’s worth reflecting on what our community makes possible. Here are just a few examples of how SOS defends the aquifer and the public’s right to know: 
These are just a few of the numerous cases and projects that require painstaking expertise from our legal team. Often, it means returning to court again and again, making sure the laws voters passed are honored and the Springs remain protected.
If Barton Springs has touched your life, if you swim here, hike nearby, or simply care about access to clean water and accountable government, your Giving Tuesday gift matters. Give today. Keep the Springs flowing. Keep Austin leaders accountable. For the love of clean water, Save Our Springs Alliance Legal Team
Prior to going, I didn't know a ton about the ecosystem, but after (Barton Springs University) gaining a better understanding of what SOS does to protect Edwards Aquifer, I knew I wanted to get involved in any way that I could. With the knowledge I have gained from BSU and the experience of working for SOS I have decided to pursue a degree in Environmental Science so I will be able to continue working to protect the natural world. ” -- Fin Kirsch, former BSU attendee → SOS intern → Environmental Science major 
Your Giving Tuesday gift ensures we can bring even more students to Barton Springs next year, remove financial barriers for our struggling school districts, expand hands-on learning throughout the year, and empower the next generation of water protectors. Thank you for helping young people fall in love with and safeguard Central Texas for years to come. With gratitude, Save Our Springs Alliance 
Between now and December 31, your year-end gift will directly strengthen our ability to protect Central Texas waters by: > Mobilizing people for water, land, and community. From pushing for transparency and public participation to challenging harmful projects, we fight for the policies and practices that keep our waters safe. > Legally defending the springs and public process. Our legal team returns to court again and again to enforce the voter‑approved SOS Ordinance and open-government laws, upholding more than 30 years of protections for the Edwards Aquifer and Barton Springs. > Turning curiosity into lasting stewardship. We educate thousands of locals and visitors alike to understand our region's unique underground karst geology, how it feeds our springs, and why our collective action and conservation matter.  Thank you for standing with us, and for the springs. And thank you for believing that the natural heart of Austin is worth protecting, especially now.
With gratitude, Save Our Springs Alliance  Two weeks ago Austin voters rejected the City Council's Prop Q tax hike by a near 2-to-1 majority. As the Austin Free Press observed, the vote amounted to a "constituent revolt," revealing a major rift between Austin voters and the 10 council members who campaigned for the measure. (Only District 10 Councilmember Marc Duchen opposed.) In post-election messages, Mayor Watson and his 9 allies insisted they now "trust the voters," vowing to move promptly toward "transparency" and "fiscal accountability." Do you believe them?
If they really cared about any of these values, they would immediately (a) release all the convention center information they are keeping secret, (b) stop the project, and (c) put the 30-year, $5.6 billion convention center commitment on the ballot for voters to decide. Sadly, they are not likely to do this. By setting a hasty schedule to adopt an adjusted budget, with back-to-back meetings this week, the Mayor and Council show little interest in revisiting the biggest and most wasteful items in their budget. Nor is there any meaningful opportunity to hear and consider public input on a budget that reflects the council's "trust the voters," "transparency," and "fiscal accountability" pledge. The largest and most harmful expenditure in the City's budget is a new $5.6 billion convention center. And it's not just a waste in this year's budget but a 30-year anchor around the necks of Austin voters. Widely reported as a $1.6 billion project, that's just the projected but-not-final upfront construction cost: it excludes 30 years of interest payments to bond buyers (money exported from the city) and 30 years of annual operating losses in the tens of millions. The $5.6 billion "all in" cost estimate is in writing from the Austin Convention Center Department. So what about that wake-up call from election day? Here's where we are today on these three Council pledges. One -- "don't trust the voters -- the Mayor and council are refusing to let Austin voters vote on the $5.6 billion, 30-year commitment. This refusal led to an SOS-endorsed petition drive to force the 30 year project onto the ballot. Last Friday, the City doubled down on this refusal, claiming the petition filed by Austin United PAC was 400 votes short of the 20,000 voter signatures required by the City Charter to force an election on the issue. Two -- "secrecy is the new transparency" -- After first promising to provide the details of how they estimated the $5.6 billion 30-year costs and revenue requirements "as soon as possible," City Convention Center staff are now saying this essential information will be kept secret until 2027. And now, after promising to provide the details of the City Clerk's "random sample" count of 25% of the more than 25,000 voter signatures submitted "as quickly as possible," The City Attorney's office is claiming some of the information will be kept secret. Three -- "fiscal accountability" is like "affordability," the Mayor and Council's definition is very different from that of the voters and what you find in the dictionary. If you have seen The Magic Hole 19-minute documentary, you know that building a giant new convention center in 2025 for more than $5 billion is a worst case scenario of wasting public funds that rightfully belong to what we and visitors love and that we are losing -- live music, arts, local businesses, and "nature-in-the-city" parks and waters. Since Austin United PAC's petition team validated over 21,000 of the signatures before the petition was filed with the city, we do not accept the City Clerk's sample count as valid. It's a simple fact issue of whether there are, in fact, at least 20,000 signatures City of Austin voters. We will try to resolve the disagreement amicably, but will pursue legal action if necessary. |
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