Record Rats Amarillo College Ceniza Trip 2004 Environmental Site Assessment Phase I Continued

About ESA ESA stands for Environmental Site Assessment There are three phases in ESA – Phase I: Search for potential problems through research, interviews, and on-site investigation – Phase II: Test for problems and possible solutions – Phase III: Solves and fixes the problems

You are here x Coordinates: Main House- 30N 23.44’ 98W 0.82’ ’ Lower Cabin- 30N ’ 98W 0.886’ Upper Cabin- 30N ’ 98W 0.897’ Gate House- 30N ’ 98W 0.931’

History of Land ( ) : Property changes hands six times : Property changes hands six times 1926: Walterspec Grimmer relieves debt by deeding land parcels to Mary K. Schneider 1926: Walterspec Grimmer relieves debt by deeding land parcels to Mary K. Schneider (value $2.00/acre)

The Main House  J. P. Schneider purchased main house from Jacob Brown for $35.00  In 1940, the house was moved to its current location from Thurman Bend.  The upstairs and master bedroom were added in  The necessities of life (air conditioning, plumbing, etc.) were added in 1980.

The Upper and Lower Cabins  These cabins share a sewage system.  They also have the same utilities.  They do not run off the same power, but they do have the same source.

The Gate House  This house runs on its own sewage system.  It is isolated from the other cabins, and is located near the front gate.

We think the septic tank is underground in this vicinity because there is a depression in the ground. This shed might contain chemicals detrimental to the environment.

History of Lazy J ( )  1941: Ire Puryear gave easement to LCRA  1942: Puryear sells land to Robinson  1947: James T. Robison sold to Alden Davis  1957: Davis Estate sells to Dorothy Pouch Dunning  ?: Dorothy Pouch Dunning sold to G. Charles Childre  1960: Childre sells to Marvin Bell

 1960: Bell conveys acreage north of subdivision to Childre. (The other acres made up Siesta Shores Subdivision.)  1960: Ruth Childre sells to Dean and Virginia Johnston

At Ann and Leonard’s  This is the septic system at the Lazy J house. It is fairly new and does not need to be replaced.  The Lower Colorado River Authority closely monitors water usage in this area.

Intents and Purposes  Obtain old tax records through 2004  Find abstracts for original land grants  Investigate deed restrictions for new developments All of the above should be found at the Austin History Center. Hours of operation from AHC web page: Monday-Thursday: 10-9; Friday & Saturday: 10-6; Sunday 12-6

Research

We went to the County Courthouse in search of records and were referred to…

And we were referred to... We went to the Travis County Archives,

We went to the Austin City Library for internet research. Due to technical difficulties, we were referred to...

Due to lack of change and excessive parking charges, we needed to run to the bank.

A possible lead was brought up with tax records, but more information was needed for cross- referencing. These facts were only available at...

Due to continued difficulties, we decided a break for lunch was in order.

Asian cuisine with a twist

Natural Disasters Floods Floods Tornadoes Tornadoes Fires Fires Fire Ants Fire Ants

Floods Major Documented Floods of Lake Travis  July 1869  April 1900  April 1915  September 1921  June 1935  April 1957  October 1960  November 1974  May 1981  December 1991  October 1998

Tornado of 1997

 The tornado blew through in 1997, taking out acres of trees on the property.  It took out the power lines.  Thank God, it didn’t hit any of the houses.

Tornado Alley

F I R E The year after the tornado, 1998, Lynn Mertz set the prairie to the east of the house on fire. The year after the tornado, 1998, Lynn Mertz set the prairie to the east of the house on fire. In the past five years, there have been miscellaneous fires in the region, but the cause remains unknown. In the past five years, there have been miscellaneous fires in the region, but the cause remains unknown.

Photographs of a few burned trees. The cause of the fire is still unknown. There is no record of serious damage caused by a fire on Ceniza property.

Fire Ants Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta) are a noisome pestilence. They kill small mammals (mice, people, etc…). Fire ants came to Alabama with a shipment of bananas from Brazil around The poison Myrex allowed them to increase in numbers.

Dr. Larry Gilbert at Aggieland (whoop!) has been studying a natural predatory fly-like parasite, Caenocholax fenyesi, whose larvae feeds on fire ants and is used to organically control fire ants. Diatomaceous earth, a molasses-dish soap water mix, lizards or other predators may also be used to combat them.

Potential Hazards Chemical spills Pesticides Rust PCB in old transformers Styrofoam Animal droppings Asbestos Sewage leaks

New Developments in the Area The increasing development of the area is having both immediate and lasting effects on the environment. These effects will be studied and documented in future reports.

Recommendations Kill the fire ants. Replace septic systems. Reduce arthropod vectors.

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