Save Our Scenic Hill Country Environment

Save Our Scenic Hill Country Environment (SOSHCE) was organized by a group of landowners, business people and other concerned citizens who are committed to sensible development in our beautiful Texas Hill Country. We were formed as a response to wind energy development activity in Gillespie County. We believe strongly that industrial wind energy development and the directly related transmission system additions do not make sense in Gillespie and surrounding counties due to:

the aesthetics and natural beauty of the Texas Hill Country
the economic value that our area derives from tourism and smart growth
the reduction of land values that inevitably follows the construction of wind farms
the sensitive environmental integrity of our area (including birds, bats and other wildlife)
the fact that ours is a low-wind area

Based on a number of factors including the heavy reliance on government subsidies and questionable long term sustainability, we question whether wind development makes sense in other parts of Texas even where they have good wind resource and more compatible land use.

SOSHCE believes that the challenge for the future will be to ensure that industrial wind development and the directly related transmission system additions that could potentially affect the Hill Country are made only if they make sense from all aspects.

Key aspects include environmental, historic, scenic, land use, efficiency and economics

The on-going involvement of landowners, local and state officials and organizations will continue to be critically important.

SOSHCE will continue its efforts that include providing pertinent information to concerned parties.

Directors

The Directors are: Errol Candy, Dale Geistweidt, Dennis Kusenberger, Chuck Mauldin, Peter Mear, Lee Harbin, John Pipkin, Michele Thompson, Robert Weatherford, Kyle Frey and Tim Lehmberg.

Officers

President: Dale Geistweidt, Vice President: Errol Candy, Secretary/Treasurer: Chuck Mauldin.