From Staff Reports

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North Texas Municipal Water District and C&S Media have teamed up for a #PledgeToPlantSmart Photo Contest to encourage NTMWD customers to plant drought tolerant Texas native or adapted plants for water efficiency.

“Our population is expected to double in the next 50-years and approximately a third of our future water supplies will stem from water conservation and reuse,” says NTMWD’s Denise Hickey. “Planting Texas native and adapted plants in our landscapes is a step in the right direction for water efficiency and because it is not a matter of if, but when we have another drought. Texas native and adapted plants require less water and can survive hot, dry weather conditions.”

To join the #PledgeToPlantSmart Photo Contest, send an original photo of you and/or your family with your favorite Texas native or adapted plant to [email protected]. Check the rules and regulations before submitting.

The photo contest runs August 11-31, 2017. Winning photos will be selected from original submissions, and all entries become the property of the sponsor. One entry per household. Five winning photos will be selected. By participating in the photo contest, entrants release and agree to hold harmless the sponsor and its affiliates, employees, officers and directors, from any and all liability for any claim, loss, damage, or expense resulting from entrant’s participation in contest. Employees of NTMWD and C&S Media are not eligible to win.

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, Texas Rangers Manager Jeff Banister, country music artist Pat Green and baseball legend Nolan Ryan are helping to promote water conservation with Public Service Announcements. Each celebrity selected a favorite water efficient native or adapted plant to help promote water efficiency. Ryan is pitching the pros of water conservation. The National Baseball Hall of Famer says, “Planting Texas native or adapted plants will make you a hit for generations because they’re water efficient.” He says the drought tolerant Texas Red Yucca is a personal favorite.

Banister and Green are teaming up to promote water conservation. “When the Rangers aren’t playing and Pat isn’t singing, we’re planting native to help save water,” says Banister. Green adds, “Our favorite native plant is the Texas Sage, also known as the Texas Ranger, because it thrives in the Texas heat.” Pledge to plant smart and don’t forget about your yard.

Luci Baines Johnson says planting native flowers was her mother, Lady Bird Johnson’s, greatest joy. “She wanted California to look like California, Vermont like Vermont, and Texas to look like Texas,” she says. Lady Bird’s daughter encourages Texans to conserve water and create beauty by planting native.

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush says the water efficient Barbara Bush Tea Rose is one of his personal favorites because “just like my grandmother, it stands strong in this unpredictable Texas climate.”

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