Her Sunday story disclosed how the owners of the PGA Tour golf resort, which was built after years of controversy, are now seeking lower property taxes by claiming the two golf courses provide a wildlife refuge for deer and birds:

“I don’t think most people think of a golf course as a wildlife refuge,” said Mary Kieke, the county’s deputy chief appraiser. “Setting aside any insecticide and fertilizer contamination issue, clearing land for fairways cannot possibly enhance any wildlife’s access to shelter.”

At stake are millions of dollars in future revenue for local taxing entities, including Bexar County, Judson Independent School District, University Health System and Alamo Colleges.

Read more about vested rights: How developers skirt city codes

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The University of Texas at San Antonio established an archive of William and Fay Sinkin Papers, 1928-2008, located downtown at the Institute of Texas Cultures. The archives contain news clippings, brochures, studies, and other documents. There are certain rules you must follow to read these records but they’re open to everyone.

Reading Sinkin’s papers, it’s striking how long fights over the Edwards Aquifer have been raging. The Edwards Aquifer is fed by runoff from rain that filters through limestone on the city’s North Side. In the 1970s, real estate developers started eyeing that area to build new homes, parking lots, and streets — the kinds of things that taint runoff with pollutants.

Related: Get in touch with investigative reporter John Tedesco

Many of us remember the PGA Village — Jaime Castillo wrote a column about how Sinkin helped collect 100,000 signatures to turn in a petition opposing the proposed resort.

But not so many people remember how Sinkin had drummed up signatures decades earlier in a similar battle.

In 1975, real estate developer Sam Barshop sought a zoning change for a new “super mall” at U.S. 281 and Loop 1604. Sinkin showed up at City Hall with 47,000 signatures from people opposing the mall. Henry Cisneros supported the effort, at least initially, and the mall tore a rift in the San Antonio business community.

Many downtown business owners opposed the city’s northward growth. A Greater Chamber of Commerce committee headed by construction magnate H.B. Zachry was a major proponent of the mall and operated with a $50,000 war chest.

Barshop filed a lawsuit and Sinkin and others eventually lost the battle. The result is Northwoods Shopping Center.

Not many shoppers looking for deals at Marshalls are probably aware of the heated political battles that were fought over that piece of land.

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