The mission of the Hill Country Alliance is to bring together a diverse coalition of partners to preserve the open spaces, starry night skies, clean and abundant waters, and unique character of the Texas Hill Country.

Community Resilience

As our region reacts to ongoing challenges, the Hill Country Alliance is working to keep you connected.

Our Work

Oak trees sprawl out, casting shade over a yellow field of tall grass.

Land

The Texas Hill Country region covers over 11 million acres in 17 counties of mostly privately held land.

Sunset fades over red trees and the flowing water of a rocky creek

Water

Thirteen Texas rivers begin in the Hill Country and provide water for millions of downstream neighbors.

The Milky Way illuminates a brilliant blue, starry sky over a Hill Country river.

Night Sky

The Hill Country sits on the edge of night and as development pushes westward, we are losing our view of the night sky.

A little boy in cowboy boots and a button down shirt swings a rope in the middle of a rodeo arena.

Community

90% of Hill Country lands are in unincorporated areas where there is little authority to plan for growth.

Image shows a man in conversation with speakers, while a woman looks on attentively in the background.

Collaboration

HCA serves as the backbone organization and fiscal sponsor of the Texas Hill Country Conservation Network.

Latest News

How one Texas town is rethinking the American lawn

Lewisville, at first glance, is a typical Texas suburb. Wedged in the northwest corner of the Dallas metroplex, the 113,000-person city encompasses a little triangle bordered by a six-lane state toll road and an interstate highway. A small downtown with shops and...

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Preserve Texas lands for generations to come

Each year Texas loses nearly 250,000 acres of land to development. Rural work areas that form the wide open spaces that define Texas character are evaporating at an alarming rate. These lands are not only meant to be enjoyed by Texans, but they work every day to...

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How the ongoing drought impacts the Hill Country

In 2022, San Antonio received only a third of its average annual rainfall. Kerrville received 12.38 inches, 60% below its normal average. Popular swimming holes from Jacobs Well in Wimberley to the Guadalupe River near Center Point dried up. The Pedernales, Llano...

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Drought hits hard in the Hill Country

The Frio River is flowing again — in places. “The water is clean, and the water is good right now,” said Brett Rimkus, who operates the concessions at Garner State Park in Concan, 90 miles west of San Antonio. “If you want to get in the water, it is great. The river...

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Social Media

Interested in fighting light pollution, improving your view of the starry night sky, and helping birds safely complete their migrations? Join HCA's partners at TRAM Texas, Audubon Texas, and Lauren Concrete for this FREE webinar on effective industry lighting at 6PM on Tuesday, 3/28!Tune in to learn about best practices for effective and efficient outdoor lighting that protects migrating birds and preserves the night sky!bit.ly/OutdoorLightingWebinar. ... See MoreSee Less
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Check it out folks - this free, pay-what-you-can event is happening next month in San Marcos! Join HCA and our friends at Indigenous Cultures Institute for a family-friendly play screening and panel discussion at Spring Lake on Thursday, 4/13 from 6-8 PM!Seating is limited – learn more: fb.me/e/2S0qdwL98Register: bit.ly/SWRSanMarcos ... See MoreSee Less
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Happy #ThrowbackThursday y'all! Over the next eight weeks, we’re throwing it back to last year’s State of the Hill Country Report. Each week, we’ll spotlight one metric and one op-ed to show how it applies to individual Hill Country communities. This week, we're looking at population growth in unincorporated areas! "While all other states provide counties appropriate tools for managing growth, Texas counties are the 'wild west,' where 'foxes rule the hen house,'" Ben Eldredge of the Cibolo Center for Conservation wrote about Kendall County and the lack of county authority to plan for and guide growth.🔗https://hillcountryalliance.org/our-work/texas-hill-country-conservation-network/news/ ... See MoreSee Less
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#ICYMI - Hays County has acquired the Purgatory Creek Nature Preserve conservation easement as part of a combined area that will protect over 3,200-acres of habitat
https://www.expressnews.com/hill-country/article/hays-county-conservation-easement-17803577.php

Interested in fighting #lightpollution and helping birds safely complete their migrations? Join HCA's partners at @TramTexas, @AudubonTX, and Lauren Concrete for this FREE #webinar on effective industry lighting at 6PM on Tuesday, 3/28! #lightsoutexas
http://bit.ly/OutdoorLightingWebinar.

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