Mission and Principles

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Mission Statement

“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.”

HCA’s Collaborative Strategy to Protect the Hill Country:

Guiding Principles and Values

The Hill Country Alliance (HCA) is dedicated to ensuring for future generations an opportunity to benefit from the unique features of the Texas Hill Country region, including the countless spring-fed streams, its agricultural heritage, wildlife, and spectacular scenic beauty. The following principles guide HCA’s strategic approach, programs, and activities:

  • HCA recognizes the importance of bringing together diverse people and perspectives to tackle difficult challenges our region faces. We are conveners, bridge builders, and connectors. The actions needed to sustain the Hill Country vary across the region, and we inspire both locally-driven solutions as well as a regional vision that puts conservation at the forefront.
  • HCA recognizes that growth in the Hill Country, if it happens in a thoughtful way, can protect and even enhance the natural and economic resources of our region. A key to the future of our region is promoting economic development that is centered in conservation. We work with partners to inspire good development patterns, incentivize conservation, and think outside the box about creative alternatives to business-as-usual development.
  • HCA believes information sharing, leadership building and education are key to our work in building the foundation for the long-term change that we need. We work to create more opportunities for people to be inspired by the incredible natural beauty of the Hill Country, to make honest and fair information readily available, and to empower and connect community leaders who will be forces for good in the region.
  • HCA accomplishes much of our work by supporting partner organizations and entities. We bring people together to work more strategically, to identify and fill gaps in existing efforts, and to convert thoughtful conversation to meaningful action. Our mission cannot be accomplished without including the full diversity of our region, and we work proactively to elevate new ideas, bring marginalized voices into the conversation, and challenge ourselves and others to think and work inclusively.

How HCA Works

HCA cannot accomplish our work without close coordination and collaboration with partners. We have a broad geographical scope to foster big-picture, regional thinking. We host conversations in all shapes and sizes to foster education and understanding between people of different interests, values, and perspectives. We are adaptive and responsive to the ever-changing needs and issues of our region. We are a lean and frugal organization, full of passion, spiritual energy, and joyful optimism. We are brokers of ideas and agents for change. We accomplish our work through four main types of activities:

  • Education and Outreach: We raise awareness of key issues, galvanize response to developing threats, bridge common divides, and build conversation around difficult challenges. We work to build an ever-expanding base of engaged and informed stakeholders.
  • Thoughtful Advocacy: We connect with decision makers to respond to natural resource issues at the local, regional and state level. We convey our messages through participation in key policy conversations, by submitting public comments, and responding to new permit applications that may cause environmental degradation. We communicate regularly with elected officials and staff and convene partners to identify policy opportunities.
  • Capacity Building: We build the ability of our own organization, but also our partner organizations, to be more successful in achieving our missions. We compile information and resources to inform better decision making. We seek opportunities to share resources, amplify the work of our partners, and streamline efforts across the region.
  • Developing Partnerships and Networks: We maintain a leadership role in building a network of collaborative, strategic partners. We find opportunities to engage nontraditional partners and thoughtfully grow the network of collaborators interested in the long-term health of the Hill Country. We look for ways to scale up our impact.