News & Updates
Texas parks are broke. But there’s good news: voters can rescue them.
Money intended for state parks and historic sites should actually be spent on state parks and historic sites, right? It took lawmakers a little more than a quarter century to reach that conclusion. Since 1993, sales tax collected from the purchase of sporting goods...
Commentary: Why you should care about groundwater pumping in Hays County
Barton Springs, the Austin’s beloved spring-fed swimming pool, is the crown jewel of the city – the soul of this soulful town. Almost a million people cooled off in the springs in 2018, and more than a million swimmers are expected to return in 2019....In recent...
June Director’s Notes: Hill Country Conservation gets a national spotlight
In this month’s notes, we wanted to highlight how HCA and our partners have been working to elevate the profile of conservation in the Hill Country to a national level. Partnering with individual landowners, city and county governments, academic institutions and...
Wiring The Hill Country: new internet providers take on rural areas
David McCullough’s phone rang. It was Home Town Donuts in Johnson City, and their internet service was down. He raced through his house to find his laptop, which would allow him to diagnose the issue, but not before cracking four metatarsal bones in his foot. He...
Dripping Springs neighbors petition to ‘Save Hamilton Pool’ from RV park development
A petition circulating online is calling for an end to a proposal to put an RV park near The Hamilton Pool Preserve. "Our kids have grown up here. Our daughter had birthday parties down at Hamilton pool," said Stagecoach Ranch resident Bob Adkins. People who live...
Scientists have big hopes for Uvalde pool study
Ron Green, a scientist at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, and his team of hydro-geologists are busy collecting data on and creating a lumped parameter model for the Uvalde Pool, a major reservoir of underground water centered over central Uvalde County...
Community aims to fight east side gentrification with affordable housing
As San Antonio’s real estate boom continues, finding affordable housing can be a challenge, especially in neighborhoods on the east side where entire streets are becoming gentrified. Old neighborhoods near popular downtown are seeing new residents moving in and...
Fredericksburg Historic District expansion
The local historic district has been expanded following a 3-1 vote by the Fredericksburg City Council Monday night. Mayor Linda Langerhans and councilmen Charlie Kiehne and Gary Neffendorf voted in favor, while councilman Tom Musselman voted against the ordinance....
New Edwards Aquifer facility designed to protect endangered species
A new facility to research and protect some endangered species that are native to central Texas opened Thursday. The new Edwards Aquifer habitat conservation plan buildings will house a handful of endangered species that include the San Marcos salamander, the comal...