Our Work
Land
HCA’s Land Program seeks to increase private land stewardship and permanent land conservation across the Hill Country, and works with regional land trusts to educate owners about conservation easements, track conservation metrics, and consider conservation priorities.
Water
HCA’s Water Program assists grassroots groups that champion water stewardship in their communities, advocates for policies that protect groundwater and surface water, and promotes resilient water supplies through the advancement of One Water projects.
Night Sky
HCA’s Night Skies Program helps Hill Country counties and cities minimize the impacts of light pollution through education and outreach, the establishment of outdoor lighting policies, and the recognition and celebration of certified Dark Sky Places in our region.
Communities
HCA’s Communities Program builds connections across county lines, supporting rural leaders in protecting the unique character of their communities while promoting innovative approaches to building healthy, vibrant communities throughout the Texas Hill Country.
The Latest
Opinion: Hays County’s watersheds are under attack
It is undeniable—the Austin area is booming. More people have moved to Travis County and its surrounding area, including Hays County. As populations grow, so must infrastructure, but matters become complicated in ecologically sensitive areas like the one we call home....
Our need for the outdoors: The role of nature during COVID-19
Research on the connection between human health and exposure to nature started to get a foothold in the early 1980s. The renowned biologist E. O. Wilson hypothesized that humans had an innate connection to nature. At the same time, Roger Ulrich, a professor of...
Quarantined for the very first time
Nearing the line of demarcation for achieving "octogenarian," it has been a shock to the system to face the necessity of "quarantined." Even as a youngster in a household of several children and on a city block populated by many more suffering from measles I remember...
Agriculture science looking downward for the future of feeding the world
Healthy fertile soil. It makes the grass and plants grow, which feeds people as well as livestock, which in turn are eaten by people. Dr. Nicole Wagner, assistant professor in the Department of Agriculture at Texas State University, doesn’t mince words when it comes...
New Braunfels Utilities anticipates stage one drought conditions
Rising temperatures, lack of significant rainfall and increased demand for water have caused the Edwards Aquifer to drop nearly a foot per day over the past 10 days. As of May 7, the 10-day average of the J-17 well was 665 feet, which is five feet above the trigger...
Food supply anxiety brings back Victory Gardens
“Small things count,” read a headline in the tiny, insistent pamphlet published by the National War Garden Commission in 1919. The pitch made gardening a civic duty. The victory garden movement began during World War I and called on Americans to grow food in whatever...