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.
Our Work
Land
The Texas Hill Country region covers over 11 million acres in 17 counties of mostly privately held land.
Water
Thirteen Texas rivers begin in the Hill Country and provide water for millions of downstream neighbors.
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.
Community
90% of Hill Country lands are in unincorporated areas where there is little authority to plan for growth.
Collaboration
HCA serves as the backbone organization and fiscal sponsor of the Texas Hill Country Conservation Network.
Latest News
Conservation easements like on Cherry Springs Ranch push back against development
“It’s huge,” said Frank Davis, the Hill Country Conservancy’s chief conservation officer. He’s referring to the recent conservation easement on the 1,038-acre Cherry Springs Ranch in Spicewood. “Spicewood is right in the path of future development, and Cherry Springs...
‘History is being made’: Plans to turn former Boy Scout property into public park along Blanco River in Hays County
WIMBERLEY, Texas — More than 2,000 acres of land with Blanco River waterfront property has been closed off to the public for decades. The Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts owned the "El Rancho Cima" land for 60 years. But now, thanks to an opportunity...
8th Annual Hill Country Alliance Leadership Summit Celebrates Conservation in the Heart of Texas
(October 7, 2019) —On Thursday, September 26th, conservation leaders from across the Texas Hill Country met at Camp Lucy in Dripping Springs for the Hill Country Alliance’s Annual Leadership Summit. The event theme, Conservation in the Heart of Texas, brought together...
Kyle City Council approves $2.7 million settlement over Kinder Morgan pipeline
KYLE, Texas (KXAN) — In the early hours of Saturday morning, Kyle City Council approved a settlement with Houston-based company Kinder Morgan over the Permian Highway Pipeline. The settlement was approved in a 5 to 2 vote. Under the agreement, Kinder Morgan will pay...
The next megadrought in the American Southwest may be right around the corner
IF THE PLANET CONTINUES TO WARM AT CURRENT RATES, SCIENTISTS PROJECT THE LIKELIHOOD OF A MEGADROUGHT IN THE SOUTHWEST WILL INCREASE TO ABOVE 70 PERCENT. WE’RE SIMPLY NOT PREPARED. “This is absolutely abysmal,” David Gutzler said in March 2018, speaking to an...
Crude oil pipeline averted over Recharge Zone points to lack of State oversight
The now-defunct plan by Houston-based Enterprise Products Company to build a crude oil pipeline from Midland County to Wilson County crossing the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone was a really bad idea. Enterprise is a midstream natural gas and crude oil pipeline company...
Vote in November to fund our state parks for future generations of Texans
Some of our families' best summer adventures over the years have been at Texas' state parks. And the numbers indicate that you and your family have probably enjoyed our parks and historic sites over the years, too: Nearly 10 million people visited state parks in 2017,...
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