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
New research sheds light on lunar phase impact on white-tailed deer
Conventional wisdom has long held that deer are more active on moonlit nights and most active under a full moon. The day after, the conjecture followed, deer move around less in the daylight. Some hunters staked their outdoors reputations in support of the theory, as...
25,000 gallons of sewage spills into Bull Creek in Austin, reports say
Approximately 25,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled into Bull Creek near Old Spicewood Springs Road on Saturday, according to Austin Water. The water utility updated KXAN that crews should be working on removing excess sewer water from the creek until Monday afternoon....
City of San Marcos joins litigation against federal agencies regarding Permian Hwy Pipeline
The City of San Marcos has joined the cities of Kyle and Austin and the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District and the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association in filing a lawsuit against federal agencies regarding Kinder Morgan’s pipeline. On Tuesday, the...
How Flagstaff, Arizona, switched to LEDs without giving astronomers a headache
“I feel like we’re protecting the last tree, in a way.” That’s what Flagstaff, Arizona, city council member Austin Aslan said at a recent meeting. The subject of that earnest statement might surprise you: it was streetlights. To be more specific, he was talking about...
We say “Imagine a day without water,” but in the future this could be a reality we face
Did you know that the State Demographer estimates 250 people a day (yes, that's every day!) move to the Hill Country? Would it surprise you that none of them are bringing their own water? The state water plan projects a water deficit of 2,897,404,528,608 gallons by...
Our area, our culture and our ‘First freedoms’
Last week, I had the opportunity to represent our fine town on a media panel as part of the Hill Country Alliance Leadership Summit held at Camp Lucy near Dripping Springs. Several other Fredericksburgers were there to represent their interests in keeping this...