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
Boy Scouts selling historic El Rancho Cima
You wouldn’t know it looking at the serene landscape now, but the 2015 Memorial Day weekend flood that devastated Wimberley also dealt a deathblow to the nearby historic Boy Scout camp, El Rancho Cima. Sweeping away entire structures along the banks of the Blanco...
Valley’s first Night Sky Friendly businesses awarded
The Wimberley Valley’s first ever Night Sky Friendly Business Awards have been presented to Byron Eckols - State Farm and to the Leaning Pear Restaurant. The awards are sponsored by the Wimberley Valley Chamber of Commerce, endorsed by the Hill Country Alliance and...
Council firestorm erupts over SAWS appointee
All three of Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s nominees to the San Antonio Water System board of trustees were approved recently by the City Council after a heated exchange over the appointment of water law expert Amy Hardberger. Councilman Greg Brockhouse grilled Hardberger, the...
Do Landowners Have Right to Protest Proposed Water Project?
An interesting legal question has arisen in Bastrop County recently that could have impacts on groundwater law and landowner rights across Texas. Background: In 2013, Recharge Water (formerly End Op) applied for a permit from the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation...
Vulcan faces fight over projects in Comal and Kendall counties
Constructing roads, homes and bridges requires rock and concrete, so it’s understandable that Vulcan Materials wants to set up shop in the fast-growing Hill Country, where rolling ranchlands are quickly being developed into new subdivisions. But Vulcan, the nation’s...
City Council to Consider Outdoor Lighting Ordinance
The Blanco City Council soon will be asked to consider a complete revision of the city’s outdoor lighting ordinance. The revision, still in draft, will address perceived deficiencies in the city’s current ordinance that has been in effect since February 2006, when it...