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
Conserving land in Austin as the skyline grows
One look, one visit, one experience is all it takes to hook people on Austin and the Hill Country. Hundreds of people move here every day, but there's a price for all of this progress. “People move to the Hill Country because it is such a unique and special place,"...
2017 Hill Country Alliance Leadership Summit Draws Crowd with Message of Inclusion and Storytelling
On September 21st, 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, From Local to Regional: The Shared Story of the Texas Hill Country, brought...
Questions arise on Blanco River bridge funds
A lack of information on a proposed $30 million bridge that could span the Blanco River in Kyle led officials to question placing the project on the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (CAMPO) 2040 plan. However, Kyle Mayor Todd Webster said the project,...
Water evaporation could provide vast amounts of renewable energy, find scientists
A new source of vast amounts of renewable energy – the evaporation of water – has been discovered by scientists. Writing in the journal Nature Communications, researchers at Columbia University estimated that lakes in the US could generate 325 gigawatts of power,...
2018 Texas Hill Country Calendar features winners of annual Hill Country Alliance Photo Contest
The Hill Country Alliance (HCA) recently released their 11th Texas Hill Country Calendar. Once again, the HCA calendar pairs stunning imagery of incredible Hill Country scenes with important messages about why we must actively work to protect and preserve all that we...
The Cities Of The 21st Century Will Be Defined By Water
"Now as cities wrestle with the reality of more intense storms, more flooding, and more water to manage, low-impact development is earning renewed recognition as an essential mechanism to help them become more resilient. It’s emblematic of a broader philosophical...