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
TPWD Announces 2016-17 Season CWD Monitoring Results
Texas records first cases of disease in free-ranging whitetail, elk AUSTIN – Texas recorded a couple of unwanted firsts for chronic wasting disease (CWD) during statewide surveillance efforts for the 2016-17 collection year, including detections in a free-ranging...
Austin environmental report: SH 45 SW construction could harm cave, aquifer
The environment in Austin remains preserved and protected despite its tremendous growth over the past few decades, said Chuck Lesniak, the city’s environmental officer, in the annual State of Our Environment report published on Thursday. The city’s environmental...
A milestone in Edwards recharge protection
Thursday, the San Antonio City Council considers purchase of a conservation easement on the 2,800-acre Middle Verde Ranch in Medina County. If approved, this will effectively mark the final expenditure from the $90 million Edwards Aquifer Protection Program fund...
Proposal for urban gondola system in Austin will not move forward
The plan to build a gondola cable car system in Austin, in what would have been the largest system of its type in the world, is not moving forward. In a list of shared conclusions released by Capital Metro, the transit agency says gondolas are best suited to “niche”...
Vista Ridge pipeline water suppliers still fighting in court
With construction of the Vista Ridge pipeline set to begin in a month, two water suppliers at the core of the deal are back in court fighting over payments and contracts.
In Hays County, water fight springs anew
Two years after expanding the reach of an Austin-area groundwater district to regulate pumping in Hays County, lawmakers are considering measures that would water down oversight. The measures appear to favor Greg LaMantia — a politically connected South Texas beer...