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
Kerr County goes big on BMPs: Operators, community activists and the local government are working together to create a more collaborative environment through a focus on voluntary best management practices
In Texas Hill Country, where there had been an acrimonious relationship between aggregate producers and local residents, the two groups came together – along with local government officials and business people – to develop a voluntary best management practice (BMP)...
Climate change not part of LCRA water plan. KXAN investigation may change that
Karen Bruett has called Lake Travis home since 1999. “This lake is more than a play thing,” Bruett said, of the body of water just northwest of Austin. “This lake is actually our drinking water. We have that visceral experience of turning on our tap and knowing that...
House advances bill that could provide billions of dollars for new water projects and fixing aging infrastructure
A new fund to jumpstart massive water supply projects and fix aging water infrastructure across the state would be created under legislation that received approval from the Texas House on Wednesday, in a vote of 136-8. The fund could get between $1 billion and $3...
Hundreds turn out to oppose permit for Hill Country wastewater plant
As many as 300 people packed into a ballroom of a DoubleTree hotel on the city’s Northwest Side for a public hearing to voice their opposition to the construction of a wastewater plant that would dump millions of gallons of treated effluent into Helotes Creek....
The Texas city where mermaids inspire river conservation
The first thing visitors to the central Texas city of San Marcos notice are the mermaids. They’re everywhere, in some form. At the playground, one of the city’s fiberglass mermaid statues stands seven feet tall, her tail and hair painted in a rainbow of neon colors....
Massive Texas Eclipse festival set for April 2024
Less than a year from now, the Highland Lakes will be ground zero for what is expected to be an incredible view of a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, and a festival of gigantic proportions is in the works. Texas Eclipse, which is set for April 6-8, will take...