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
SAWS drops plan to secure state loan for Vista Ridge pipeline
The San Antonio Water System has decided not to apply for a low-interest state loan to finance part of its work on the Vista Ridge pipeline project. Many people following the proposed 142-mile water pipeline from Burleson County expected SAWS to file a full...
Water conservation is a big deal in Texas. How did your utility score?
Texas has received high marks for our state’s laws and policies on water conservation. That positive recognition is deserved even though there is more the Lone Star State could do to advance conservation. But the real question is what’s happening “on the ground?” Are...
Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board to Enhance and Restore Monarch Butterfly Habitat
The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) is working in cooperation with 143 soil and water conservation districts located in Texas to enhance and restore the Monarch Butterfly habitat. It is estimated that over the past 20 years the Monarch...
May 18 in Junction: Texas Water Symposium – Economic and Conservation Perspectives on Protected Species
The second Texas Water Symposium of 2016 has been set for May 18th at the Llano River Field Station at Texas Tech University in Junction. The program will feature a conversation between leading biology experts about endangered species on the Hill Country’s rivers....
How Texas can grow with grace
Texas is often thought of in terms of its wide-open spaces and rustic sensibility, but as Bob Dylan so famously said, the times, they are a-changin’. The Lone Star State has become increasingly urbanized over the past few decades — nearly 90 percent of our 26 million...
Bexar County to Consider $1.2 Million for Confluence Park
Bexar County Commissioner Sergio “Chico” Rodriguez is lobbying his colleagues on the Commissioners Court to include $1.2 million in next year’s County budget for Confluence Park, a “living classroom” that broke ground Wednesday morning in his Southside precinct on the...