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 honored for exhibit hall’s rain-catching system
The award-winning elements of the Hill Country Youth Event Center aren’t discernible to motorists passing the site on Texas 27, where a $3.7 million exhibit hall was added last year. The accolades flow from rain gutters along the edges of the new 72,000-square-foot...
Celebrating the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan
On May 6, local biologists will lead guided hikes through the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the program that created the project—the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan. In 1996, Travis County became the first area in the...
How Austin-San Antonio commuter rail backers plan to get back on track
Reports of the death of commuter rail between Austin and San Antonio have been greatly exaggerated, according to officials with the Lone Star Rail District. At a meeting Friday in San Marcos, the Lone Star Rail board unveiled new options for a potential route and...
The College That Ate a City
"San Marcos, population 58,000, was listed as the fastest-growing city in America according to 2014 census data. The growth is mostly thanks to an expanding Texas State University — the largest employer and largest property owner in the city. With the anchor...
SAWS: Banks Not Cooperating On Renegotiating Vista Ridge Loan
By mid-week the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) expects to know whether it will be able to easily move ownership of the Vista Ridge pipeline to a different company. Because of financial problems current owner Abengoa has agreed to sell 80-percent of the water project...
Spicewood eyes municipal status
According to Burnet County Judge James Oakley, Spicewood is a part of “God’s country.” The native Central Texan, who has lived in the Spicewood area for more than two decades, said he has witnessed the unincorporated area’s expansion that has replaced fishing cabins...