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
Environmental group opposes state water grid
The state's largest environmental group is voicing strong opposition to a proposed study of a state water grid — a network that would distribute water across the vast and often dry expanses of the Lone Star State. Proponents of the idea say a study is needed to cope...
Comanche Moon to Eclipse this Sunday Night
By Wayne Gosnell: My friend Sandy and I get great pleasure out of being the first to text the other whenever we first glimpse a Comanche Moon. That’s when the full moon rises out of the eastern horizon just after sunset, catching the rays of the setting sun, which...
What should be the new drawdown of the Trinity Aquifer?
A special public workshop and meeting of the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (HTGCD) will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, at the Wimberley Community Center. The board is to discuss, and possibly vote on, how it will participate in the upcoming...
Hill Country Workshop Provides Landowners with Information on Conservation Easements
The Hill Country Land Trust (HCLT) and The Hill Country Alliance (HCA) are hosting a conservation easement workshop on Friday, October 23. This workshop will focus on the landowners in the nineteen-county Hill Country region and will bring landowners the message...
Blanco River Flood Exacerbated by Manicured Lawns on the Riverbanks
Rachel Ranft steers a mud-splattered white pickup slowly along River Road, a narrow strip of asphalt a few feet above the now-placid Blanco River in Wimberley, Texas. She pulls up next to a towering bald cypress, a type of conifer native to central Texas that grows...
Colorado nonprofit partners with city on mobility
Austin leaders announced a partnership Monday morning between the city and Colorado-based nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute to develop “innovative mobility solutions” to the transportation woes that frustrate many Austinites. Jeruld Weiland, managing director of...