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
Texas Facing Major Climate Change Impacts, Study Finds
Texas probably will see a sharp increase in heat-related deaths and coastal storm-related losses in the coming decades if nothing is done to mitigate a changing climate, according to a new study commissioned by a bipartisan group of prominent policymakers and company...
Reforming the Endangered Species Act: Industry Groups Seek to Dismantle Our Country’s Most Purposeful Conservation Tool
Recognizing that, as a “consequence of economic growth and development,” many “species of fish wildlife and plants” in the United States are on the brink of extinction, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973 with overwhelming bipartisan support. Today, the...
Pedernales Newsletter Shares News and Events from the Basin
The third installment of the Hill Country Alliance's new Pedernales Newsletter went out on July 14th and included some exciting updates about projects in the Pedernales basin. The Pedernales Newsletter is sent via email once a month to landowners, residents and...
Story series on Texas Groundwater Depletion Launches
State’s surface waters originate from groundwater, yet fractured resource management means both may become less reliable: The Texas Center for Policy Studies recently launched Our Desired Future, a multimedia project to educate Texans on the interconnections between...
The Connecting Thread
The behavior of water on and beneath private land is the key to preserving water for Texans in the 21st century and into the 22nd, a grand challenge that is uniquely Texan. Other western states have urban populations far removed from their water sources, but that’s...
Keeping Houses Out of Texas Floodwaters Could Cost Billions
Back on May 26th, Houston woke up to flooded freeways and neighborhoods as bayous overflowed their banks. In the Texas Hill Country, homes and bridges washed away and levees broke. But super-heavy rainfall is nothing new in Texas and in fact, it was years earlier that...