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
Chairman of Water Development Board Stepping Down
Carlos Rubinstein, chairman of the Texas Water Development Board, has announced he is stepping down after serving in the position for nearly two years. Rubinstein led the board into a new era after it was handed greater authority over water supply projects by the...
The Texas Drought is over, but what about the next?
The drought that just ended (in all but a small corner of the Texas Panhandle, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor) made Texans aware of the importance of a reliable water supply, for themselves and for the state’s economy. The Texas Legislature in 2013...
Our Water Future Is Not For Sale
San Antonio’s business-as-usual is putting our water future at risk. Last week Brooks City Base sought rush-rush rezoning approval to allow Niagara Bottling to put San Antonio’s water in plastic bottles to sell nationwide. This, while San Antonio Water System (SAWS)...
Barton Springs – Edwards Aquifer Conservation District Expansion News, Map, And FAQs
Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) has set up a new page on their website devoted to the annexation of the white zone of the Trinity in Hays County. It currently includes a map of annexed area, a copy of the final bill, and a FAQ page. For...
Post-Flood Riparian Recovery Workshops Planned for Wimberley and Blanco Communities
In the wake of the Memorial Day 2015 floods that roared through Central Texas, people in the Hill Country are left grappling with the aftermath. Images of hundred-year-old cypress trees, stripped bare of their bark and ripped up from their roots, inevitably turn our...
Texas Water Symposium to Feature Regional Water Experts, June 18 in Fredericksburg
Regional Growth and Our State Water Planning Process: How You Can Get Involved The 8th Annual Texas Water Symposium series continues this June in Fredericksburg with a personal conversation between Hill Country water experts about the State’s water planning process...