The mission of the Hill Country Alliance is to bring together a diverse coalition of partners to preserve the open spaces, starry night skies, clean and abundant waters, and unique character of the Texas Hill Country.
Our Work
Land
The Texas Hill Country region covers over 11 million acres in 17 counties of mostly privately held land.
Water
Thirteen Texas rivers begin in the Hill Country and provide water for millions of downstream neighbors.
Night Sky
The Hill Country sits on the edge of night and as development pushes westward, we are losing our view of the night sky.
Community
90% of Hill Country lands are in unincorporated areas where there is little authority to plan for growth.
Collaboration
HCA serves as the backbone organization and fiscal sponsor of the Texas Hill Country Conservation Network.
Latest News
Looking to re-wild your yard and stray from St. Augustine grass? Native American Seed is here to help!
As we learn more about living mutualistically with nature, we find an increasing number of things in our lives that we need to change. In the 1960s, for example, the world learned about CFCs in hairspray and what those chemicals were doing to our ozone layer. So, in...
Pedernales river springs salamanders may be federally recognized as endangered
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the Pedernales River springs salamander will undergo status reviews to be put on the federal endangered species list. The Pedernales River springs salamander was discovered in 2019 by researchers at The University of...
In Texas, a new study will determine where extreme weather hazards and environmental justice collide
The way Geeta Persad sees it, the nation’s great coastal cities are facing an environmental reckoning with threats from both the air and the sea. In the air, there is the belching, toxic exhaust from factories, petrochemical facilities, sewage treatment plants and...
Groundwater sampling helps better understand Edwards-Trinity Aquifers
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) and scientists from the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) are studying water deep underground to further understand how drought and pumping affect the quality and quantity of groundwater that flows...
Texas heat index could soon surpass 120 degrees, study finds
A recent report published by the First Street Foundation found soon the heat index could surpass 125 degrees in much of Texas. The study was first reported by our media partners with the Texas Tribune. The increase in the heat index is a result of climate change....
Abandoned “dry hole” oil wells are polluting Texas farms, ranches and groundwater. The state won’t fix them.
Schuyler Wight is a fourth-generation rancher who has raised longhorn cattle outside Midland for decades. Wight is no geologist, but over the years, he’s had to familiarize himself with what lies underground. Scattered across his sprawling 20,000-acre ranch are more...
Sadly, “A Day Without Water” is becoming all to common for Texans
For many Texans, “a day without water” is not an imagined experience—it’s just another day. Some communities have never had running water. For the rest of us, experiencing days without water has become the rule rather than the exception. The one-two punch of...
Act Now
Shop the HCA Store
HCA Resources
Reports:
One Water in the Texas Hill Country:
Connecting Communities with Projects and Professionals
