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

Oak trees sprawl out, casting shade over a yellow field of tall grass.

Land

The Texas Hill Country region covers over 11 million acres in 17 counties of mostly privately held land.

Sunset fades over red trees and the flowing water of a rocky creek

Water

Thirteen Texas rivers begin in the Hill Country and provide water for millions of downstream neighbors.

The Milky Way illuminates a brilliant blue, starry sky over a Hill Country river.

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.

A little boy in cowboy boots and a button down shirt swings a rope in the middle of a rodeo arena.

Community

90% of Hill Country lands are in unincorporated areas where there is little authority to plan for growth.

Image shows a man in conversation with speakers, while a woman looks on attentively in the background.

Collaboration

HCA serves as the backbone organization and fiscal sponsor of the Texas Hill Country Conservation Network.

Latest News

2011 Water Quality News

  December 28, 2011 Dangers of fracking still becoming clear The word "fracking" may sound funny, but it describes a drilling practice that has created a serious boom in natural gas production in Texas and elsewhere, and with the boom has come serious worries...

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2011 Water Planning News

December 29, 2011 The Texas Water Crisis Texas water authorities at every level are on alert. Last summer’s extremely hot, dry weather was a wake-up call. Now more than a dozen Texas towns are in danger of running out of water. Texas is in a water crisis. To make it...

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2011 Water Conservation News

September 25, 2011 Water conservation a habit we must keep The current drought eventually will end — we think. But even if rain starts to fall in the next few weeks, the record-setting droughts of 2009 and this year should be reminders that if we're not currently in a...

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2011 Rainwater Harvesting News

  December 20, 2011 Water a hot topic in Hill Country despite recent rains "Statistics provided by the Texas Water Development Board show that groundwater withdrawal from the Hill Country's Edwards and Trinity aquifers increased dramatically between 1975 and...

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2011 Groundwater News

November 16, 2011 Our treasured springs need protection The canary is in the coal mine and he's thirsty. Without thoughtful stewardship, public treasures such as Jacob's Well, Hays County's historic perennial spring, as well as the private legacies of the many unnamed...

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2011 Drought News

  December 21, 2011 Texas Tree Ring Study Warns of Long Droughts A new study of tree rings adds to evidence that Texas has experienced at least one 10-year drought every 100 years, as well as several "mega-droughts" lasting 15 to 30 years over the centuries. Read...

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2011 Transportation Planning News

December 9, 2011 Perry Survived Even as His Big Plan for Texas Failed Unveiled by Mr. Perry in early 2002, the public-private transit project was intended as a centerpiece of his governorship, “a plan as big as Texas and as ambitious as our people,” he said, to create...

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