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
Landowners Appeal Party Status to State District Court
by Environmental Stewardship Landowners Bette Brown, Andrew Meyer, Darwyn Hanna, as individuals, and Environmental Stewardship, a non-profit organization, filed a petition on November 7 in State District Court in Bastrop County, seeking to reverse a decision by Lost...
HCA to co-host Workshop on Riparian Function in the Pedernales Basin
The Hill Country Alliance, in partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and The Nature Conservancy, will host a workshop on the nature and function of stream and riparian zones in the Hill Country. The workshop will feature presentations on riparian...
Texas Water Symposium, Nov. 20 in Kerrville
Join us for the final Texas Water Symposium of 2014 - Thursday, November 20 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at Schreiner University. The topic for the evening will be Balancing Rural and Urban Water Needs: How Local and Regional Planning Activities Ensure Long-Term Supplies....
Living With Karst: The Benefits and Challenges of Living in a Cavernous Environment
Do you live in karst? About 25% of the US and the planet’s land surface is karst. Karst areas are the world’s most diverse, fascinating, resource-rich, yet problematic terrains. They contain the largest springs and most productive groundwater supplies on Earth. They...
Texas A&M Study Trumpets Texas State Parks’ Economic Benefit
"The take-away message from this study," Dr. Crompton says, "should be that the state park system is an important contributor to the Texas economy, particularly in rural areas and that the state’s net investment in parks is returned many times over as visitors travel...
Maps illustrate seriousness of California’s water shortage
“Groundwater is being pumped at far greater rates than it can be naturally replenished, so that many of the largest aquifers on most continents are being mined, their precious contents never to be returned.” Take a look at these maps that illustration how serious...