Our Work

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

August 2013 News Archive

August 29, 2013 Texas Groundwater Districts Face Bevy of Challenges As groundwater managers from across the state met recently to discuss the numerous challenges they face, talk of legislative changes to water financing and a campaign to convince voters to allow more...

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July 2013 News Archive

July 24, 2013 Texas Drought Forecast to Continue, Perhaps For Years National meteorologists expect the drought to continue or worsen through late summer and early fall in Texas, and ocean patterns are troublingly similar to those during the “drought of record” in the...

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June 2013 News Archive

June 25, 2013 How dry we are Thanks to the drought and Texas' unprecedented population growth, the race is on across the state for new water supplies. Even San Antonio, the poster child for water conservation, is eyeing Val Verde County, a Wild West territory where...

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May 2013 News Archive

May 31, 2013 Texas rainwater harvesting at a crossroads - a town hall meeting, June 15 H.B. 2062 as introduced could have set rainwater harvesting back ten years. But because of the dedicated work of a small group of rainwater professionals, the worst of H.B. 2062...

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2013 Drought news

September 29, 2013 Running Dry Express-News staff photographer Bob Owen and staff writer Richard Oliver traveled the state from May through September to tell the stories of people whose lives have been changed by the drought. Read the four-part series. July 24, 2013...

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April 2013 News Archive

April 30, 2013 Fiesta on the San Antonio River’s ‘Garbage Reach’ “This year, sadly, the lasting image of Fiesta’s final day for me will be the storm-washed litter that destroyed any sense of civic pride that I or anyone else in this city should feel today for the...

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