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
Starstruck: The quest to save West Texas’ dark night skies
We Texans can thank our lucky stars: We’re blessed with far West Texas and the Big Bend region, where infrequent cloud cover, low humidity, limited air pollution and scant urban sprawl create an astral feast for the eyes. Yet even in this idyllic setting, where the...
November 2010 News Archive
Critics of Habitat Plan are Spouting Nonsense The most important thing the public needs to know about the proposed plan is that it is completely voluntary. No one who doesn't want to participate would have to do so at any price.” Read SA Express-News opinion piece...
October 2010 News Archive
October 24, 2010 Wind power showdown set in Austin To get a sense of how contentious Monday's hearing about where to build a massive electric transmission line through the Hill Country will be, consider this: It's being held at the Austin Convention Center. That's big...
This is Native Plant Week in Texas
The awareness week is sponsored by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin, the National Wildlife Federation, Texas Parks and Wildlife and the City of Austin. The slogan for the week, which occurs during the fall planting season,...
September 2010 News Archive
September 30, 2010 Massive deal proposed to move water from counties east of Austin to San Antonio Hoping to broker a massive deal that would send water from beneath counties east of Austin in a $400 million pipeline to San Antonio, the general manager of a Central...
2010 Rainwater News
October 26, 2010 Commissioners agree to keep rainwater rules for subdivisions flexible - for now A public hearing on new development rules drew only two speakers, both supportive of a proposal in the new rules that would allow subdivisions that rely on rainwater...