New HCA Resources
Bluebonnets are blooming and the Hill Country Alliance is off to a busy spring! Last week, we hosted our first Spring Water Revival event - Our Communities, Our Water: Austin - at Patagonia in downtown Austin. If you couldn't make it out, we hope you can join us for another event this month.
Read on to learn about four new initiatives designed to amplify the beauty of the Hill Country and the urgent need to protect it.
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1. Happening this April: Spring Water Revival
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Join HCA and dozens of partners for the first annual Spring Water Revival – a month-long, springtime celebration of water in the Hill Country. Throughout April, we will dive into the many ways water revives our communities, spirits, and our hope for the future through programming that focuses on education, outreach, and action. Join us for events, activities, and news celebrating the Hill Country’s water—one of our most precious resources.
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Throughout April, join the Hill Country Alliance will be joined by partners working for water in different events across the Hill Country. Learn more and find an event near you at www.SpringWaterRevival.org!
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2. Announcing the first ever Texas-based Sentinel Landscape!
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In February, the Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape Partnership received recognition as the Lone Star State's first Sentinel Landscape. This partnership is a locally-led, collaborative group focused on conserving natural resources, strengthening military readiness, and bolstering agricultural productivity around Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis.
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Since 2021, HCA has coordinated this collaborative effort, engaging dozens of partner organizations to collaborate towards shared goals. As a result of this recognition, collaborative work will now focus on supporting private landowners with technical and financial resources that align with their stewardship goals. Thoughtful land stewardship provides rippling benefits, not only for the private landowner, but for society and future generations.
The partnership will seek public and private funding to support a variety of on-the-ground stewardship needs, including: improving soil health and infiltration; managing hillside erosion and creek-bank stability; and increasing native plant diversity and abundance.
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3. We are live - 16th Annual Hill Country Photo Contest happening now
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The Texas Hill Country is changing. The scenic beauty and abundant natural resources that have brought folks to Central Texas for thousands of years are at risk of being loved to death.
This spring, share your view of our changing region in the 2022 Hill Country Photo Contest, “Snapshot of the Hill Country.” Now through May 31, 2022, entries can be submitted to HCA’s website.
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4. Read all about it: State of the Hill Country Report released!
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In late February, the Texas Hill Country Conservation Network released the first State of the Hill Country Report. This 74-page resource creates a baseline for growth and change in the Hill Country as it relates to:
- Population growth in unincorporated areas
- Conserved lands
- Developed lands
- Pristine streams
- Per capita water consumption
- Spring flow
- Night sky visibility
- Conservation investment
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Click the image to access the full report and learn more at
http://www.OurTXHillCountry.org
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In closing, we couldn’t be more proud of the good work happening in the Hill Country—all the result of diverse partnerships, robust coalitions, and a visionary spirit that guides us. As we look to the skies for signs of April showers, we hope you’ll consider investing in HCA as one way to ensure our springs continue flowing, for current and future generations.
Gratefully,
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Katherine Romans
Executive Director, Hill Country Alliance
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All of the work HCA is involved with would not be possible without your support. Click the image or the button below to donate and support our work!
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