 Hill Country Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust committed to preserving the natural beauty and open spaces of the Texas Hill Country - forever. But more importantly we are a group of unexpected partners united in a common goal. We are members of the business, real estate and environmental communities working together to protect our land and our economy.
Our Mission
The Hill Country Conservancy works to ensure a healthy environment and economy in the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer region by preserving natural areas, scenic vistas, rivers and streams, working farms and ranches and the rural heritage of the Texas Hill Country for generations to come.
If this goal is accomplished, the area's economic vitality will also be ensured because the Hill Country's vast open spaces and natural beauty are a primary reason people choose to live and work here. Separate studies published by Texas A&M University and the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce reached the same conclusion: the region's future economic growth and prosperity are inextricably tied to the preservation of its natural environment.
Hill Country Conservancy seeks the advice of and works with landowners, conservation buyers and sellers, the real estate and business communities, and numerous agencies of local, state and federal governments. Together, we craft cutting-edge solutions to the complex challenges of preserving the economy and the environment.
Our History
For decades, the 250,000 acres overlying the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer had been the prize in a war waged between the area's business and environmental interests. Finally, after years of discord, leaders from the two sides agreed to a series of meetings. During six months of hard negotiations and looking one another in the eye, the suspicions and doubts on both sides slowly turned into mutual trust.
The parties realized they were fighting for the same thing: to preserve a quality of life unmatched anywhere in the nation. Everyone agreed the solution was the creation of a visionary land trust, and in a matter of days, Hill Country Conservancy was incorporated. Hill Country Conservancy's board of directors is a coalition of leaders from the business and environmental communities, who are turning the lessons they learned in those "peace talks" into answers for the future. We are committed to fashioning unique, farsighted solutions to protect our land and our economy.
Our Vision
Our strategic vision is to create "Vast Open Spaces." This plan leverages the open space already acquired in the Hill Country and adds to it adjacent or nearby land so the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts.
Eventually, we hope to have an open space "network" of more than 50,000 acres that will preserve the clean water, wildlife, rural character and scenic vistas that are currently threatened.
The Vast Open Spaces Map shows land already conserved, tracts we are currently working to protect, and acreage Hill Country Conservancy has targeted for future conservation.
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