Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) is an exciting opportunity to provide substantial funding for the conservation of at-risk species of fish and wildlife. With this funding, Texas alone aims to gain over $60 MM annually for implementation of conservation activities. These dollars would be available to provide increased incentives to private landowners managing in favor of healthy habitats and ecosystems. …
New Farm Bill to be finalized soon
The new Farm Bill will be finalized very soon. Hill Country Conservancy and its partners have played, and continue to play, a big role in ensuring passage of this important legislation. We frequently talk with elected officials on both sides of the aisle, to remind them of the important stewardship efforts of private landowners. Such efforts are even more critical …
Ecotourism & Conservation
Economic viability is one of the greatest concerns for landowners of rural and agricultural land. Particularly in the Hill Country, it is especially hard to earn income from the land through traditional means such as livestock grazing or farming. This is in large part due to the generally poor, unproductive soils of the region. Everybody agrees that the rocky hills …
George Cofer named Travis Audubon Conservation Hero
George Hume Cofer, Jr. is a sixth-generation Austinite and fifth-generation Texas rancher. His love of the great outdoors and conservation of the natural environment come from being blessed by the opportunity to spend his childhood summers on a working cattle ranch along the Frio River in Uvalde County and from his outdoor experiences as an Eagle Scout. George is (the …
Amplify HCC – Schedule your gift
Amplify Austin day is coming up on March 2 and will run from 6 p.m. until 6 p.m. on March 3. Make your gift now or on the day of Amplify Austin to ensure your gift is amplified by a matching gift provided by Samsung! Every gift scheduled for or made on Amplify Austin Day will be DOUBLED up to …
Creative (and green) ways to reuse and recycle your Christmas tree
Real Christmas trees are great for getting in the holiday spirit. Not only do they look great as the centerpiece of your festivities, but they add a scent that would remind anyone of the holidays. Real Christmas trees can also be a great, environmentally friendly alternative – as long as you dispose of it correctly after the holidays are over! …
Book Review: Attracting Birds in the Texas Hill Country
Originally published in the 2017 Texas Birds Annual “Attracting Birds in the Texas Hill Country” is first and foremost a habitat management tool. However, being well suited to those that own and manage land for wildlife benefits, this book will also interest those readers interested in birding, natural history, and landscape ecology. This isn’t to say that it …
Our Children are the Guardians of the Land
I was recently interviewed for a local news channel where the reporter asked me, “What should people do to help Hill Country Conservancy preserve land, water and wildlife?” To me, the answer was obvious, but I didn’t have the opportunity to really flesh it out at the time. My answer is that people need to get kids outdoors and teach …