Everyone talked about it for several years. People noticed all the development going on and shared stories like "The ranch down the road sold and now bull dozers are tearing out the trees," and, "Did you see that the beautiful field of sunflowers on the corner is gone and bulldozers have moved in?" The next thing people said was, "Somebody ought to do something about this," and "I know that growth will happen, but will we have enough water? Are we protecting the aquifer?" "How will we make sure some of this beautiful land is saved so Comal still looks like the Comal we love?" That's how a community of caring, concerned people came together to form Comal County Conservation Alliance — the first-ever conservation nonprofit organization in Comal County.
In February 2017, the first public "Planning for Growth in Comal County" conference was held in New Braunfels, organized by the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (GEAA), the Hill Country Alliance (HCA), and the League of Women Voters–Comal Area (LWV–CA), in response to community interest in preserving natural and unique areas in Comal County as development continued at a rapid pace.
A follow-up community forum was presented by these three organizations in November 2017 entitled "Land Conservation Options for Comal County," and in December they brought together interested community members from the two growth conferences to brainstorm ideas for achieving land preservation options in Comal County. The new group began having monthly meetings and grew steadily as others learned that this was a chance to make a difference in our county.
By February 2018, the group of volunteers had named the organization the Comal County Conservation Alliance (CCCA), created a mission statement, and developed the group’s objectives. In April, participants elected their first officers and by May, 2018, CCCA had received its Certificate of Formation as a Texas Nonprofit Corporation and was registered with the Texas Secretary of State as a Corporation. By June 2018, CCCA had its first full nine-member Board of Directors.
Today, CCCA is becoming known throughout the South–Central Texas region. We have over 800 "Friends of CCCA," including energetic, committed volunteers who represent the organization at community events and give presentations to local groups, HOAs, professional organizations, and others interested in learning more about how we can all work together to preserve the natural aspects of our county and retain the rural, scenic appeal that make Comal County special.