SAWS rebates. USDA cost-share. Free public ecological data. Hill Country conservation groups. Vetted local contractors. Use the directory whether or not you hire Noon.
San Antonio property owners leave thousands in public incentives unclaimed every year. These are the real programs — application required, real money returned.
Rebate for converting a portion of lawn to drought-tolerant landscape. Pre-approval required. Plant list approved by SAWS.
Apply at saws.org →For irrigation system audit and design improvement. Get your system inspected, fix inefficiencies, and recover up to $400.
Apply at saws.org →Per-gallon rebate on rainwater storage. A 2,500-gallon cistern can return up to $3,750. Pre-approval required.
Apply at saws.org →Residential and commercial solar installation rebates. Tiered by system size. Combine with federal solar tax credit.
Apply at cpsenergy.com →Cost-share funding for soil conservation, irrigation efficiency, native habitat, and watershed protection on agricultural and rural land.
Apply at nrcs.usda.gov →Cost-share for habitat restoration, native species protection, prescribed burns, and ecological land management on private property.
Apply at tpwd.texas.gov →Free wood chip delivery from local arborists looking to offload. Sign up, mark your property — they drop a truckload of mulch.
Sign up at getchipdrop.com →Free SAWS Compost available to San Antonio residents. Pick up at the SAWS Conservation Center. Excellent for soil amendment.
Pick up at saws.org →Hill Country watersheds, soils, plants, and weather are all monitored, regulated, and protected by these public bodies. Their data is free. Their staff will answer questions.
Manages the Edwards Aquifer. Sets drought stages, well permits, and outdoor watering rules. The J-17 well in our hero strip is theirs.
edwardsaquifer.org →Stewards the San Antonio River watershed. Watershed plans, flood mitigation, riparian restoration, and citizen science programs.
sariverauthority.org →State water funding. Rainwater harvesting guidance. Flood Infrastructure Fund. Their free Rainwater Harvesting Manual is the Texas standard.
twdb.texas.gov →Free Master Gardener network. Soil testing labs. Native plant guides. Bexar County office offers in-person consults.
agrilifeextension.tamu.edu →Wildlife management plans, habitat funding, public hunting/fishing, prescribed burn assistance. Their landowner programs are often overlooked.
tpwd.texas.gov →Free seedlings, urban forestry guidance, drought-stress tree assessment, wildfire risk mitigation, Firewise programs for Hill Country properties.
tfsweb.tamu.edu →Free. Public. Citable. The same sources every consultant claims as proprietary. They're not — they belong to you. Bookmark these.
Draw any boundary on a US map. Get a complete soil composition, infiltration rate, plant suitability, and engineering properties report. The SSURGO database.
websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov →Real-time stream flow, groundwater levels, water quality for every monitored gauge in the US. The data behind the J-17 tile in our hero strip.
waterdata.usgs.gov →Weekly map of US drought conditions, updated Thursdays. Bexar County's drought status, written in plain English with historical context.
droughtmonitor.unl.edu →Searchable database of every native plant in Texas. Filter by sun exposure, soil, water needs, bloom season, wildlife value. The native plant gold standard.
wildflower.org →Free statewide LIDAR data. Elevation, contours, drainage modeling for any Texas parcel. The basis for serious watershed analysis.
data.tnris.org →Photograph any plant or animal — the community identifies it. Build a biodiversity inventory for your property over time. Citizen science.
inaturalist.org →Membership is cheap. Programs are real. Volunteer days produce more education than any consultant report. Hill Country survives because these groups exist.
Land conservation across the Texas Hill Country. Works with landowners on conservation easements, recharge zone protection, public trails.
hillcountryconservancy.org →San Antonio chapter meets monthly. Plant sales, native garden tours, expert speakers. The most accessible way into Texas native plant knowledge.
npsot.org →The nation's flagship native plant research institute. Public gardens, research, consulting, and the LBJ Plant Database (linked under Open Data above).
wildflower.org →600 acres of wetland habitat in south San Antonio. Bird walks, field trips, citizen science. The local Audubon presence.
mitchelllake.audubon.org →The world's largest bat colony lives at Bracken Cave just north of San Antonio. BCI is HQ'd in Austin. Free public viewing nights. Bats are property infrastructure.
batcon.org →Connects landowners, businesses, and conservation groups across Texas. Annual Conservation Wrangler awards. Strong rural and ranch focus.
texanbynature.org →We'll review and add within one business week.