We’re back with more exciting projects here at the Urban Ecosystems Research Stream, and this time we’re thrilled to introduce the Austin Area Urban Nature Roundtable! The idea began in the summer with a simple question: how can we create stronger connections between people who care about Austin’s environment? Our city is home to a growing network of researchers, students, and community members dedicated to understanding and protecting urban ecosystems. However, these groups often work independently. To bridge that gap, Dr. Stuart Reichler and the Urban Ecosystems stream organized the first-ever Austin Area Urban Nature Roundtable—a space designed to foster communication, collaboration, and creativity across Austin’s environmental community.
Our inaugural meeting took place on October 1, 2025, hosted both in person at the University of Texas at Austin and online via Zoom. The goal was to create an open, discussion-based environment where participants could share experiences and introduce each other. We also had our guest speaker Miriam Toro Rosario, who joined us from Alianza por la Cuenca del Río Piedras in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Miriam shared her experience working with diverse community groups to protect the Río Piedras watershed.
“The first meeting also brought together representatives from several local organizations, including Waterloo Greenway, A Rocha USA, Austin Youth River Watch, Keep Austin Beautiful, Austin Water Center for Environmental Research, Great Springs Project, and the Native Plant Society of Texas,” stated student researcher, Marcela Dreesen.
Preparing for the event took detailed planning and teamwork. Student researcher Marcela Dreesen spent much of her summer reaching out to more than 100 organizations and individuals involved in environmental work across Austin. The strong response highlighted how many groups were eager to connect, and from those replies, the roundtable now includes roughly 20 unique organizations.
Working alongside Dr. Reichler, Marcela helped coordinate key aspects of the event—from scheduling and developing discussion topics to managing the hybrid meeting format. Reflecting on the project, Marcela shared her perspective:
“The roundtable’s goal is to bring together Austin’s environmental organizations to share events, research, and current projects. We hope to connect groups working toward similar goals so they can collaborate and foster an environment where multiple organizations come together to work on a shared mission.”
The next Austin Area Urban Nature Roundtable will be December 10, 2025, from 9:30-11am at the University of Texas at Austin, with a Zoom option available. The theme of the meeting is to discuss opportunities and challenges for the year 2026, as well as presentations from a few organizations.
This is just the beginning for the Austin Area Urban Nature Roundtable. By continuing these conversations, we hope to strengthen the network of people and organizations working toward a more connected and sustainable Austin. Bringing together scientists, students, and community members is a big step towards improving the future of Austin’s urban ecosystems – and we are excited to see where this growing community will go next.
Visit their page: https://sites.utexas.edu/austinurbannature/