Think Trees: An Ethnobotanical Tree Tour of the Trail

The Butler Trail’s trees tell an amazing story! On this one-of-a-kind tree tour, participants will learn about the native and noteworthy trees that live on and support Lady Bird Lake’s shoreline. Think Trees: An Ethnobotanical Tree Tour of the Trail is presented as part of the City of Austin's Roots & Wings Festival. Learn more about the festival at RootsAndWingsFest.com

On this guided walk, you’ll hear from Rachel Caldwell Hill and Tree Ambassadors with Austin Climate Action and Resilience and learn how the region’s native inhabitants interacted with trees and used their relationships with the land for food, medicine, livelihood, social life, and more

Event Details:

• Meeting Location: Festival Beach - Please look for TTC's orange tent on the lawn west of the Nash Hernandez Monument. 
• Parking:
  • Parking available at the Estacionamiento Edward Rendon
  • Street parking available on Chicon Street and Nash Hernandez Senior Rd
• What to Bring & Wear: 
  • Weather Appropriate Clothing
  • Sun Protection - Hats & Sunglasses
  • Filled Water Bottle
  • TTC will provide extra water & snacks for participants

About the Organizers

The Trail Conservancy (TTC) is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to protecting, enhancing, and connecting the Ann and Roy Butler Trail at Lady Bird Lake for the benefit of all. Through parkland development, community programming, and daily restoration and maintenance, TTC works to ensure the 10-mile Trail and nearly 300 acres of surrounding parkland remain a natural sanctuary in the heart of Austin.

Rachel Caldwell Hill (she/her) is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and a PhD student in Anthropology and Native American Indigenous Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She researches Design Anthropology, Research-Creation, Multispecies Ethnography, Indigenous Polycultures, Foodways, Community-Based and Engaged Research, and Photography. Her dissertation project is rooted in heirloom Three Sisters gardens and explores the various design frameworks and concepts that emerge through polyculture cultivation. Through this work, she weaves transcustomary ethnographic methods with ecological research to visualize relational ontologies that produce and circulate knowledge along the Balcones Fault ecotone.

The Austin Climate Action and Resilience Department's Tree Ambassadors serve as a vital voice for neighborhood green spaces. Over seven months, Tree Ambassadors work with the Urban Forest Program to promote tree planting and care in your community, educate others about the benefits of a healthy urban forest, lead or support local events, workshops, and tree walks, and connect with community leaders to inspire change.