Texas Conservation Symposium 2026

JOIN US FOR THE 12TH ANNUAL TEXAS CONSERVATION SYMPOSIUM! Keynote Speaker: Nathan Pence Executive Manager of Environmental Science, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority Special Panel Presentation: State Conservation Initiatives Speakers: Kelly Conrad Simon, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Laura Miksch, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Jennifer Murrago, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department When: Thursday, January 15th Friday, January 16th Where: Williamson County Annex, 100 Wilco Way, Georgetown Texas. Parking is available at the Annex building for in-person attendees. Log-in instructions to be sent out in advance to virtual attendees. How: Hybrid symposium, available both in-person and remotely. Please register for in-person and/or remote; whichever is your anticipated method of attendance. In-person space is limited, and refreshments will be supplied based on the number of in-person attendees registered. Updates, a downloadable program, and remote access to the event will be made available on the WCCF website at https://www.wilcotx.gov/1300/Texas-Conservation-Symposium [https://www.wilcotx.gov/1300/Texas-Conservation-Symposium]. What: The symposium, co-sponsored by the Williamson County Conservation Foundation and Southwestern University, is a multi-species, multi-disciplinary look at challenges, current knowledge, and innovative techniques and approaches to conservation. The program scope will encompass species of conservation concern, along with research and developments relevant to conservation efforts in Texas and related regions. Key focus areas include—though are not limited to—biology, ecology, statistical analysis, geology and hydrology, climatology, and the regulatory and governmental landscape. Who: All persons interested and involved in conservation, endangered, and threatened species management, environmental dynamics, the regulatory atmosphere, habitat and natural open spaces. Consider this also a request and reminder for submitting abstracts. You will receive a separate call for papers/presentations by way of an email from Dr. Pierce and submission details will be updated on the website above. We encourage oral presentations to be in person, but we can accommodate remote oral presentations if needed. Full A/V capability is available. Please let us know if your talk must be presented remotely. We encourage posters, which may present a study in progress, preliminary data, a project proposal, or a review of a conversation topic, as well as a completed project. Poster presentations must be in person. The deadline for submission of title and abstracts for oral and poster presentations is 11:59 pm, November 7th, 2025. All oral presentations are 15 minutes (10-12 minutes for presentation, 3-5 minutes for questions and answers). Please send your title and abstract using the form below: https://forms.office.com/g/usJw2BbXGy [https://forms.office.com/g/usJw2BbXGy] Awards: Again, this year, both undergraduate and graduate level classifications will be eligible for presentation and poster awards. For oral presentations, student awards (both classifications) will be $200 for First Place, $100 for Second Place, and $50 for Third Place. For research posters, student awards will be $50 for the winning graduate and $50 for the winning undergraduate. Reception - Sponsored by ICF When: Thursday, January 15th, from 5:30 - 9:30 p.m. Where: Sheraton Austin Georgetown Hotel & Conference Center 1101 Woodlawn Ave, Georgetown, TX 78628 We invite you to join us on Thursday evening for a memorable meet-and-greet at the beautiful Sheraton. Hor d'oeuvres and beverages will be available, including one free drink ticket. The Brix and Ale restaurant (open until 9 p.m.), Provisions bar (open until 11 p.m.), and free parking are also available on-site. Hotel Block: When: Wednesday, January 14th - Friday, January 16th Last day to book is December 26th, 2025 Where: Sheraton Austin Georgetown Hotel & Conference Center 1101 Woodlawn Ave, Georgetown, TX 78628 BOOK NOW! [https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1760733284083&key=GRP&dtt=true&app=resvlink] A hotel room block is available for your convenience at the same location as our reception for $219.00 per night. Other nearby hotels include the Best Westen Plus Georgetown Inn & Suites, the Hampton Inn & Suites Georgetown/Austin North, and the Fairfield Inn & Suites Austin Georgetown, WoodSpring Suites Austin Georgetown, and Quality Inn (Leander Rd).