The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge (FWNC&R) is an oasis just inside the city, where a person can go to hear themselves think. Isaac Aldrete has been hiking there for years. This is, in part, what led him to Texas Christian University: presenting his multi-criteria spatial analysis of vegetation zones at the FWNC&R to inform research on the implications for ecological management.

“I have been going on hikes there for almost 10 years now. So, I thought it would be a great opportunity to do something with a place I love,” said Aldrete, who is a “junior” majoring in environmental and sustainability sciences and pursuing a certificate in geographic information systems.

The quote marks around “junior” are his. Aldrete had been attending community college before taking a job in TCU’s post office that allowed him to pursue his degree and this research. He presented his findings at the Louise Dilworth Davis College of Science & Engineering student research symposium in the spring.

Work Across Disciplines
Aldrete is one of many Horned Frogs who have recently worked with the FWNC&R. Davis College’s Institute of Ranch Management students have worked with the center’s bison population. Students from the Urban Wilderness Class in the John V. Roach Honors College have restored habitats and tackled erosion. A College of Fine Arts student designed an infographic outlining the bison. AddRan College of Liberal Artsstudents worked on various projects in their Environment and Society class, including chronicling as a roving naturalist and mapping biodiversity.

TCU Vice Provost for Research Reuben Burch loves to say that to be nationally known, you have to be locally relevant, and the partnership between TCU and FWNC&R does both.

“We are The University of Fort Worth,” Burch said, “and this is research that matters for our students and our community.” 

TCU’s partnership with the FWNC&R is producing academic research that benefits the greater community, hitting on both the research and the community engagement pillars of TCU’s Strategic Plan, LEAD ON: Values in Action.

Preserving Green Spaces
As North Texas continues to grow, the need to preserve green spaces grows with it. Preserving the “future Central Park of Fort Worth,” as director Jared Wood likes to call the FWNC&R, is an important goal for Mayor Mattie Parker’s Good Natured Greenspace Initiative. It’s also a major reason TCU launched the Natural Resources Research Initiative (NRRI).

“TCU’s work with the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge reflects the kind of partnership the Natural Resources Research Initiative was created to build,” said Omar Harvey, director of the NRRI and geology professor. “That is, to connect faculty expertise, student learning and community needs in ways that generate real impact. The Nature Center is not only a major ecological asset, but also a 3,700-acre living laboratory for advancing research, training students and pursuing external partnerships in areas such as conservation, ecological resilience and natural resource intelligence and stewardship.”

This research also benefits both the undergraduate and graduate student experience. Research, whether done in a lab or on the field, takes the lessons learned in the classroom and brings them to life, applies them to real-world problems and helps students to create real-world impact.

“This project was the perfect example of applying what I’ve learned through geospatial and GIS courses,” Aldrete said. “This research really showed me how much time and effort goes into developing the kind of data needed to make informed decisions in the real world.”

-Jen Floyd Engel