{"id":465624,"date":"2026-10-14T09:02:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T09:02:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/465624\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T09:02:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T09:02:38","slug":"record-turnout-of-volunteers-clean-up-wild-basin-perimeter-during-tacos-and-trash-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/465624\/","title":{"rendered":"Record turnout of volunteers clean up Wild Basin perimeter during \u2018Tacos and Trash\u2019 event"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A record turnout of 34 volunteers from St. Edward\u2019s University and Villanova University alumni gathered at the Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve on Sept. 19 for the bi-annual \u201cTacos and Trash\u201d service event, collecting 30 bags of trash along Highway 360 to keep roadside pollution out of the preserve and its watershed. <\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32822 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/RudysTacos-1200x800.jpg\" alt=\"Volunteers fill out a waiver and grab Rudy\u2019s breakfast tacos before starting orientation.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\"  \/>Dalia Zamora \/ Hilltop Views<\/p>\n<p>Starting at 8:15 a.m., participants fueled up with breakfast tacos donated by Rudy\u2019s on Highway 360 before embarking on a morning dedicated to environmental stewardship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInstead of just saying, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re going to pick up trash,\u2019 could we have something that would be kind of a fun breakfast side of things and gearing toward the trash?\u201d said Paul Vickery, Wild Basin environmental education coordinator. \u201cAnd it lends itself well to a donation from a local business.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32823 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WBorientation-1200x800.jpg\" alt=\"Paul Vickery conducting a safety orientation, pointing toward grabbers, buckets, and traffic cones set up along the preserve boundary line.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\"  \/>Dalia Zamora \/ Hilltop Views<\/p>\n<p>Before heading out, Vickery briefed attendees on safety protocols along busy Highway 360. Volunteers were equipped with safety vests, trash grabbers, buckets, sunscreen and bug spray, with traffic cones supplied by the St. Edward\u2019s University Police Department marking safe zones.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want to leave the shoulder as a buffer zone for the cars,\u201d Vickery said. \u201cWe want to be walking in the grass for safety reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A new addition to the event was a sign saying \u201cSt. Edward\u2019s University service project\u201d that people driving by could see from the highway.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32824 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Highway360-1200x800.jpg\" alt=\"Students, faculty, and community volunteers working together in two groups to scour the roadside grass and trees for debris.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\"  \/>Dalia Zamora \/ Hilltop Views<\/p>\n<p>The event saw a record turnout, drawing 34 total participants including students, faculty, staff, and long-time community volunteers. Among the attendees were members of HOOVES, the university\u2019s student volunteer organization.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI chose this because (HOOVES) works a lot with Wild Basin and it would be a great chance to get out and enjoy the morning and do some good,\u201d said Sarah Thome, a senior psychology major and president of HOOVES. \u201cIt definitely makes it a lot more personal to me \u2026 It just makes it feel a lot more connected to me and to St. Ed\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32826 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MicroTrash-1200x800.jpg\" alt=\"A volunteer holding a small piece of trash with a trash grabber.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\"  \/>Dalia Zamora \/ Hilltop Views<\/p>\n<p>After three hours of picking up debris, volunteers collected 30 bags of trash, ranging from micro-trash to vehicle debris like tire treads. Over the past three years of hosting the event, organizers have noticed a clear shift.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe trash that we\u2019re picking up is all pretty much newer trash \u2026 within the last six or seven months,\u201d Vickery said. \u201cAnd so we\u2019ve now removed that from breaking down even more.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32825 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WBsign-1200x800.jpg\" alt=\"Volunteers picking up trash on the side of the highway with the Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve in the background.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\"  \/>Dalia Zamora \/ Hilltop Views<\/p>\n<p>Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve is co-owned and co-managed by St. Edward\u2019s University and Travis County. Cleaning up the highway perimeter prevents debris from washing downstream into local creeks and delicate watershed ecosystems within the preserve.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had been to Wild Basin and enjoyed the nature that they have,\u201d said Mariana Momenso, a senior biology major who previously conducted research at the preserve. \u201cBeing able to contribute to that and be part of why it\u2019s so clean and so wild is very rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32827 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SistersAtWB-1200x800.jpg\" alt=\"Sisters Jimena and Britanny Martinez Olivares smiling while collecting trash along the preserve boundary.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\"  \/>Dalia Zamora \/ Hilltop Views<\/p>\n<p>For many students, the event serves as a way to fulfill academic requirements while relaxing outdoors and connecting with peers and professors outside the classroom.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mostly signed up for this because I have required hours for my Catholicism class, but \u2026 I thought this was the most interesting because I love nature and science,\u201d said freshman biology major Britanny Martinez Olivares, who attended with her sister Jimena, a senior biochemistry major. \u201cIt\u2019s a good way to settle down, especially if you\u2019re a student \u2026 slowing down, walking around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32828 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/VolunteerSkip-1200x800.jpg\" alt=\"Volunteer Skip Beaird bringing trash bags to the cones, which were collected at the end of the event.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\"  \/>Dalia Zamora \/ Hilltop Views<\/p>\n<p>By 11:30 a.m., the highway stretch was clean. Beyond removing immediate pollution, the organizers hope the event inspires lifelong habits of environmental responsibility among participants.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s amazing and really shocking to people how much trash is on the side of a highway \u2026 and how many hands can make such an impact in a short amount of time,\u201d Vickery said. \u201cI hope that people are inspired and they continue to find ways to support their community \u2026 continue to find ways to be a good steward and volunteer their time.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A record turnout of 34 volunteers from St. Edward\u2019s University and Villanova University alumni gathered at the Wild&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":465625,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133],"class_list":["post-465624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=465624"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465624\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/465625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=465624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=465624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=465624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}