Category: Chapter Meetings

Chapter Meetings

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Meeting Reminder, October 9: “The Soil Food Web Under the Lens of a Microscope” with Laurie Dixon

Updated 10/3/2025

Due to A/C maintenance at the Georgetown Public Library, the in-person location for the meeting on Thursday, October 9, has moved to the Community Room at the Georgetown Parks & Rec Administration Building (address below). The Zoom information has not changed.

Join NPSOT-Williamson County on Thursday, October 9, 2025, when our featured topic will be The Soil Food Web Under the Lens of a Microscope with Laurie Dixon.  Free and open to the public. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM.  The guest presentation begins after a short business meeting.

==> This month’s in-person location is the Georgetown Parks & Rec Administration Building, 1101 N College St, Georgetown, Texas 78626 (not the library). Come early (6:30 PM) for expert advice, to check out the seed swap board, or just to visit.

==> To attend via Zoom, register at https://npsot-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/zDUfv6hKQMqLTpNQjtM-vA#/registration

See the original meeting announcement at this link for speaker and topic details.

At every meeting, we give away a book — about native plants or the meeting topic — to one randomly chosen in-person attendee!

* If we have permission from our guest speaker, we record the presentation for our YouTube channel. (See a list of past topics at this link.)

Have an idea for a speaker?  Let Program Leader Susie Hickman know via  email to wilco-chapter@npsot.org.

NPSOT-Williamson County meetings are free and open to the public. We hope you attend!  Meetings may be in person, virtual, or both, so be sure to check details in the meeting announcement. Meetings are announced on our website, our calendar and Facebook. See upcoming topics on our Home page or on the Calendar.

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October 9 Chapter Meeting:  “The Soil Food Web Under the Lens of a Microscope” with Laurie Dixon

image of soil

Updated 10/3/2025

Due to A/C maintenance at the Georgetown Public Library, the in-person location for the meeting on Thursday, October 9, has moved to the Community Room at the Georgetown Parks & Rec Administration Building (address below). The Zoom information has not changed.

Join NPSOT-Williamson County on Thursday, October 9, 2025, when our featured topic will be The Soil Food Web Under the Lens of a Microscope with Laurie Dixon.  Free and open to the public. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM.  The guest presentation begins after a short business meeting.

==> This month’s in-person location is the Georgetown Parks & Rec Administration Building, 1101 N College St, Georgetown, Texas 78626 (not the public library). Come early (6:30 PM) for expert advice, to check out the seed swap board, or just to visit.

==> To attend via Zoom, register at https://npsot-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/zDUfv6hKQMqLTpNQjtM-vA#/registration

About our topic:  When we think of ecosystems, we often picture trees, pollinators, and wildlife—but the foundation of an ecosystem’s vitality begins underground. Join us for a fascinating, microscope-guided exploration of the soil food web, the complex underground ecosystem that powers native plant communities. From beneficial fungi that form root partnerships to tiny predators that balance soil populations, this talk reveals the often-overlooked organisms essential to plant health, nutrient cycling, and ecological restoration.

About our speaker: Laurie Dixon is a landscape design consultant with a strong focus on ecological principles and the founder of Biotic Lens, a consultancy dedicated to soil microscopy education and applications. She combines her background in landscape design with specialized soil microscopy to help growers and landscapers implement a biological approach. Laurie is a long time Master Gardener and serves on the board of the Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (TOFGA).

At every meeting, we give away a book — about native plants or the meeting topic — to one randomly chosen in-person attendee!

* If we have permission from our guest speaker, we record the presentation for our YouTube channel. (See a list of past topics at this link.)

Have an idea for a speaker?  Let Program Leader Susie Hickman know via  email to wilco-chapter@npsot.org.

NPSOT-Williamson County meetings are free and open to the public. We hope you attend!  Meetings may be in person, virtual, or both, so be sure to check details in the meeting announcement. Meetings are announced on our website, our calendar and Facebook. See upcoming topics on our Home page or on the Calendar.

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Recording Available for September 11’s topic, “Guidelines for Learning to Identify Common Native Grasses of Central Texas” with Ricky Linex

The video recording of September 11, 2025’s chapter meeting featuring Guidelines for Learning to Identify Common Native Grasses of Central Texas with Ricky Linex is now available on our YouTube channel. The presentation begins after a short business meeting.

Ricky’s slides are at this link. Ricky’s handout is here.

See more recorded topics on our YouTube channel. Like and Subscribe!

See our page Prior Guest Speakers for a list of past meeting topics by year.

Business slides for recent chapter meetings are here, listed by date. (If this particular meeting’s business slides were not added yet, they will be soon. Please check back later.)

NPSOT-Williamson County meetings are free and open to the public. We hope you attend!  Meetings may be in person, virtual, or both, so be sure to check details in the meeting announcement. Meetings are announced on our website, our calendar and Facebook.