In 2023, a cooperative nonprofit called Zilker 351 was created to "honor, preserve, and enhance" all 351 acres of Zilker Park. Now the group has selected its first executive director, Fleetwood Jacobs.

Jacobs, whose previous experience includes acting as the Development Director for Hill Country Conservancy, says she's "super excited" about her new role. Speaking with CultureMap, she presents a vision of Zilker Park as something to be preserved according to community feedback.

"They've hired me to lead the charge on making sure the ecological health of the park is cared for," Jacobs says.

She emphasizes her goal to preserve nature at Zilker, make sure the park is accessible to all Austinites, and have an open and ongoing dialogue with the community.

Some projects currently on the docket at Zilker include a Woodland Tree Canopy Project, where Zilker 351 is working to plant new trees and replace invasive species with native trees. It's working on finding funding to plant the trees, while also collaborating with the City of Austin on the project.

Additionally, the organization is initiating an historical study on access to the park, which will be created alongside several community listening sessions.

Zilker 351 was created during the formation of 2023's Zilker Vision Plan, which received so much backlash it was ultimately rejected. Respondents were worried about spending $150 million on a single park, especially when the proposed changes would lead to further development for events. Austinites instead said they wanted the park to stay natural.

Jacobs says the organization wants to prioritize meetings with the community.

"We want to see what their hopes and dreams are for the park. And we also want to see what the barriers to entry are to the park," she says. "We want to make sure the community has ownership on what's happening in the park."

Though Zilker 351 took shape alongside the failed Vision Plan, Jacobs says it was made clear during this time how important a unifying organization is for the park's 15 separate organizations.

The 15 organizations currently operating out of Zilker are:

• ABC Kite Festival
• Austin Parks Foundation
• Austin Sunshine Camps
• Barton Springs Conservancy
• Friends of the Austin Nature and Science Center
• Friends of Barton Springs Pool
• Girl Scouts Zilker Cabin
• Hill Country Conservancy
• Rowing Dock
• The Trail Conservancy
• Trail of Lights Foundation
• UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum
• Waterloo Disc Golf Club
• Zilker Botanical Gardens Conservancy
• Zilker Theatre Productions

Zilker 351 is its own organization, but each of the 15 above have one member on its advisory board. This allows a deeper partnership despite the technical separation and ensures that "everyone is aligned and has a cohesive vision moving forward," says Jacobs. She points out how lucky she feels that these 15 organizations are ethical, supportive, and have a lot of experience.

"We don't have any current plans to make major changes at this time," Jacobs says. "We're just hoping to make sure the park stays beautiful, green, and healthy."