A Lone Star Healthy Streams workshop will be held on Dec. 2 at the Cranfills Gap Community Center,312 N. 3rd St. in Cranfills Gap.
The workshop is offered as a joint effort by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board. This is a multi-county event targeting the counties in the North Bosque River Watershed, including Bosque, Coryell, Hamilton and Erath counties.
The free workshop will be from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. with breakfast provided by Lone Star Ag Credit. Two Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education credits for pesticide applicators are available in integrated pest management. In addition, four advance training credits will be offered to Texas Master Naturalists.
RSVP by Nov. 27 to the AgriLife Extension office in Bosque County at 254-435-2331.
Program focus
The workshop will focus on Central Texas watersheds and many local efforts to improve water quality. Topics covered will include basic watershed function, water quality and voluntary best-management practices to minimize bacterial contamination originating from grazing livestock, backyard poultry and feral hogs.
“The goal of the Lone Star Healthy Streams program is to protect Texas waterways from bacterial contamination originating from livestock, wildlife and invasive species that may pose a serious health risk to Texans,” said Leanne Wiley, AgriLife Extension program specialist and Lone Star Healthy Streams coordinator, Bryan-College Station. “The aim is to increase awareness of non-point source pollution, provide education materials to Texas producers and landowners and encourage implementation.”
Protecting the watershed
In addition to the sessions on grazing livestock, backyard poultry and feral hog management, technical and financial opportunities will be discussed by the local Soil and Water Conservation District and the U.S. Department of Agriculture–Natural Resources Conservation Service. The Middle Trinity Ground Water Conservation District and City of Waco Watershed Protection groups will also speak briefly about local watershed management.
Funding for this effort is provided through a Clean Water Act Section 319(h) nonpoint source grant administered by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information on the workshop, contact Wiley at 979-240-8407 or leanne.wiley@ag.tamu.edu; or Chelsea Dorward, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Bosque County, at 254-435-2331 or Chelsea.Dorward@ag.tamu.edu.
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Author: Rob Williams