Institute to hold two March meetings on improving Lavaca River watershed

Contacts: Clare Entwistle, 979-458-5962, clare.entwistle@ag.tamu.edu

Michael Schramm, 979-458-9191, Michael.schramm@ag.tamu.edu

EDNA – The Texas Water Resources Institute is hosting two meetings in March for anyone interested in improving and protecting the Lavaca River watershed, program coordinators said.

An agricultural and wildlife nonpoint source workgroup meeting is set for 1-3 p.m. March 23 at the Lavaca Navidad River Authority, 4631 Farm-to-Market Road 3131 in Edna.

A Lavaca River watershed stakeholder meeting will be from 1:30-3:30 p.m. March 30 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office in Jackson County, 411 N. Wells St. in Edna.

At the agriculture and wildlife workgroup meeting, presenters will give an overview of water quality data and discuss possible estimates for livestock and wildlife populations within the watershed. They also will discuss potential management measures related to agriculture, said Michael Schramm, an institute research associate in College Station.

“Good stewardship of the land and the assistance of management practices play a vital role in watershed management,” Schramm said.

Clare Entwistle, institute research associate in College Station, said the watershed stakeholder meeting on March 30 will be the third in a series of stakeholder meetings to develop strategies needed to address water quality impairments in the watershed.

“The meeting will discuss the progress of developing the watershed protection plan for the Lavaca River, as well as discuss the findings from the ag and wildlife workgroup meeting,” Entwistle said. “It is important to get local input on deciding which management practices are appropriate for the area.”

She said interested stakeholders should come to the meetings to become a part of the planning process.

“Even if someone was not able to attend previous meetings, we are still encouraging all interested citizens in the region to attend this meeting as their input is essential for identifying land and water issues, plus toward developing and implementing a watershed-based plan,” she said.

For more information, email Entwistle at clare.entwistle@ag.tamu.edu or Schramm at Michael.schramm@ag.tamu.edu.

The Texas Water Resources Institute is part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, AgriLife Extension and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University, College Station.

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