BAYTOWN – The Texas Water Resources Institute, or TWRI, will host a free Texas Riparian and Stream Ecosystem Education workshop from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. May 1 in Baytown.
The workshop is intended for area residents interested in land and water stewardship in Chambers County and surrounding counties in the Cedar and Double Bayou watersheds.
The morning session will be at the Eddie V. Gray Wetland Center, 1724 Market St. The afternoon session will include a creek-side walk and presentations.
Clare Entwistle, TWRI research associate, San Antonio, said the workshop is co-hosted locally by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Chambers County, Houston-Galveston Area Council and Houston Advanced Research Center.
Attendees must RSVP by April 29 online at http://bit.ly/2UECv4C or to Entwistle at 210-277-0292 ext. 205, or clare.entwistle@ag.tamu.edu. The site also has information on the continuing education units or credits available for workshop attendance.
The workshop will include a lunchtime presentation. A catered lunch is available to participants for $10 or participants may bring their own lunch.
Entwistle said Cedar Bayou is a tributary into the Galveston Bay system, and Double Bayou, located on the Upper Texas Gulf Coast, is also part of the Galveston Bay watershed. Both watersheds support regional commerce and provide valuable habitat and recreational opportunities. Both also have approved watershed protection plans working to address water quality concerns.
She said proper management, protection and restoration of these areas directly influences water quality and quantity, plus stabilizes stream banks and improves fish and aquatic habitats and communities.
“The goal of the workshop is for participants to better understand riparian and watershed processes, the benefits of healthy riparian areas and what resources are available to prevent degradation while improving water quality,” she said.
Entwistle said the institute is able to offer the workshop without cost thanks to program funding provided through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Shannon Dietz, AgriLife Extension agent for Harris County, said participants will receive a certificate of completion and appropriate continuing education unit certificates.
The riparian education program is managed by TWRI, part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, AgriLife Extension and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.
For more information, contact Entwistle or visit http://texasriparian.org or go to Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TexasRiparianAssociation.
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Contacts: Clare Entwistle, 210-277-0292 ext. 205, Clare.Entwistle@ag.tamu.edu