A Texas Watershed Steward workshop on water quality related to the Blanco and Little Blanco rivers will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Sept. 8. In-person participants can earn continuing education credits for several professional fields.
The workshop will be held at the Gem of the Hills Activity Center, 2233 U.S. Highway 281 in Blanco. A virtual attendance option will also be available.
The event will be presented by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in cooperation with the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University.
“This workshop is designed to help watershed residents learn about their water resources and how they may become involved in local watershed protection and management activities,” said Michael Kuitu, AgriLife Extension program specialist and coordinator for the Texas Watershed Steward program, Bryan-College Station.
“The workshop is free and open to anyone interested in improving water quality in the region.”
To attend in-person or virtually, participants must preregister at the Texas Watershed Steward website at https://tws.tamu.edu or by calling 979-862-4457.
“Once registered, additional meeting information will be provided,” Kuitu said.
Helping improve water quality in the Blanco rivers
The workshop will include a discussion on watershed systems, along with types and sources of water pollution. There also will be a group discussion on community-driven watershed protection and management, as well as an overview of water quality as it relates to watershed management at the local level.
“The Blanco and Little Blanco rivers are instrumental to local drinking water supplies, recreation, habitat and agriculture,” said Nick Dornak, director of watershed services, San Marcos. “They are truly vital resources.”
Light refreshments will be provided. Attendees of the workshop will receive a copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Handbook and are eligible to earn a certificate of completion.
Continuing education opportunities
Four hours of continuing education units, CEUs, are available for those who attend in person. CEUs are available for the following professional disciplines: soil and water management for certified crop advisers, professional engineers, certified teachers, professional geoscientists, certified landscape architects and certified floodplain managers. Certified planners with the American Institute of Certified Planners will receive four CEUs in certification maintenance and one and a half CEUs in law.
Four CEUs will also be provided to the following Texas Commission on Environmental Quality occupational licensees: wastewater system operators, public water system operators, on-site sewage facility installers and landscape irrigators.
Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license holders can earn three general CEUs, and nutrient management specialists can earn two credits. Contact Kuitu for questions regarding professional continuing education afforded to virtual attendees.
Funding for this effort is provided through a federal Clean Water Act §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 Texas Watershed Steward program, and to preregister, go to the website or contact Kuitu at 979-862-4457, mkuitu@tamu.edu; or Chris Wiemers, AgriLife Extension agent for Blanco County, at 830-868-7167, chris.wiemers@ag.tamu.edu.
For more information on the Blanco River and Little Blanco River watersheds, contact Dornak at 512-245-6697, dnd38@txstate.edu.
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