The Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration Program will have a workshop from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on Nov. 5 in San Antonio for professionals interested in conducting stream restoration projects around the local area.
The event is cohosted by the San Antonio River Authority, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas Water Resources Institute, TWRI.
The workshop is limited to 40 people. Register at https://tx.ag/SAUrbanStream21. The cost is $50 and includes all training materials, a catered lunch and a certificate of completion.
Attendees must register by Oct. 28 and may also register through Clare Escamilla, Texas A&M AgriLife Research specialist at the institute’s San Antonio office, at 210-277-0292 ext. 205 or clare.entwistle@ag.tamu.edu.
The morning session will be at the San Antonio River Authority Mission Reach Operation Center, 8510-3 Mission Road. The afternoon session will be outdoors along the San Antonio River, so participants may learn stream surveying techniques.
The workshop presentations will be given by representatives of TWRI and AgriLife Research.
Threats to water quality
“Riparian and stream degradation is a major threat to water quality, in-stream habitat, terrestrial wildlife, aquatic species and overall stream health,” said Fouad Jaber, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension program specialist in Dallas.
He said proper management, protection and restoration of riparian areas will improve water quality, lower in-stream temperatures, improve aquatic habitat and ultimately improve fish community integrity.
“The goal of the workshop is for participants to better understand urban stream functions, impacts of development on urban streams, and the difference between healthy versus degraded stream systems,” Jaber said. “It will also show participants how to assess and classify a stream using the Bank Erosion Hazard Index and comprehend differences between natural and traditional restoration techniques.”
Continuing education units
Escamilla said participants will receive a certificate of completion and appropriate continuing education unit certificates at the conclusion of the training.
She said the workshop offers many types of continuing education units and more credits are in the process of being added. Foresters and professional loggers can receive six hours from the Society of American Foresters. It offers one unit from TWRI, seven hours for certified crop advisors and six hours for Texas Nutrient Management Planning specialists.
The program may also be used for continuing education units for professional engineers. Check with your local chapter for Master Naturalist and Master Gardener to see if it is approved for your area.
Escamilla said TWRI is able to offer the workshop at a reduced cost thanks to program funding provided through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Contact Escamilla for more information or visit http://texasriparian.org. The urban riparian stream education program is managed by TWRI, part of AgriLife Research, AgriLife Extension and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.
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