A Texas Watershed Steward workshop on water quality related to the Petronila and San Fernando creeks will be held from 1-5 p.m. March 3.
The event is presented by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in cooperation with the Texas Water Resources Institute.
The workshop will be held at the Kleberg Park Recreation Building/Expo Center, 501 E. Escondido Road, Kingsville. The event is free and open to anyone interested in improving water quality in the region.
To attend in-person or virtually, participants must preregister at https://tx.ag/TWSPetSanFernCreeks or call 979-862-4457. Additional meeting information will be provided once registered.
“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.
Light refreshments will be provided for in-person participants. Attendees of the workshop will receive a copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Handbook and are eligible to earn a certificate of completion.
Improving water quality in the Petronila, San Fernando creeks watershed
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.
Petronila Creek and San Fernando Creek discharge water into Baffin Bay from throughout their individual watersheds. However, the two creeks are listed as impaired for excess levels of bacteria.
This workshop is being held in support of ongoing efforts within the basin to protect water quality through the development of a watershed protection plan. To learn more and become engaged in this process, visit https://baffin.twri.tamu.edu/.
Continuing education opportunities
The Texas Watershed Steward program offers continuing education units for multiple professional disciplines. The quantity of continuing education offered may vary for select disciplines, depending on whether one attends in person or virtually.
For in-person attendees, four hours of continuing education is offered 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. American Institute of Certified Planners professional planners are eligible for four certification maintenance hours and 1.5 law hours.
Four CEUs are also offered for each of the following Texas Commission on Environmental Quality occupational licensees: wastewater system operators, public water system operators, on-site sewage facility installers and landscape irrigators.
In addition, three general CEUs are offered for Texas Department of Agriculture private pesticide applicator license holders, and two credits are offered for nutrient management specialists. For questions regarding professional continuing education afforded to virtual attendees, contact Kuitu at 979-862-4457 or michael.kuitu@ag.tamu.edu.
Funding for this effort is provided through a Clean Water Act 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, contact Kuitu or Frank Escobedo, AgriLife Extension agent for Kleberg-Kenedy counties, at f-escobedo@tamu.edu or 361-595-8566.
For more information on the Petronila Creek, San Fernando Creek and Baffin Bay watersheds, contact Ennis Rios, TWRI student technician, at 979-314-2357, ennis.rios@agnet.tamu.edu.
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