The Texas Water Resources Institute, TWRI, Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration Program will host a workshop June 2 in Junction for professionals interested in conducting stream restoration projects around southwest Central Texas.
Workshop presentations will be given by representatives of TWRI and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
The event will go from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. The morning session will be at the Llano River Field Station, Texas Tech University Center at Junction, 254 Red Raider Lane.
The afternoon session will be outdoors along the Llano River to learn stream surveying techniques.
Preregistration is required at https://tx.ag/URSRJunction or to Alexander Neal, TWRI program specialist, Bryan-College Station, at 979-314-2351 or Alexander.Neal@ag.tamu.edu.
Attendees are encouraged to register early as the workshop is limited to 20 people. Registration cost is $50 and includes all training materials, a catered lunch and a certificate of completion at the end of the course.
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 these riparian areas will improve water quality, lower in-stream temperatures, improve aquatic habitat and ultimately improve macrobenthos and fish community integrity.
“The goal of the workshop is for participants to better understand urban stream functions and impacts of development on urban streams,” Jaber said. “Participants will also be able to recognize healthy versus degraded stream systems, assess and classify a stream using the Bank Erosion Hazard Index, and comprehend differences between natural and traditional restoration techniques.”
Continuing education units
Neal said participants will receive a certificate of completion and appropriate continuing education unit certificates at the conclusion of the training.
The workshop offers many types of continuing education units, he said. It offers seven hours for Certified Crop Advisors, six hours for Texas Floodplain Managers and six hours for Texas Nutrient Management Planning specialists.
The program may also be used for continuing education units for professional engineers. It may be approved for Master Naturalists and Master Gardeners; participants should check with their local chapters.
Neal said the institute can 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.
For more information, visit http://texasriparian.org or go to Texas Riparian Association Facebook page.
The urban riparian stream education program is managed by the Texas Water Resources Institute, part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, AgriLife Extension and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.
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