A Texas Watershed Steward workshop on water quality related to La Nana Bayou will be held Sept. 7. The workshop is free and open to anyone interested in improving water quality in the region.
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 Texas Water Resources Institute, TWRI.
The workshop will be held from 1-5 p.m. at Liberty Hall, 805 E. Main St., Nacogdoches. A virtual attendance option is available for those unable to attend in person.
“This workshop is designed to help residents in the watershed 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.
To attend in person or virtually, participants must preregister at https://tx.ag/TWSRegister or by calling 979-862-4457. Once registered, additional meeting information will be provided, Kuitu said.
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.
Helping improve water quality in the La Nana Bayou 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, and an overview of water quality as it relates to watershed management at the local level.
“La Nana Bayou is a 32-mile stream in Nacogdoches County that is listed by the state of Texas as impaired,” said Emily Monroe, TWRI program specialist, Bryan-College Station. “To address the impairment, TWRI, the Angelina and Neches River Authority, and Stephen F. Austin State University plan to work alongside local stakeholders to develop a watershed protection plan for the bayou.”
Ricky Thompson, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent, Nacogdoches County, said the workshop will detail local water quality but is applicable to watersheds throughout the state.
“Therefore, we encourage the public to not only learn about water quality management, but also how they may become involved by contributing to the watershed protection plan and implementing best management practices in their homes, on their land, or at their jobs,” Thompson said.
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 more information on the Texas Watershed Steward program or questions regarding professional continuing education afforded to virtual attendees, contact Kuitu at 979-862-4457, michael.kuitu@ag.tamu.edu, or Thompson at 936-560-7711, ricky.thompson@ag.tamu.edu.
For more information on the La Nana Bayou watershed, contact Monroe at 979-314-2358, emily.monroe@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.
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