The Texas Water Resources Institute, TWRI, Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration Program will host a workshop from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on April 25 in Temple for professionals interested in conducting stream restoration projects around Central Texas.
The morning session will be at the Seaton Star Hall, 10842 Texas Highway 53, and the afternoon session will be outdoors in and along a creek to learn stream surveying techniques.
Attendees must register by April 19 at https://tx.ag/BigElm2023 or to Alexander Neal, TWRI program specialist, at 979-314-2351, Alexander.Neal@ag.tamu.edu. Attendees are encouraged to register early as the workshop is limited due to space.
Registration cost is $50 and includes all training materials, a catered barbeque lunch and a certificate of completion at the end of the course.
Workshop presentations will be given by representatives of TWRI and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
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.
Jaber 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, impacts of development on urban streams, 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,” Jaber said.
Continuing education units
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, Neal said. It offers seven hours for certified crop advisers and six hours for Texas floodplain managers or nutrient management planning specialists.
The program may also be used for continuing education units for professional engineers. Master Naturalist and Master Gardener volunteers should check with their local chapters to see if it is approved for their area.
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.
Contact Neal for more information, or visit texasriparian.org or facebook.com/TexasRiparianAssociation. The urban riparian stream education program is managed by TWRI, part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, AgriLife Extension and the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
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