Baffin Bay riparian and stream ecosystem workshop set for May 2 in Kingsville
Free workshop for residents focuses on Baffin Bay watershed, riparian ecosystem
The Texas Water Resources Institute, TWRI, will host a free Texas Riparian and Stream Ecosystem Education Program on May 2 in Kingsville.
The workshop will be from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Center, 1730 W. Corral Ave. The morning session will be at the center. The afternoon session will include a walk with presentations along a nearby stream.
All attendees must RSVP by April 25 online at tx.ag/kingsville24 or by email to Alexander.Neal@ag.tamu.edu. The workshop is co-hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Riparian Association and TWRI.
“Riparian education workshops motivate informed landowners and local residents to adopt and support practices to better manage riparian and stream ecosystems,” said Alexander Neal, TWRI program specialist, Bryan-College Station. “Water quality and quantity are directly benefited by the proper management, protection and restoration of these critical areas. These efforts also enhance the soundness of stream banks, fish communities and aquatic habitats, just to name a few.”
Stakeholder efforts in water quality
The Baffin Bay watershed is the focus of water quality improvement efforts by stakeholders.
“Stakeholders recognize successful water quality improvement requires implementing a variety of management strategies,” said Athena Frasca, Baffin Bay watershed restoration coordinator at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Corpus Christi. “The riparian and stream workshop is an educational event supporting this effort.”
Neal added that the workshop will focus on the nature and function of stream and riparian zones as well as the benefits and economic impact of properly functioning riparian systems.
“Riparian areas — the green vegetated land areas adjacent to the bank of a stream, creek, bayou, river or lake — are unique and important ecosystems that provide many benefits including habitat and forage,” he said. “The goal of the workshop is for participants to better understand riparian and watershed processes, the benefits of healthy riparian areas and what resources are available to prevent degradation while improving water quality.”
On the agenda
Workshop presentations will be given by representatives of TWRI, the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA-NRCS, AgriLife Extension, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Texas A&M Forest Service and the Texas Riparian Association.
The program will include a lunchtime presentation with a catered lunch available for $15 or participants can bring their own lunches. The optional fee also helps cover the cost of coffee, crackers and cookie snack breaks.
Neal said they can provide the workshop without cost thanks to program funding provided through a Clean Water Act Section nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Ricky Linex, retired wildlife biologist with NRCS, Weatherford, 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, including three units — two general and one integrated pest management — for Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license holders.
Foresters and professional loggers can receive six hours from the Texas Forestry Association, six and a half hours from the Society of American Foresters, and eight hours from the International Society of Arboriculture.
The workshop also offers seven credits from Texas Floodplain Management Association, seven hours for certified crop advisers, and six hours for Texas Nutrient Management Planning specialists. The program may also be used for continuing education units for professional engineers and architects.
The riparian education program is managed by TWRI, a unit of Texas A&M AgriLife Research that brings together expertise from across the Texas A&M University System.
For more information, contact Neal or visit texasriparian.org or facebook.com/TexasRiparianAssociation.
