Lone Star Healthy Streams and Friends Workshop set for June 25 in Refugio
Free event to offer well water testing, soil sampling, watershed education for Refugio, Bee, Aransas counties
Lone Star Healthy Streams and the Texas Well Owner Network will host a Lone Star Healthy Streams and Friends Workshop from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. on June 25 in Refugio.
The program offers a whole-watershed approach for residents in the Mission and Aransas Rivers Watershed through free soil testing, water well screenings and educational training focused on groundwater and surface water protection.
The event will be held at the Refugio County Fairgrounds, 245 Fairgrounds Road, and is open to residents of Refugio, Bee and Aransas counties.
Participants are encouraged to register through the Mission and Aransas River Watershed Workshop at tx.ag/RefugioWatershedWorkshop or by contacting the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offices for Refugio or Aransas counties at 361-526-2825 or 361-790-0103, respectively.
Well water and soil sampling information
Private well water samples must be dropped off from 8-10 a.m. on June 22 at the following locations:
- AgriLife Extension office for Refugio County, 414 B N. Alamo St., Refugio.
- AgriLife Extension office for Aransas County, 892 Airport Road, Rockport.
Water quality results and interpretation will be provided at the June 25 workshop.
Soil samples may be dropped off at either AgriLife Extension county office before the event or brought directly to the workshop. Official laboratory bags are not required for submission and will be provided at the workshop.
On the agenda
The workshop will offer two Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units — one in integrated pest management and one general education credit.
Topics and speakers include:
- Private water well management and sample results – Joel Pigg, AgriLife Extension program specialist and TWON coordinator, Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
- Weed and brush management on grazing lands and demonstration – Stacy Hines, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension rangeland habitat management specialist and assistant professor, Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Corpus Christi.
- Rainfall Simulator- Audrey McCrary, research specialist, Texas Water Resources Institute.
- Best management practices in support of healthy rural watersheds – Leanne Jackson, AgriLife Extension program specialist and Lone Star Healthy Streams coordinator, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
- Gulf Coast Aquifer conditions in Refugio County – Tim Andruss, general manager, Refugio Groundwater Conservation District.
Well water and soil sampling instructions
Participants submitting water samples should follow the water sampling instructions available through the Texas Well Owner Network at twon.tamu.edu.
The Lone Star Healthy Streams program will cover the cost of up to two soil samples per attendee. Eligible samples should be collected from pasture, hay or rangeland areas.
Soil sampling instructions are available through the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory. Participants may also contact their local AgriLife Extension county office for assistance.
For more information
For more information, contact Pigg at [email protected] or 979-321-5946; Jackson at [email protected] or 979-321-5950; or Boogie Barber, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent with Refugio County, at [email protected] or 361-526-2825.
