Lone Star Healthy Streams workshop set for Aug. 11 in Gatesville
Event to offer soil testing, information on rural watershed health, land management best practices
Lone Star Healthy Streams will host a workshop on Aug. 11 in Gatesville focused on land stewardship, soil health, water quality and conservation strategies.
The free event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon at the Gatesville Civic Center, 301 Veterans Memorial Loop. Each participant can submit two soil samples for free testing and will have access to technical and financial resources. Testing costs are covered by the Lone Star Healthy Streams program.
Speakers will discuss best management practices for grazing livestock in watersheds throughout Hamilton, Coryell and Comanche counties.
One Texas Department of Agriculture general continuing education credit will be available for private pesticide applicators.
The workshop is offered as an educational component of the Leon River Watershed Protection Plan in collaboration with the Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.
Program focus
The workshop will focus on land stewardship and conservation, with time spent on conservation strategies for rural properties, soil and water health, and management of grazing lands.
“The goal of the Lone Star Healthy Streams program is to protect Texas waterways from bacterial contamination originating from livestock, wildlife and invasive species that may pose a serious health risk to Texans,” said Leanne Jackson, AgriLife Extension program specialist and Lone Star Healthy Streams coordinator, Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crops Sciences, Bryan-College Station. “The aim is to increase awareness of non-point source pollution, provide education materials to Texas producers and landowners, and encourage implementation.”
In addition to the sessions on watershed health and livestock management, soil samples will be collected from attendees.
Soil sampling instructions
Those who wish to submit a soil sample should follow these instructions:
- Take one composite sample for every 10 to 40 acres.
- Separate samples should be collected for each change in soil type, land use or terrain.
- Take a composite sample clear of plants and plant residue.
- Take a soil sample up to 6 inches in depth, and repeat the process nine to 14 times within each identified area.
- Combine in a clean plastic bucket or non-metallic container.
- Mix well and remove any large root/plant tissues.
- Fill a quart-sized freezer bag with the sample mix.
Funding for this effort is provided through a Clean Water Act Section 319(h) nonpoint source grant administered by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information on the workshop, contact Jackson at 979-321-5950 or [email protected]; Chase Brook, AgriLife Extension program specialist, Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, at 254-968-4144 or [email protected]; or Robert Ferguson, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent, Coryell County, at 254-865-2414 or [email protected].
