Lone Star Healthy Streams workshop set for Feb. 20 in McKinney
Collin County Soil and Water Conservation District joins workshop to address local water issues
Lone Star Healthy Streams will host a workshop focusing on the Lavon Lake Watershed on Feb. 20 in McKinney. The workshop will coincide with a local workgroup meeting held by the Collin County Soil and Water Conservation District addressing natural resource priorities for Collin County.
The free event is from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Myers Park and Event Center, 7117 County Road 166. Seating is limited to 100 guests, and an RSVP is required. Lunch will be provided.
The workshop is offered as an educational component of the watershed protection plan, in collaboration with the North Texas Municipal Water District, NTMWD, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, TSSWCB.
Program focus
The workshop will focus on watershed health, water quality and voluntary best-management practices for land and livestock. The focus of the work group meeting will be to help shape plans and priorities to guide U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service investment in addressing local natural resource issues.
Participants will have an opportunity to discuss and determine conservation planning for the upcoming fiscal year.
“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 Wiley, AgriLife Extension program specialist and Lone Star Healthy Streams coordinator, Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
“The aim is to increase awareness of nonpoint source pollution, discuss conservation efforts, provide education materials to Texas producers and landowners, and encourage implementation,” Wiley said.
AgriLife Extension, NTMWD and TSSWCB advocate for best management practices that will have a positive impact on these watersheds.
Lauren Plunk, watershed coordinator with NTMWD, and the Region 3 flood planning team will provide a brief background on each project as well as current water quality monitoring data.
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, contact the Collin County Soil and Water Conservation District at 972-542-0081, ext. 3, or [email protected]; the AgriLife Extension office for Collin County at 972-548-4232 or [email protected]; or Wiley at 979-321-5950 or [email protected].
