Lone Star Healthy Streams workshop set June 24 in Wimberley
Focus on watershed health, water quality and conservation strategies
A Lone Star Healthy Streams workshop on the Hays County watersheds will be held June 24 from 8:30 a.m. to noon in Wimberley.
The free event will be held at the Wimberly Community Center-Johnson Hall, 14068 Ranch Road 12. Attendees can register at the door beginning at 8 a.m.
The workshop is offered as an educational component of the Blanco-Cypress Watershed Protection Plan in collaboration with Hays County Parks and Natural Resources, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.
Program focus
The workshop will discuss watershed function, water quality, rainwater harvesting and best management practices to reduce bacterial contamination. The area focus will be on conservation strategies for small acreage properties, management of grazing livestock and feral hogs.
“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, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
“The aim is to increase awareness of nonpoint source pollution, provide education materials to Texas producers and landowners, and encourage implementation,” Wiley said.
Topics and speakers
The program will include the following topics and speakers:
- Watersheds, water quality and grazing livestock best management practices — Wiley.
- Hays County watershed update — Jonas Rosenthal, watershed coordinator, Hays County.
- Feral hogs in Hays County — Aaron McCoy, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Hays County.
- Rainfall harvesting — John Smith, AgriLife Extension program specialist, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
- Conservation strategies for small acreage properties — Liz Tidwell, AgriLife Extension small acreage wildlife program specialist, Texas A&M Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Uvalde.
There will also be a field trip to visit a rainwater harvest display.
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 Wiley at 979-321-5950 or [email protected]; Rosenthal at 512-557-5911 or [email protected]; or McCoy at 512-393-2120 or [email protected]
