DENTON – The Texas Watershed Steward program will host a free workshop on protecting the Hickory Creek Watershed in Denton County.
The workshop will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 23 in the Denton Government Center, 306 North Loop 288, suite 222, in Denton.
The program will educate property owners and other area residents on maintaining a healthy watershed as it feeds Lewisville Lake, a reservoir that serves Denton and other cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, said Jennifer Peterson, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service program specialist for water quality.
“Because we all live in a watershed, things we do at home and where we work and play can affect water quality and the health of our watershed,” Peterson said. “In Texas alone, nearly 92 percent of the streams, rivers and lakes are affected by some form of water pollution.
“Protecting water quality begins with you and those in your community,” she said. “And there is help to get started.”
The watershed covers 54 square miles of land that drains into Hickory Creek, a 20-mile-long stretch that flows into Lake Lewisville, Peterson said. In addition to providing drinking water, the lake offers recreational opportunities and habitat for animals and plants.
The watershed program is sponsored by AgriLife Extension and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in coordination with Denton officials, she said.
Participants will be given a copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Curriculum Handbook and a certificate of completion, Peterson said.
In addition, the program will provide continuing education hours, including those for certified planners, crop advisors, teachers, pesticide license holders and professional engineers.
Pre-registration is required by July 22 to ensure an accurate count of materials, Peterson said. Organizers are asking participants to bring their own lunch. For more information and to register, visit the Texas Watershed Steward Web site at http://tws.tamu.edu or contact Peterson at 979-862-8072 or jlpeterson@ag.tamu.edu .
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