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During the month of May, there will be activities in three cities -- San Marcos, Lockhart and Luling -- relating to ongoing efforts to protect and preserve the water quality of the Plum Creek Watershed and properly manage that important regional water source. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo)
SAN MARCOS/LOCKHART/LULING – Preserving and protecting water quality in the Plum Creek Watershed will be the focus of three activities in May taking place in three cities served by that watershed, said coordinators.
“There will a meeting, a workshop and a field day – all in May and all for the purpose of addressing issues related to management of the Plum Creek Watershed and improving its water quality now and for the future,” said Nikki Dictson, Texas AgriLife Extension Service program specialist.
The first of these watershed-related activities will be the free Riparian Management Workshop from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. on May 2 in San Marcos.
Morning workshop activities will be indoors at the San Marcos Activity Center, 501 East Hopkins Road. Afternoon activities will be in the field, where participants will tour riparian areas around San Marcos.
“The workshop was developed for landowners and land-management decision-makers and addresses issues related to riparian areas and what can be done to protect and preserve the water quality of creeks, streams and other water bodies,” Dictson said.
Topics will include how creeks and rivers move and work, flooding, river flow during drought, and how riparian activity can enhance wildlife habitat.
“Participants will learn basic riparian dynamics, such as the interaction of hydrology, vegetation and erosion/deposition,” Dictson said. “This information has been successfully used in many locations to promote cooperative riparian management among landowners. The riparian experts teaching this workshop will change the way participants look at creeks and rivers.”
The Riparian Management Workshop is sponsored by the Plum Creek Watershed Partnership, San Marcos River Foundation, Nueces River Authority, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Riparian Association and AgriLife Extension.
To register for the workshop, contact Dictson at 979-575-4424 or n-dictson@tamu.edu.
The second Plum Creek activity in May will be the quarterly Plum Creek Watershed Partnership meeting on May 5 at Lockhart State Park Recreation Hall, 4179 State Park Road/FM 20, west of US-183 in Lockhart. Meeting sign-in and refreshments will begin at 6 p.m., with presentations from 6:30-9 p.m.
Meeting topics will include: an update and discussion on long-term watershed sustainability; updates on the Hillside Terrace Wastewater Project and Kyle C
WA §319 implementation grant; an update on the Plum Creek Feral Hog Education Program; ongoing implementation of agricultural best management practices; a Texas Stream Team update; and an update on the Plum Creek Water Quality Data Project.
The third activity, the Luling Foundation Field Day, will be from 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. on May 19 at the Luling Foundation, 523 S. Mulberry Street in Luling, will include a variety of information and booths, including a booth by the Plum Creek Watershed Partnership and AgriLife Extension, and will be the third and final watershed-related activity in May.
The field day will include farm tours, an exhibit viewing, scholarship presentations, seminars and guest speakers and equipment demonstrations.
“We hope people in the Plum Creek Watershed area will participate in one or more of these opportunities to get involved in protecting this vital resource for themselves and future residents of the area it serves,” Dictson said.
For more information on the Plum Creek Watershed Partnership, go to: http://pcwp.tamu.edu/.
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