TERRELL/HUNTSVILLE — Trinity Waters and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are hosting two free half-day workshops in late February to give Trinity River basin landowners hands-on experience with an enhanced online land-management tool.
Two free workshops on the use and benefits of the Trinity River Information Management System will be held in February 28 in Terrell and Feb. 29 in Huntsville. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo)
The workshops will show attendees how to use the recently updated online Trinity River Information Management System, or TRIMS, as well as allow them the opportunity to interact with system developers.
“TRIMS was developed by the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources in response to the needs of stakeholders throughout the basin to improve land management that will result in higher quality water in the Trinity River,” said Blake Alldredge, AgriLife Extension associate and education and outreach coordinator for the middle Trinity River project. “Recent updates to the system will enhance landowner planning efforts for conservation and habitat restoration.”
The first workshop will be Feb. 28 at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 300 Tanger Drive in Terrell.
A second workshop will be held Feb. 29 at the Walker County Storm Shelter, 455 State Highway 75 N. in Huntsville.
Both workshops will begin at 8 a.m. with check-in and refreshments, followed by presentations from 8:30 a.m.-noon. They include an interactive demonstration of the system.
“More than 40 percent of the state’s population depends on the Trinity River to meet their water demands,” said Ken Klaveness, executive director for Trinity Waters. “Approximately 8 million million people live in the Trinity River basin, making it the most populated river basin in Texas.”
Native habitats, such as grasslands and wetlands, produce high-quality water, thus proper land-management practices by private landowners are key to enhancing water resources in Texas, Alldredge said.
“The Trinity River basin has only about 1 percent of its original native grasslands, and landowners who want to restore native habitats or set proper stocking rates for cattle often find it difficult because of a lack of necessary information,” he said.
These workshops will be beneficial for landowners wishing to better manage their land, because the system will allow them to accomplish a number of tasks, said Amy Snelgrove, geospatial technology manager with the institute.
“TRIMS can provide access to conservation planning data such as information on soils, hydrology, elevation and vegetation in preparation for restoring native grasslands, wetlands and bottomlands,” Snelgrove said. “Users can view recent high-resolution aerial photography and get measurements of areas and lengths, including pastures, fence lines and roads. They can also produce printable maps using the system.”
TRIMS has been designed to help Trinity River basin landowners obtain the data needed to make informed land-managment decisions. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service graphic)
Alldredge said restoring native habitats is the most efficient and least expensive way to improve the water resources of the basin.
“TRIMS will help landowners get the data they need to make informed land-management decisions,” he said. “And improving native habitat can provide additional benefits to landowners by bringing more income through increased hunting, fishing and ecotourism opportunities.”
Only 20 spots are available at each workshop, and attendees must preregister by emailing Alldredge to confirm at balldredge@tamu.edu.
For more information on workshops, go to the “Events” page on the Trinity Waters website, http://trinitywaters.org.
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