Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Matt Brown, 979-862-8072, matthew.brown@ag.tamu.edu
NACOGDOCHES – A Lone Star Healthy Streams workshop is set for June 23 at the Nacogdoches County Expo Center, 3805 N.W. Stallings Drive in Nacogdoches.
The free workshop will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A catered lunch will be provided, but an RSVP is requested by June 18 at http://lshs.tamu.edu/workshops/ or to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office in Nacogdoches County at 936-560-7711.
Workshop presentations will focus on basic watershed function, water quality and specific best management practices that can be implemented to help minimize bacterial contamination originating from beef cattle, horses and feral hogs, said Matt Brown, AgriLife Extension program specialist in College Station.
Three general continuing education credits will be provided for certified pesticide applicators through the Texas Department of Agriculture, Brown said.
The goal of the Lone Star Healthy Streams program is to educate Texas livestock producers and land managers on how to best protect waterways from bacterial contributions associated with animals, said Ricky Thompson, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Nacogdoches County.
The Lone Star Healthy Streams program is a great program for land managers concerned with maximizing livestock production and maintaining a healthy landscape, said Anthony Castilaw, Attoyac Bayou watershed coordinator.
The program will highlight key practices to improve resource utilization, support herd health, decrease operational costs over time and produce clean water from the property, Castilaw said.
This program is being delivered to implement the recently completed Attoyac Bayou watershed protection plan and encourage landowners from all of East Texas to integrate practices that will improve local water quality into their operations, said Lucas Gregory, Texas Water Resources Institute project specialist in College Station.
Currently, about 300 Texas water bodies do not comply with state water quality standards established for E. coli bacteria, Gregory said. By participating in this workshop, livestock producers and landowners can learn about specific conservation practices that can be used to help improve and protect the quality of Texas’ water bodies.
The Lone Star Healthy Streams program is funded through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the EPA.
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