AUSTIN – A Texas Watershed Steward workshop on water quality and water management related to Austin-area urban watersheds will be held from 12:30-4:30 p.m. Oct. 14 at the Frank Fickett Scout Training and Service Center, 12500 North Interstate Highway 35 in Austin.
The workshop is presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.
The training is free and open to anyone interested in improving water quality in the region, said program coordinators. Participants are encouraged to preregister at the Texas Watershed Steward website at http://tws.tamu.edu. Participants are also invited to bring a sack lunch to the event.
“This training is designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their water resources by becoming involved in local watershed protection and management activities,” said Michael Kuitu, AgriLife Extension program specialist and coordinator for the Texas Watershed Steward program, College Station.
Kuitu said the workshop will include an overview of water quality and watershed management in Texas, but will primarily focus on area water quality issues, including current efforts to help improve and protect local watersheds.
“The workshop will address issues related to Austin’s multiple urban watersheds but will be applicable to all waters in the region,” he said.
The training will include a discussion of watershed systems, types and sources of water pollution, and ways to improve and protect water quality. There also will be a group discussion on community-driven watershed protection and management.
“The supportive role Austin’s waters play in regards to recreation, wildlife habitat, fresh water storage, storm water management, aesthetics and municipal water supplies is vital. These are truly important resources,” said Julie Zimmerman, AgriLife Extension agent for Travis County.
“Participating in the Texas Watershed Steward program is a great opportunity to get involved and make a difference in your watershed while receiving program materials and even continuing education credits at no cost,” said Zimmerman.
Attendees of the training will receive a copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Handbook and a certificate of completion. The program offers four continuing education units in soil and water management for certified crop advisers, four units for professional engineers and certified planners, four credits for certified teachers and two credits for nutrient management specialists.
A total of four professional development hours are available for professional geoscientists licensed by the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists. It also offers three general continuing education units for Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license holders, four for certified landscape architects, and three for certified floodplain managers. Lastly, four continuing education credits are offered for each of the following Texas Commission on Environmental Quality occupational licensees: wastewater system operators, public water system operators, on-site sewage facility installers and landscape irrigators.
Kuitu encouraged local residents and other stakeholders to attend the workshop to gain more information about water resources and water quality improvement and protection.
For more information, contact Kuitu at 979-862-4457, mkuitu@tamu.edu or Zimmerman at 512-854-9600, jzansley@ag.tamu.edu.
The Texas Watershed Steward program is funded through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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