Contact: Michael Kuitu, 979-862-4457, mkuitu@tamu.edu
Stephen Zoeller, 830-249-9343, szoeller@ag.tamu.edu
Ryan Bass, 830- 248-1538, rbass@boerne-tx.gov
BOERNE – A Texas Watershed Steward workshop on water quality and water management related to the Upper Cibolo Creek watershed will be held from 1-5 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Patrick Heath Public Library.
The library is located at 451 N. Main St. #100 in Boerne.
The workshop will be presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in cooperation with the City of Boerne, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Upper Cibolo Creek Watershed Partnership.
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.
The Texas Watershed Steward program to be held from 1-5 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Patrick Heath Public Library will focus on the Upper Cibolo Creek watershed. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)
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 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said Michael Kuitu, AgriLife Extension program specialist and coordinator for the Texas Watershed Steward program, College Station.
Ryan Bass, Upper Cibolo Creek watershed coordinator with the City of Boerne, said the training will include an overview of water quality and watershed management in Texas but will primarily focus on area water quality issues, including current and future efforts to help improve and protect local watersheds.
“There will be a discussion of watershed systems, as well as the types and sources of water pollution,” noted Stephen Zoeller, AgriLife Extension agent for Kendall County. “The supportive role Upper Cibolo Creek plays in regard to regional water quality is vital. It is truly an important resource, so we’ll also have a discussion about ways to improve and protect water quality and the need for community-driven watershed protection and management.”
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.
There are also three general continuing education units for Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license holders, four for certified landscape architects and three for certified floodplain managers. 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.
Bass encourages local residents and other stakeholders to attend the workshop to become better informed about area water resources and how to protect and improve their water quality.
For more information, go to the Texas Watershed Steward website or contact Kuitu at 979-862-4457, mkuitu@tamu.edu; Stephen Zoeller at 830-249-9343, szoeller@ag.tamu.edu; or Ryan Bass at 830-248-1538, rbass@boerne-tx.gov.
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