Program to include indoor instruction and outdoor tour
Attendees of the “Proper Functioning Condition Riparian Workshop” should be prepared for the possibility of chiggers and/or ticks, and wear long pants, sturdy shoes, and a hat, according to workshop planners. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Lisa Prcin)
Writer: Robert Burns, 903-834-6191, rd-burns@tamu.edu
LAMPASAS — The Lampasas River Watershed Partnership will host the “Proper Functioning Condition Riparian Workshop” Nov. 17 at the Lampasas County Farm Bureau, 1793 N. U.S. Highway 281 in Lampasas.
The program is free and open to the public, with registration starting at 8 a.m. and programming from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The program will consist of inside talks and field instruction along Sulphur Creek, said Lisa Prcin, research associate with Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Temple.
“Lunch will be on your own,” Prcin said. “As time will be limited for lunch stops after the inside instruction, it might be a good idea to bring a sack lunch.”
“The workshop will help landowners and land managers learn to assess riparian and wetland conditions, and will offer three continuing education units for holders of Texas Department of Agriculture private pesticide applicator licenses,” Prcin said.
Those planning to attend should contact Prcin at 254-774-6008 or lprcin@brc.tamus.edu by Nov. 13. The workshop’s full agenda and a map to the site are available at http://www.lampasasriver.org.
Presentations will be conducted by U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service personnel and hosted by the Lampasas River Watershed Partnership and AgriLife Research, she said.
“Be prepared for the possibility of chiggers and/or ticks,” said Ricky Linex, USDA-NRCS wildlife biologist at Weatherford. “Wear long pants, sturdy shoes, sunscreen and a hat. We will be walking adjacent to and in the creek with some rough ground to cross. A walking stick will come in handy for navigating the terrain.”
In the morning inside sessions, participants will learn the basic interaction of hydrology, erosion and vegetation for Central Texas creeks and rivers, Prcin said. The afternoon session will move to the Lilley Ranch on Sulphur Creek to allow participants to see the riparian issues in a real-life environment.
“Among topics to be covered are channels, floodplains, water table, vegetation, base flow, flood flow, sediment and how these things in combination are what make up the riparian area,” she said.
The Lampasas River Watershed Partnership is a collaborative effort by local stakeholders, AgriLife Research and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.
Funding and support for the Lampasas Watershed Protection Plan is provided 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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