VALLE DE TEXAS
Y CORPUS CHRISTI
Notas AgrÃcolas del Valle de Texas y Corpus Christi
Make a Splash With The Texas Watershed Steward Program! - November 20, 2008
Did you know that you, and everyone around you, live in a watershed? A watershed is an area of land that water flows across, through, or under as it drains into a stream, river, lake, ocean, or other body of water. Because we all live in a watershed, things we do at home and where we work and play can affect water quality and the health of our watershed. In Texas alone, nearly 92 percent of the streams, rivers, and lakes are impacted by some form of water pollution.
What can be done? Well, protecting water quality begins with you and those in your community. And, there is help to get started. The Texas Watershed Steward program is a new one-day training event sponsored by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service (formerly Texas Cooperative Extension) and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB). It is designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their water resources by getting involved in local watershed protection and management activities.
The next training program will be held in Weslaco on Thursday, November 20, 2008 from 8am-4pm at Rio Farms, 25601 North FM 88, in Monte Alto.
Texas Watershed Stewards learn about watershed systems, water quality regulation and monitoring, methods to improve water quality, and community-driven watershed protection and management. The training also provides the basic knowledge and tools needed to form a watershed action group, participate in and organize local watershed activities, and become more involved in protecting and enhancing your community water resources.
The workshop is being held in Hidalgo County which contains portions of the Arroyo Colorado Watershed, a 706 square mile area of land that drains water to the Arroyo Colorado. In all, the river flows 90 miles before it drains into the Laguna Madre. The Arroyo Colorado is used for a variety of purposes, and provides valuable habitat for many types of aquatic plants and animals. Elevated bacteria concentrations, low dissolved oxygen levels, and high levels of nutrients in the river have prompted state and federal agencies and local governments to take action in an effort to reduce concentrations.
The Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership, supported by TSSWCB and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and administered by the Texas A&M AgriLife Texas Water Resources Institute, have been working with local stakeholder groups on a plan to improve the water quality in the Arroyo Colorado Watershed. You can learn how to be a part of the solution by attending this event.
All program participants will receive a free day of education and training, a free copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Curriculum Handbook, free prizes and gifts, and a certificate of completion. In addition, the program will provide 7 AICP Certificate Maintenance credits for certified planners, 7 TBPE Continuing Education Program hours for professional engineers, 7 Continuing Education Units (Soil and Water Management) for Certified Crop Advisors, 7 SBEC Continuing Professional Education credits for certified teachers, 3 TFMA CECs for Certified Floodplain Managers, and 3 Continuing Education Units (General) for TDA Pesticide License holders. More information on the Arroyo Colorado is available at http://www.arroyocolorado.org.
Pre-registration is now open and required for participation. Texas Watershed Stewards is a great opportunity to get involved and make a difference in your watershed. For more information and to get your name on the pre-registration list, please visit the Texas Watershed Steward website at http://tws.tamu.edu or call/email Jennifer Peterson at 979-862-8072/ jlpeterson@ag.tamu.edu.