Category: 2014
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Meet a scientist: Cristine Morgan
Although she began as a pre-law student at Texas A&M University, Dr. Cristine Morgan quickly realized her passion for soil science and made a career out of it. “When I had to sit down and make a choice about what I really wanted to do with the rest of my life, I decided on soil science,” she…
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20-year USGS pesticides study shows aquatic life threats, some improvements
Levels of pesticides continue to be a concern for aquatic life in many of the nation’s rivers and streams in agricultural and urban areas, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study spanning and comparing two decades (1992–2001 and 2002–2011). However, the pesticide levels seldom exceeded human health benchmarks. Over half a billion pounds of pesticides…
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Celebrate Protect Your Groundwater Day Sept. 9
Join the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) and the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) Sept. 9 in recognizing the importance of groundwater as part of Protect Your Groundwater Day. Protecting groundwater consists of protecting it from contamination and using the resource wisely, and citizens’ actions directly impact groundwater quality and quantity, according to NGWA. Groundwater is a vital resource to both rural…
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Bryan, College Station citizen scientists help map local water impairment issues
The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) created the Carters Creek Stream Team in late 2012 to expand the local water quality monitoring workforce and collect water samples across the Carters Creek watershed, which encompasses much of the Bryan and College Station area. The team provides water quality data from across the watershed that will aid in identifying…
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Meet a scientist: Kirk Winemiller
Dr. Kirk Winemiller became fascinated by natural science at an early age. “As a child, I liked the outdoors, and I liked animals,” he said. “I grew up in a rural area playing outside in the woods and meadows, especially streams.” Today, Winemiller is an ecologist and Regents Professor in the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at…
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Texas A&M research shows getting energy from oil and gas doesn’t require using fresh groundwater
Oil and gas exploration operations can and must operate under environmentally sound practices and according to a research study at Texas A&M University, hydraulic fracturing in the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas can lessen its environmental impact by switching from fresh groundwater to abundant supplies of brackish groundwater. Graduate students at the Bush School of…
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Drought-stricken trees offer study platform
Severe drought across Texas since 2011 has produced a unique opportunity for Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists to gain a greater understanding of the decaying process of trees and the effects on the surrounding ecosystem. Three AgriLife Research scientists in the Texas A&M University Department of Ecosystem Science and Management have been approved for a three-year, $347,426…
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‘Riparian Restoration on Farms and Ranches in Texas’ is now available
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has published a new resource for landowners and managers, “Riparian Restoration on Farms and Ranches in Texas.” The new publication, which has been given the identification number WF-010, can be downloaded for free or purchased at $3 per hard copy through the AgriLife Bookstore, said Blake Alldredge, AgriLife Extension wildlife associate at College…
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Two Texas Parks and Wildlife Department properties achieve international ‘dark sky’ status
Texas state parks remain among the few public places in one of the nation’s most populous and increasingly urbanized states where the starry heavens can be viewed in all their celestial glory with the minimal intrusion of artificial light. Copper Breaks State Park in the Panhandle Plains and Enchanted Rock State Natural Area in the Hill Country are the…
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AgriLife Research study: Center pivot does not always mean efficiency
Identifying, but more importantly gaining adoption, of the most efficient irrigation systems is an important step in water conservation within agriculture, according to a recent study conducted by Texas A&M AgriLife Research. Dr. Nithya Rajan, AgriLife Research agronomist in Vernon, helped complete the study by looking at different types of irrigation systems for their application…
