La Nana Bayou by Ed Rhodes, TWRI
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Water Resources Institute, TWRI, and the Department of Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University will host a free Lone Star Healthy Streams Program on Sept. 15 in Nacogdoches.
The program will run from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. and is for area residents interested in land and water stewardship in the La Nana and Attoyac Bayou watersheds.
The morning program will take place at the Walter C. Todd Research Center, also known as the SFA Beef Center, 442 County Road 123.
To attend, RSVP to the Nacogdoches County AgriLife office at 936- 560-7711, to Ricky.Thompson@ag.tamu.edu, or online at https://tamu.estore.flywire.com/products/nac26. A sponsored lunch will be provided for pre-registered attendees.
Focus on La Nana and Attoyac Bayous
The workshop will discuss watershed function, water quality, and best management practices to reduce bacterial contamination. The area focus will be on pond and aquatic vegetation management, management of grazing livestock, and wild pigs.
“The goal of the Lone Star Healthy Streams program is to protect Texas waterways from bacterial contamination originating from livestock, wildlife and invasive species that may pose a serious health risk to Texans,” said Leanne Jackson, AgriLife Extension program specialist and Lone Star Healthy Streams coordinator, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, College Station.
Jackson said the workshop will aim to increase awareness of nonpoint source pollution, provide educational materials to Texas producers and landowners, and encourage sound resource management. Additionally, the workshop will offer three continuing education units for Pesticide Applicators Licensees per the Texas Department of Agriculture.
Topics and speakers
The program will include the following topics and speakers:
· Watersheds, water quality and grazing livestock best management practices — Jackson.
· La Nana and Attoyac Bayou watersheds update — Alexander Neal, AgriLife Extension program specialist, TWRI, College Station.
· Wild pig management — James Long, AgriLife Extension project coordinator, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, College Station.
· Pond and aquatic vegetation management — Tyson Keese, AgriLife Extension program specialist, Department of Rangeland Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Overton.
There will be a field trip to visit a pond at the SFA Beef Center. In addition, free soil and pond water testing analysis will be offered for landowners.
Funding for this effort is provided through a Clean Water Act Section 319(h) nonpoint source grant administered by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information on the workshop, contact Jackson at 979-321-5950 or leanne.jackson@ag.tamu.edu; Neal at 979-314-2351 or alexander.neal@ag.tamu.edu; or Long at 979-845-1851 or james.long@ag.tamu.edu
