The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI)’s Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration Program will host an Urban Stream Processes and Restoration workshop from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Nov. 29 in Belton.
The workshop is for professionals interested in conducting stream restoration projects around the Lampasas River watershed. It will be at the AgriLife Extension office in Bell County, 1605 N. Main, in Belton. It is being co-hosted by the Lampasas River Watershed Partnership, the AgriLife Extension Office in Bell County, Texas A&M Natural Resource Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife, TWRI and Texas Institute of Applied Environmental Research – Tarleton State University.
Attendees must register by Nov. 24 to Clare Entwistle, research associate at the institute’s San Antonio office, at 210-277-0292 ext. 205 or clare.entwistle@ag.tamu.edu or online at Texas A&M Marketplace.
Attendees are encouraged to register early as the workshop is limited to 40 people. Registration cost is $100 and includes all training materials, lunch and a certificate of completion at the end of the course.
“Riparian and stream degradation is a major threat to water quality, in-stream habitat, terrestrial wildlife, aquatic species and overall stream health,” said Dr. Fouad Jaber, AgriLife Extension program specialist for the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center in Dallas.
“Proper management, protection and restoration of these riparian areas will improve water quality, lower in-stream temperatures, improve aquatic habitat and ultimately improve macrobenthos and fish community integrity,” he said.
“The goal of the workshop is for participants to better understand urban stream functions, impacts of development on urban streams, recognize healthy versus degraded stream systems, assess and classify a stream using the Bank Erosion Hazard Index and comprehend differences between natural and traditional restoration techniques,” Jaber said.
Entwistle said the institute is able to offer the workshop at a reduced cost thanks to program funding provided through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information, contact Entwistle, visit the Texas Riparian Association website or its Facebook page.
The Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration Program is managed by TWRI.
