Workshop participants practicing stream surveying methods on Bear Branch, in The Woodlands, at a 2018 workshop. (Photo by TWRI.)
The Texas Water Resources Institute’s Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration Program will host a workshop from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. March 1 in The Woodlands for professionals interested in conducting stream restoration projects around southeast Texas.
The morning session will be held at the Houston Advanced Research Center, 8801 Gosling Road. The afternoon session will be outdoors in and along Bear Branch, focused on stream surveying techniques.
Attendees must register by Feb. 22 to Alexander Neal, program specialist, College Station, at 979-314-2351 or Alexander.Neal@ag.tamu.edu, or at tx.ag/Woodlands2023. Attendees are encouraged to register early, as the workshop is limited to 25 people.
Registration cost is $50 and includes all training materials, a catered lunch and a certificate of completion at the end of the course.
Workshop presentations will be given by representatives of the Texas Water Resources Institute, or TWRI, and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
Threats to water quality
“Riparian and stream degradation is a major threat to water quality, in-stream habitat, terrestrial wildlife, aquatic species, and overall stream health,” said Fouad Jaber, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension program specialist, Dallas.
Jaber added that 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.
“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.
Continuing education units
Neal said participants will receive a certificate of completion and appropriate continuing education unit certificates at the conclusion of the training.
The workshop offers many types of continuing education units: seven hours for Certified Crop Advisors, six hours for Texas Floodplain Managers, and six hours for Texas Nutrient Management Planning specialists.
The program may also be used for continuing education units for professional engineers. Check with your Chapter for Master Naturalist and Master Gardener to see if it is approved for your area.
TWRI 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 Neal at 979-314-2351 or Alexander.Neal@ag.tamu.edu, visit texasriparian.org, or see facebook.com/TexasRiparianAssociation.
The urban riparian stream education program is managed by the Texas Water Resources Institute, part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
