The Texas Water Resources Institute, TWRI, will host a free Texas Riparian and Stream Ecosystem Education Program from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. September 6 in Katy for area residents interested in land and water stewardship in the Buffalo Bayou watershed.

The workshop is co-hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Riparian Association, TWRI and the Houston Community College.

The morning session will be at the Houston Community College, 22910 Colonial Parkway, Katy. The afternoon session will include a walk and presentations along a nearby creek.

All attendees must register by Aug. 28 at tx.ag/RiparianSept6 or by email to Alexander.Neal@ag.tamu.edu.

The program includes a lunchtime presentation. A catered lunch is offered for $15, or attendees may bring a lunch.

“Riparian education workshops motivate informed landowners and local residents to adopt and support practices to better manage riparian and stream ecosystems,” said Alexander Neal, TWRI program specialist, Bryan-College Station. “Not only are water quality and quantity directly benefitted by the proper management, protection and restoration of these critical areas, but also enhanced are the soundness of stream banks, fish communities and aquatic habitats, just to name a few.”

Neal said they can offer the workshop without cost thanks to program funding provided through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Workshop details

The Buffalo Bayou Watershed is the focus of water quality improvement efforts by stakeholders.

“Stakeholders recognize successful water quality improvement requires implementing a variety of management strategies,” said Shannon Sullivan, AgriLife Extension assistant agriculture and natural resources agent in Harris County. “The riparian and stream workshop is an educational event supporting this effort.”

Neal said the workshop will focus on the nature and function of stream and riparian zones as well as the benefits and economic impacts from properly functioning riparian systems.

“Riparian areas — the green vegetated land areas adjacent to the bank of a stream, creek, bayou, river or lake — are unique and important ecosystems that provide many benefits including habitat and forage,” Neal said. “The goal of the workshop is for participants to better understand riparian and watershed processes, the benefits of healthy riparian areas and what resources are available to prevent degradation while improving water quality.”

Workshop presentations will be given by representatives of the Coastal Prairie Conservancy, TWRI, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, AgriLife Extension, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas A&M Forest Service and the Texas Riparian Association.

Jeff McFall, staff forester for the Texas A&M Forest Service, said participants will receive a certificate of completion and appropriate continuing education unit certificates at the conclusion of the training.

Continuing education units available

The workshop offers many types of continuing education units, including three units — two general and one integrated pest management — for Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide applicator license holders. Foresters and professional loggers can receive six hours from the Texas Forestry Association, six and a half hours from the Society of American Foresters, and eight hours from the International Society of Arboriculture.

The program offers seven credits from Texas Floodplain Management Association, seven hours for certified crop advisers, and six hours for Texas nutrient management planning specialists. The program may also be used for continuing education units for professional engineers and architects.

The riparian education program is managed by TWRI, which is part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, AgriLife Extension and the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

For more information, contact Neal or visit http://texasriparian.org or go to Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TexasRiparianAssociation.