Focus on watershed health and best management practices for grazing livestock, backyard poultry, and feral hogs
INDUSTRY — A Lone Star Healthy Streams workshop will be held on Aug. 30 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church at 15994 Hwy 159 W in Industry. This event is open to the general public, focusing on the Mill Creek Watershed, including Washington and Austin counties.
The conference is offered jointly by the Mill Creek Watershed Partnership, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB).
The free workshop will run from 1 to 5:30 p.m. with light refreshments provided by Lindemann Store. Two Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education credits for pesticide applicators are available in Integrated Pest Management.
RSVP to the Austin County AgriLife events page at https:// austin.agrilife.org/event-registrations/ This workshop will focus on the Mill Creek Watershed. Topics covered will include basic watershed function, water quality, and voluntary best-management practices for grazing livestock, backyard poultry, and feral hogs to minimize bacterial contamination. In addition, technical and financial opportunities will be discussed.
“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 Wiley, AgriLife Extension program specialist and Lone Star Healthy Streams coordinator, Bryan-College Station. “The aim is to increase awareness of non-point source pollution, provide education materials to Texas producers and landowners, and encourage implementation.”
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and TSSWCB advocate for best management practices that will have a positive impact on the Mill Creek Watershed. Livestock and poultry management, Annalee Epps, the watershed coordinator, will present an update on the Mill Creek Watershed Protection Plan. It will include a brief background on the project, as well as current water quality monitoring data.
Funding for this effort is provided through 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.
