Urban Stream Processes and Restoration Training set Nov. 14 in Waco

The Texas Water Resources Institute will present an urban riparian and stream restoration workshop Nov. 14 in Waco. (Texas Water Resources Institute photo by Ed Rhodes)

The Texas Water Resources Institute’s Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration Program will host an Urban Stream Processes and Restoration Training from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 14 in Waco for professionals interested in conducting stream restoration projects in the area.

The morning session will be at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office in McLennan County, 4224 Cobbs Drive. The afternoon session will be outdoors along Waco Creek, where participants will learn stream surveying techniques.

Workshop presentations will be given by representatives of the Texas Water Resources Institute,  Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Brazos River Authority.

Early registration is encouraged as the workshop is limited to 30 people. Cost is $50 and includes all training materials, lunch and a certificate of completion.

Attendees must register by Nov. 11 to Clare Entwistle, a 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.

Fouad Jaber, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension program specialist in Dallas, said riparian and stream degradation is a major threat to water quality, in-stream habitat, terrestrial wildlife, aquatic species, and overall stream health.

“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.

Jaber said the goal of the workshop is for participants to better understand urban stream functions and the impacts of development on urban streams.

“Attendees will also learn to 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,” he 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 and more credits are in the process of being added. Foresters and professional loggers can receive six hours from the Society of American Foresters. It offers one unit from the Texas Water Resources Institute, seven hours for Certified Crop Advisors, and six hours for Texas Nutrient Management Planning specialists. The program may also be used for continuing education units for professional engineers.

Participants should check with their local Master Naturalist and Master Gardener chapters to see if the workshop is approved for their area.

For more information, contact Entwistle, visit the program’s webpage or visit the Texas Riparian Associations Facebook page.

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.

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

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