Pre-Conference Workshops

Please register for the workshops online. Registration is limited, so reserve your spot early. Click to Register.

Pre-conference workshops are on Wednesday, February 27, 2019. Both workshops are free to attend and will be held from 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Workshops will be held concurrently at different locations, so please make sure to look at the address for each workshop .

1. Green Infrastructure/ Low Impact Development Workshop , 
Instructors: Dr. Fouad Jaber 

Texas A&M AgriLife Center at Dallas 
17360 Coit Rd 
Dallas, TX 75252 
1:00 PM – 4:30 PM 

Stormwater runoff is the leading cause of water quality impairment in the United States and the world. Continued rapid urbanization and population growth have exacerbated this problem. Traditional urban development increases the imperviousness of land, resulting directly in increased runoff volume and peak runoff, decreased time to concentration, and deteriorated water quality. Urban runoff contaminants include heavy metals, oil, grease, and particulates from fuels, and brake pads and tires wear from roads and parking lots as well as nutrients, sediments, and pesticides from urban landscapes. Due to the increased flow rates, urban development requires expensive pipe networks to discharge the fluid to nearby watercourses or sewer systems. These issues have resulted in reevaluation of traditional urban water management and a new emphasis on sustainable practices. This workshop Dr. Jaber will give an overview of Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI), an approach to stormwater management that tries to minimize the effect of urbanization rather than focus on conveyance, routing and discharge. GSI includes practices such as bioretention, green roofs, rainwater harvesting, and permeable pavements. The workshop will discuss design, implementation and maintenance of GSI. Registration is limited to the first 40 people. 

2. Riparian Bullseye Evaluation Training , ** This workshop is now full
Instructor: Michael Jones

Upper Trinity Regional Water District – Training Center 
802 N Kealy St. 
Lewisville, TX 75057 
1:00 PM to 4:30 PM

** This workshop is now full and registration has closed. If you are interested in being put on a waiting list in case space becomes available — please email clare.entwistle@ag.tamu.edu. The training focuses on the nature and function of stream and riparian zones, and the benefits and direct impacts from healthy riparian zones. The riparian education programs covers an introduction to riparian principles, watershed processes, basic hydrology, erosion/deposition principles, and riparian vegetation, as well as potential causes of degradation and possible resulting impairment(s), and available local resources including technical assistance and tools that can be employed to prevent and/or resolve degradation. Riparian assessments include an evaluation of current riparian conditions, identification of opportunities for improvement, and establishment of visual assessment sites. The goal is for participants to better understand and relate to riparian and watershed processes, the benefits that healthy riparian areas provide, and the tools that can be employed to prevent and/or resolve degradation and improve water quality. The first portion of the training is in a classroom setting. The second portion is spent outdoors, where the individuals get a first-hand experience evaluating riparian areas. Monitors are required to go through a Riparian Assessment Training that prepares the monitors to point out the variety, succession and function of riparian vegetation that protects creek banks, stabilizes channels, reduces erosion, and dissipates the energy of floodwaters. Certified riparian monitors can send the worksheets and photos to the Texas Stream Team via mail or txstreamteam@txstate.edu. At the conclusion of the training, participants fill out the required paperwork to receive a Texas Stream Team certificate of completion. Registration is limited to the first 30 people.