Registration is now open for the 2022 Texas Riparian Association Annual Meeting on May 19 at McKinney Roughs Nature Park near Bastrop!  Attached is the agenda for the meeting. Be sure to reserve a hotel room on your own if you need one. There are a few good options in Bastrop. We look forward to seeing you there!

Riparian & Stream Ecosystems – La Marque

February 22, 2022 (Add to calendar)
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

RSVP by February 18, 2022 at noon – RSVP Link
On the RSVP form, select any “YES” option to receive a free lunch at this event.

4102-B Main Street (Carbide Park)
La Marque, Texas 77568

Flyer
Agenda

This workshop is being co-hosted by the Galveston Bay Coalition of Watersheds, Texas Community Watershed Partners, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office in Galveston County, Texas Riparian Association, and Texas Water Resources Institute. The training will focus on the nature and function of stream and riparian zones and the benefits and direct impacts from healthy riparian zones. The riparian education programs will cover 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.

The Galveston Bay Coalition of Watersheds is currently implementing several plans to reduce bacteria concentrations and loading in the ​Bastrop, Dickinson, Highland, and Jarbo Bayou watersheds. The Galveston Bay Coalition of Watersheds is a group of stakeholders representing four watersheds in Brazoria and Galveston counties working collaboratively to improve water quality in Coalition watersheds. The riparian and stream workshop is an educational event supporting this effort.

These one-day trainings in watersheds across the state include both indoor classroom presentations and outdoor stream walks. Instructors are experts from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas A&M Natural Resource Institute, TRA, and the Texas Water Resources Institute.

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. At the conclusion of the training, participants will receive a certificate of completion and appropriate professional development hours/ continuing education hours.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) available:

• Texas Department of Agriculture Pesticide Applicators License – 3 CEUs
• Texas Water Resources Institute  – 1 CEU
• Texas Nutrient Management Planning Specialists – 6 hours
• Texas Floodplain Management Association – 7 CECs
• Texas Forestry Association – 6 hours
• Society of American Foresters – 4 hours
• Certified Crop Advisor- 7 CEUs (Nutrient Mgmt: 1, Soil & Water: 1.5, IPM: 1.5, Crop Mgmt: 2.5, Manure Mgmt: 0.5)
• Texas Board of Architectural Examiners “Acceptable for HSW credit”
• The program may also be used for CEUs for Professional Engineers.
• Check with your Chapter for Master Naturalist and Master Gardener to see if it is approved for your area.

RSVP is required by February 18, 2022 by noon. The workshop is free because it is funded through a Clean Water Act grant provided by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. RSVP online or by email to LFGregory@ag.tamu.edu. A catered lunch is available free of charge or participants may select to bring their own lunch.

Dress is casual and comfortable for the weather as we will be outside at the stream during the afternoon.

For more information or questions, please contact Lucas Gregory at 979-314-2361 or LFGregory@ag.tamu.edu

Please join our listserv or like us on Facebook for more information on future programs!

The riparian education program is managed by the Texas Water Resources Institute, part of AgriLife Research,  AgriLife Extension and the College at Texas A&M University.

Texas Riparian & Stream Ecosystem Training – Geronimo & Alligator Creeks Watershed

March 8, 2022 (Add to calendar)
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

RSVP by March 1, 2022

1865 US Hwy 90 East
Seguin, Texas 78155

Flyer
Agenda

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. March 8 in Seguin for area residents interested in land and water stewardship in the Geronimo and Alligator creeks watershed.

The morning session will be at the Seguin Outdoor Learning Center, 1865 US Hwy 90 East in Seguin. The afternoon session will include a walk and presentations along Geronimo Creek.

“Riparian education programs like this encourage informed landowners and members of the public to be more inclined to use practices that improve the management of riparian and stream ecosystems,” Gregory said. “Proper management, protection and restoration of these vital areas directly influences water quality and quantity, plus stabilizes stream banks and improves fish and aquatic habitats and communities and more.”

The workshop is co-hosted by the Texas A&M Soil & Crop Sciences, the AgriLife Extension Service in Guadalupe County, Texas Riparian Association and TWRI.

The Geronimo and Alligator creeks watershed is the focus of watershed planning efforts by stakeholders. “Stakeholders recognize successful implementation of a watershed protection plan requires implementing a variety of management strategies, said Evgenia Spears, Geronimo and Alligator creeks watershed coordinator. “The riparian and stream workshop is an educational event supporting this effort.”

Lucas Gregory, TWRI associate director, College Station, 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 area 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,” Gregory 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 Texas A&M Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas Water Resources Institute, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, AgriLife Extension, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Texas A&M Forest Service and the Texas Riparian Association.

All attendees must RSVP by March 1, 2022. RSVP online or by email to  LFGregory@ag.tamu.edu. The program will include a lunchtime presentation, so a catered lunch is being offered for $15 or you may select to bring your own lunch. This fee also helps cover the coffee, tea, crackers and cookie snack breaks.

Gregory said they are able to 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.

Travis Franke, AgriLife Extension agent for Guadalupe County, 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, including three units — two general and one integrated pest management — for Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license holders. Foresters and professional loggers can receive six hours from the Texas Forestry Association and six hours from the Society of American Foresters. It offers seven credits from Texas Floodplain Management Association, seven hours for Certified Crop Advisors, seven hours from the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying and six hours for Texas Nutrient Management Planning specialists. The program may also be used for continuing education units for professional engineers.

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

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

Building Community Connections for Healthy Urban Streams 

Grapevine Convention Center Grapevine, Texas
February 27 – March 1, 2019

Early Conference Registration is Open! Register Online

Register Online for the afternoon Pre-Conference Workshops on 2/27/19.

Please register for the workshops online. Registration is limited, so reserve your spot early. 
1. Green Infrastructure/ Low Impact Development Workshop, 
Instructor: Dr. Fouad Jaber 
2. Riparian Bullseye Assessment Training, 
Instructors: Michael Jones and Stacey Haddad. 

Pre-conference workshops are on Wednesday, February 15, 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 .

Conference Room Block at Comfort Inn Hotel Grapevine Ends 02/05/2019. King or Double Rooms $99/night and free parking. Reserve a room through this link for special  conference rate.

Submit Your Artwork

Artwork Submissions (Not Restricted to URS Participants)

A picture is worth a thousand words, so for the first year, TRA is requesting stream and nature related artwork submissions to be viewed during the symposium.  All artforms are welcome. This is a new feature so input for displaying this gallery are welcome. Please submit a digital image for viewing on a large screen to Staryn Wagner  and make images a minimum of 800 x 600 pixels and a maximum of 1600 x 1200 with a maximum resolution of 150 dpi or around 1 – 1.5MB in size. Include the name of the piece, type of media, and a bio of the artist.