Lone Star Healthy Streams

Focus on watershed health and best management practices for small acreage properties, feral hogs and a feature on rainwater harvesting.

A Lone Star Healthy Streams workshop will be held on June 24th at the Wimberly Community Center – Johnson Hall (14068 Ranch Rd 12 Wimberley).

The free event is open to the public and will run from 8:00 a.m. to Noon with a light refreshments for all attendees.

Workshop content will focus on watershed health, water quality, and conservation strategies. Professionals will discuss best management practices for grazing livestock and feral hogs in watersheds throughout Hays County. There will be an in depth look at rainwater harvesting both through discussion and on site display.

The workshop is offered as an educational component of the Blanco-Cypress Watershed Protection Plan in collaboration with Hays County Parks and Natural Resources, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB).

Program focus

The workshop will discuss watershed function, water quality, rainwater harvest, and best-management practices to reduce bacterial contamination. Area focus will be on conservation strategies for small acreage properties, management of grazing livestock and feral hogs.

“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.”

Protecting the Watershed

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Hays County Parks and Natural Resources, and TSSWCB advocate for best management practices that will have a positive impact on the watersheds throughout Hays County. In addition to the sessions on livestock and feral hog management, Jonas Rosenthal, the Watershed Coordinator, will share an update on the Blanco-Cypress Watershed Protection Plan and status of other watersheds in the county. It will include a brief background on the project, as well as current water quality monitoring data.

Funding for this effort is provided through a 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. For more information on the workshop, contact Wiley at 979-321-5950 or leanne.wiley@ag.tamu.edu; or Jonas Rosenthal, Watershed Coordinator, at 512 557 5911 or jonas.rosenthal@hayscountytx.gov or Aaron McCoy, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent, Hays County, at 512-393-2120 or aaron.mccoy@ag.tamu.edu