N RANCHING
atural Resources
reduce their time near the water. Nelle says that in some cases, merely changing a few
little things is all that is needed to start an amazing recovery process. “A change in grazing or mowing, for example, will lead to an improvement in vegetation, which will in turn help stabilize banks, slow fl ood- waters, drop sediment, build fl oodplains and improve stream health and water quality. As the natural pro- cesses are allowed to occur, creek restoration begins to take place.” The Texas Water Resources Institute has an edu-
cational program, the Texas Riparian and Steam Eco- system Educational Program (
www.texasriparian.org). “The program’s goal is for participants to better under- stand and relate to riparian and watershed processes, the benefi ts that healthy riparian areas provide and the tools that can be employed to prevent and resolve degradation and improve water quality,” says Dictson, who coordinates the program. “Riparian education programs, such as this one,
lead to informed landowners, land managers and public who will be more inclined to voluntarily use practices that improve and protect riparian areas and streams,” she says. The Texas Riparian program offers several resources,
including trainings, online tools, publications and social media outreach. Trainings not only provide general information on riparian areas, but they also address concerns at the local level, Dictson said. Typically, train- ings are in locations with impaired watersheds where efforts are underway to improve local water resources. Workshops are generally 1-day events and include
both classroom and outdoor presentations including walks along local rivers, streams and bayous. Dictson says the training events connect landowners with local technical and fi nancial resources to improve manage- ment and promote healthy watershed and riparian areas on their land. Dictson says 100 percent of the participants attending
the riparian education program have been completely satisfi ed with the workshop and have recommended it to others. Upcoming workshops are listed on the Texas Riparian Association’s webpage at www.texas-
riparian.org. Program partners and instructors include repre-
sentatives from the NRCS, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. These agencies also have programs that provide technical and fi nancial resources
58 The Cattleman November 2014
Steve Nelle, riparian specialist, speaks to participants about the role of riparian vegetation during a Texas Riparian and Steam Ecosystem Educational Program workshop on the Up- per Guadalupe River in Kerrville. Photo by Nikki Dictson.
to landowners for riparian planting, prescribed grazing, watering facilities, grassed waterways, fi eld borders, fi lter strips, nutrient management, conservation cover and other management techniques. Along with the educational program, a new publica-
tion “Riparian Restoration on Farms and Ranches in Texas,” is a resource for landowners and land manag- ers on how to properly manage riparian areas. Authors are Blake Alldredge, former AgriLife Extension wildlife associate; Dictson; Jeff Goodwin, NRCS state rangeland specialist; and Dr. James Cathey, associate department head and program leader for AgriLife Extension’s Wild- life and Fisheries Extension Unit. Alldredge says the publication describes ways land-
owners can evaluate the condition of their riparian areas and recommends techniques for restoring those sites. Some of the techniques include reseeding native grasses and forbs, proper plant species selection, proper grazing techniques and management along croplands. The basic monitoring methods used to maintain pro- ductivity are also explained in the publication. The new publication can be downloaded free or
a hard copy purchased for $3 through the AgriLife Bookstore at www.
agrilifebookstore.org. Both the educational program and the publication
are funded by Clean Water Act grants through the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Dictson hopes more landowners and others will
want to learn more about riparian areas through the resources listed in this article. “A healthy riparian vegetation zone is one of the most important elements for a healthy stream ecosystem and leads to benefi ts we all treasure.”
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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