Summer 2020
Hello Plum Creek Watershed Partnership Stakeholders and Friends,
We hope that you are doing well despite the ongoing pandemic. The Plum Creek Watershed Partnership is still hard at work improving and maintaining the water quality in Plum Creek with several projects that are under way. The riparian restoration efforts along Town Branch, are proceeding as planned. The City of Lockhart has just completed the installation of buffer stripping at areas along the creek bank by planting over 500 containers of sunflower, switch grass, and gamma grass along with thousands of native flower seedlings. A 2,000 sq. ft. rain garden of native plants and flowers has also been installed downstream of City Pond to help slow down and filter storm water during rain events.
The Central Texas Feral Hog Task Force has adapted well during the COVID-19 crisis with a virtual bounty program designed to minimize contact and maintain physical distance.
The Feral Hog Task Force is hosting two free feral hog webinars this month. The first webinar will be on Tuesday, July 28th from 12 - 1 for Caldwell County and our second will be on Wednesday, July 29th from 12 - 1 for Hays County. Tune in for updates regarding the bounty program, trapping techniques, and other information pertaining to feral hogs.
It has been a trying summer for many of us as we endure this pandemic and uncertainties it brings about.
We will be closely monitoring the situation with COVID-19 as we move forward. We will miss seeing you at our events, but we're still open online 24/7, where service remains uninterrupted. You can also find us on our social media platforms to keep updated.
We are all in this together. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and will follow guidance from public health officials and government agencies, so we can continue to support our customers and communities as needed. For more information about COVD-19 and what you can do to keep healthy and safe, visit the Centers for Disease Control at
cdc.gov
or your local health department's website.
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Plum Creek Pickup Cancelled
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After careful consultation with local officials regarding the health and safety of our event attendees - we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Plum Creek Pickup event, scheduled for July 25, 2020
Following increased and overwhelming concerns about the COVID-19 virus, we felt this was the best way to proceed during such an unprecedented situation. We are very disappointed that we are unable to hold this event for community supporters. But we know it’s the right decision based on the information we have today.
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City of Lockhart Makes Progress on Town Branch Urban Trail
The City of Lockhart has launched a project to restore riparian areas of Town Creek, a tributary of Plum Creek located almost entirely in the City of Lockhart. With funding provided by TCEQ, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through a CWA §319(h) grant, the city is currently performing riparian restoration measures that will increase riparian buffer area no-mow zones, plant buffer stripping consisting of native species like switch grass, goldenrod and eastern gamma. Additionally, the City of Lockhart has installed a 2,000 sq.ft. rain garden downstream of a two-acre pond to filter slow down and naturally filter stormwater during rain events.
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July 28
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Join the Central Texas Feral Hog Task Force for the latest on feral hog management in Caldwell County and across the state!
Join us on Tuesday, July 28th at 12:00 PM for an informational webinar covering the latest information on feral hog regulations, management measures, and resources in both Caldwell County and across the State of Texas.To attend, register for this free event and check your email inbox for the link to join or click below.
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September 2 -
A Texas Watershed Steward workshop on water quality related to Plum Creek will be held from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. on September 2, 2020.
The workshop will be held at the Luling Foundation Agriculture Demonstration Farm, 523 S Mulberry Avenue in Luling. Texas Watershed Stewards will be presented by program staff from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in cooperation with the Plum Creek Watershed Partnership.
“This workshop is designed to help watershed residents learn about their water resources and how they may become involved in local watershed protection and management activities,” said Michael Kuitu, AgriLife Extension program specialist and coordinator for the Texas Watershed Steward program, College Station. “The workshop is free and open to anyone interested in improving water quality in the region.”
Attendees of the workshop will receive a copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Handbook and a certificate of completion. The Texas Watershed Steward program offers four hours of continuing education for the following professional disciplines: soil and water management for certified crop advisers; professional engineers; AICP certified planners (4 CM & 1.5 law); certified teachers; professional geoscientists; certified landscape architects; certified floodplain managers; and each of the following Texas Commission on Environmental Quality occupational licensees: wastewater system operators, public water system operators, on-site sewage facility installers, and landscape irrigators. In addition, three general continuing education units are offered for Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license holders, and two credits are offered for nutrient management specialists.
Funding for this effort is provided through a federal Clean Water Act §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 Texas Watershed Steward program, and to preregister, go to the website or contact Michael Kuitu at 979-862-4457,
mkuitu@tamu.edu
; or Wayne Morse at 512-398-3122, wayne.morse@ag.tamu.edu.
For information on watershed protection efforts for the Plum Creek watershed, contact Stephen Risinger at 830-557-7358, srisinger@plumcreekwatershed.org.
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Austin and San Antonio best in Texas for fighting water pollution with nature-based infrastructure
Amid ongoing problems with water pollution and flooding, cities across Texas are turning to nature-based infrastructure. San Antonio and Austin lead the way, followed closely by Harris County, according to a
new report
by Environment Texas Research and Policy Center, which ranks local governments across Texas on how well their stormwater policy incorporates nature-based infrastructure, like rain gardens and green roofs.
“Nature-based infrastructure, from rain gardens to constructed wetlands, helps keep Texans safe,” said Anna Farrell-Sherman, Clean Water Associate with Environment Texas Research and Policy Center and author of the report. “It is about time that Texas governments recognized how important these features are to mitigating flooding and reducing water pollution.”
Environment Texas launched a campaign today to get Texas cities to require that new buildings have solar panels installed or be built in a way where solar can easily be added later. “We cannot miss the opportunity to generate the renewable energy that comes with powering every new home with solar,” said Luke Metzger, Executive Director of Environment Texas. “The most efficient time to install solar panels is when workers are already on the roof, and by making homes solar, it will lead to healthier and safer communities for years to come.”
Austin Energy ranks first in the nation among municipally owned utilities for per capita solar installed, according to the seventh edition of an annual report by Environment Texas Research & Policy Center. Shining Cities 2020: The Top U.S. Cities for Solar Energy found that by supplying more than 1,500 watts per person of solar energy to its customers, Austin Energy edged out the municipally owned utilities of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Antonio.
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Learn about Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution
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We all live in a watershed — the area that drains to a common waterway, such as a stream, lake, estuary, wetland, aquifer or even the ocean — and our individual actions can directly affect it.
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Funding for the development and support of the Plum Creek Watershed Protection Plan is through a Clean Water Act grant provided by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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