Lone Star Healthy Streams workshop set June 13th in Bay City
Watershed health and a focus on feral hogs, livestock, and pond management with a special update from DPS
A Lone Star Healthy Streams workshop will be held on June 13th at the Bay City Service Center (2105 Ave. M, Bay City). This event is hosted by the Matagorda County SWCD#316, open to the public. Although the education is funded, there is a $30 registration fee for refreshments and steak lunch.
The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with lunch for all attendees. RSVP by June 9th to the Matagorda County SWCD by calling (979) 245-1138 ext. 3 or (361)-920-5204
Workshop content will focus on watershed health, water quality, and feral hogs, grazing livestock, and pond management in the Matagorda Basin Watersheds, including Matagorda, Wharton, Calhoun, and Jackson Counties. Featuring a special update from Texas Department of Public Safety Commercial Motor Vehicle for agriculture producers.
This annual CEU event is hosted by Matagorda SWCD #316 and is partnering with the Lone Star Healthy Streams program for the 2025 event. This years workshop is offered as an educational component of the Matagorda Basin Watersheds Protection plan, in collaboration with the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI), Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB).
Five Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education credits for pesticide applicators are available for General, Laws and Regulations, and Integrated Pest Management.
Program focus
The workshop will discuss watershed health, water quality, and voluntary best-management practices to reduce bacterial contamination. Focus will be on the management of feral hogs, grazing livestock, and a requested presentation on pond management. In addition, a multi-year repeat speaker, DPS sergeant will discuss any updates on public safety geared towards ag producers.
“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, TWRI, and Matagorda SWCD#316 advocate for best management practices that will have a positive impact on the watershed and Matagorda Basin. In addition to the sessions on feral hog, livestock and pond management, Matt Stellbauer, the Watershed Coordinator, will share an update on the Matagorda Basin Watershed Protection Plan. It will include a brief background on the project, as well as current water quality monitoring data.
The Matagorda Basin includes these watersheds, which all empty into Matagorda Bay: Lavaca River watershed, Arenosa and Garcitas watershed, Carancahua Bay watershed and Tres Palacios watershed. . Read more about efforts to protect the Matagorda Basin watershed at matagordabasin.tamu.edu
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. Partial sponsorship by Helena Agri-Enterprises in East Bernard.
For more information specific to the workshop, contact Wiley at 979-321-5950 or leanne.wiley@ag.tamu.edu; or Matt Stellbauer, Watershed Coordinator at (979) 314-8115 or Matt.Stellbauer@ag.tamu.edu; or Greg Baker, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent, Matagorda County, at 979-245-4100 or greg.baker@ag.tamu.edu
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As a project coordinator for the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, Jay specializes in educational programming and provides technical assistance to landowners and others seeking to reduce expanding populations of wild pigs. Prior to joining the institute, he served as a park ranger and public hunting coordinator for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at the Guadalupe River and Lake Somerville State Parks.
Jay has a wealth of knowledge and experiences derived from 10 years of military service in the U.S. Marine Corps. He served two tours overseas, one combat tour to Afghanistan and one tour in support of operations in Libya, earning the rank of Sergeant and holding several billets within the Infantry community. Towards the end of his military career, Jay served at the Wounded Warriors detachment in San Antonio as an Operations Chief assisting wounded Marines with their transition and care.
He received his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from American Public University System in 2017 with a concentration in Fish and Wildlife Management. Currently, he is a graduate student at Texas A&M University, pursuing a master's degree in wildlife science in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management.
In his free time, Jay enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters. As an avid outdoorsman, he also enjoys hunting, fishing, archery, and introducing his daughters to the world of hunting and conservation.
