AT: Bayou Preservation Association 16th annual Symposium- The Dirt On Watersheds-The Quest For Healthy Soils

We are delighted to announce the Bayou Preservation Association 16th annual Symposium on Wednesday, October 30, 2019 at the United Way of Greater Houston. The Symposium will address the impact of healthy soil on the wellbeing of our watersheds.

This year, we’ll hear from local agencies and others groups on how will discuss what healthy soils look like and how they play a bigger part in sustainability, flood control and water quality than most of us realize. We will explore the application of healthy soil practices and the lessons learned from them for both large scale and individual levels.

These decisions impact our citizens but also our area bayous; not only as the backbone of our drainage system but also from a preservation and restoration perspective. Our community deserves the best possible strategy for the future; can we ask the hard questions to achieve it? To contribute to the discussion, we have invited representatives from Harris County Flood Control District, the NRCS and the TSWCB. Jeff Lowenfels, author of the Award-winning Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener’ Guide To The Soil Food Web, will provide our keynote address. We also plan an engaging panel moderated by Mike Serant, co-founder and chair, Organic Horticulture Benefits Alliance, to continue the discussion about practical applications large and small, lessons learned and how we get the word out, followed by a showing of the film Dirt!

The Symposium has become a sought-after event among key policy makers, planners, scientists and engineers who value the expertise presented throughout the day. About 200 individuals attend each year to learn about emerging water quality issues and to discuss possible solutions. Organizing partners this year are AECOM; EHRA Engineering; Harris County; City of Houston; GIS Environmental, Inc.; Houston-Galveston Area Council; Memorial Park Conservancy; and Talley Landscape Architects.
The symposium will last from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm, immediately followed by a special screening of the film Dirt! – including popcorn (sponsored by Talley Landscape Architects) that will end by 5:00 pm.