Texas Waters Specialist

The Texas Waters Specialist program aims to develop a corps of well-informed volunteer specialists who provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of aquatic resources and aquatic habitats within their communities for the state of Texas. The TPWD Conservaion Education Manager is Melissa Felty, [email protected]

The Hill Country Chapter Texas Waters Coordinator is Deb Youngblood, [email protected]

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Texas Water Specialist information page is located at
https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/water-education/texaswatersprogram/texaswatersspecialist

Current Activity

Anytime
https://aquiferalliance.org/water-wonks-series/
Watch any videos from this series and enter in VMS for TWS AT credit
AT-VMS: AT TX Waters Certification Training (Enter AT#, Class Title as posted, Location, and Presenter)
AT26-012 Webinar GEAA Water Wonks Lecture Series: Add title as posted, add presenter (AT=1h)
Register @: https://aquiferalliance.org/water-wonks-series/#register

Anytime
https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/water-education/texaswatersprogram/texaswatersspecialist
Watch any videos from this series and enter in VMS for TWS AT credit
AT-VMS: AT TX Waters Certification Training (Enter AT#, Class Title as posted, Location, and Presenter)
AT26-010 Webinar Texas Waters Webinars: Add title as posted, add presenter (AT=1h)
Registration not required

Anytime
San Antonio – Standard Core Water Quality Community Scientist Training. This training is provided by the Texas Stream Team. Use the link below to see the calendar and sign up for a class to become a river water quality monitor.
https://teamup.com/ksos37y3n9acgt5pk5
Be sure to read up on the training before you go: https://www.meadowscenter.txst.edu/leadership/texasstreamteam.html

The following webinars are presented by the Texas Waters Specialist program at Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. You can accumulate a combination of at least 8 hours of Advanced Training (AT) by watching the live webinars listed below:

• Tuesday, January 13 @ 6:30-7:30 PM CT
  • 
    AT26-010 Webinar Exploring Native Aquatic Plants: Identification, Benefits, and Installation 
  • Presenter: Ryan O’Hanlon, co-founder & lead aquatic horticulturist at Stonefly Aquatic Nursery LLC
  • Register
• Tuesday, February 24 @ 6:30-7:30 PM CT
  • AT26-010 Webinar The Creek in My Backyard – A Guide to Understanding Stream Regulations in Texas
  • Presenter(s): Beth Bendik & Sue Reilly & Alaya Keane, Aquatic Resource Permitting and Consultation Program Leader & Conservation Ecologists at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department – Inland Fisheries
  • Register
• Thursday, March 12 @ 6:30-7:30 PM CT
  • AT26-010 Webinar Duck Walk: A Birder’s Improbable Path to Hunting as Conservation
  • Presenter: Margie Crisp – Naturalist, writer, and artist 
  • Register
• Wednesday, April 15 @ 6:30-7:30 PM CT
  • AT26-010 Webinar 21st Century Texas: Climate, water, science, and society
  • Presenter: Jay Banner, Professor & Director at Jackson School of Geosciences – The University of Texas at Austin
  • Register
• Tuesday, May 12 @ 6:30-7:30 PM CT
  • AT26-010 Webinar River Systems Impacted by Floods
  • Presenters: Patrick Ireland & Mitch Nisbet, District Biologists at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department – Inland Fisheries (San Marcos / Austin and San Antonio Districts)
  • Register
• Tuesday, June 16 @ 6:30-7:30 PM CT
  • AT26-010 Webinar How the Texas Litter Database Supports Conservation Action
  • Presenter: Kirsten Sorensen, Senior Program Manager, Research and Cleanups at Keep Texas Beautiful
  • Register
• Wednesday, July 15 @ 6:30-7:30 PM CT
  • AT26-010 Webinar Conservation Opportunity Areas in Texas
  • Presenter Jennifer Marrugo, Ecologist at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department – Wildlife Division
  • Register
• Wednesday, August 12 @ 6:30-7:30 PM CT
  • AT26-010 Webinar Investing in Texas’ Water Future
  • Presenter: Jeremy Mazur, Director of Infrastructure and Natural Resources Policy at Texas 2036
  • Register 

Connect to VMS and login
Choose “Report My Service”
Open the drop down menu by clicking the down arrow on drop down bar
Choose the AT line that matches your training (likely candidate if AT: TX Waters Certification Training)
Enter date of training, the number of hours in training
Describe your training by copying the Event Title. Example:
Event Title:  AT26-010, Texas Waters Webinars, Presenter:  Ryan O’Hanlon   (AT=1h) and add any appropriate details

To record Study Group Time use the following Event Title Format
Event Title: AT26-021 Texas Water Specialist Certification Training, Kerrville, Presenter: Deb Youngblood (AT=2h)

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Need Texas Waters Specialist Service Hours? Check out these opportunities:

Teach Water Conservation classes. Join a river advocacy group to protect rivers and creeks in your river basin from from pollution. Encourage residents to do roadside cleanup to protect streams. Learn about how to capture or slow runoff and encourage developers and others in this effort.

When trash gets thrown on any road, anywhere, the trash will eventually end up in the river. We want our rivers to be clear of trash. So, be who you are and pick up trash. You can do it for an hour or two or more. You can do it as often as the roadside needs. Use the cross county code for Roadside Cleanup: CC-06-A Roadside and Riparian Cleanup **Note the location of the cleanup in report

If you are planning to install a rainwater harvesting system on your property or your neighbor’s property, the time you spend planning, shopping and executing counts towards Texas Waters Specialist Service. While it does not qualify for TMN Service, it does qualify for TWS and you enter it the hours in the same way:

Login to VMS and choose Report My Service.
Select CC-01-B-FR TWS Home Project from the dropdown menu.
Enter the date and time and describe your service-be sure to provide detail that explains how this is water related service.
Scroll down the page and click in the box for TWS and Submit

Remember, if you are creating a rainwater catchment system in Kerr County, you can go to UGRA to request reimbursement for up to $500. You will have to fill out a form and present your receipts.

As always, any work you do to create healthy habitats in aquatic or riparian areas counts for Texas Waters Specialist Service. That means that work in pollinator gardens which are located in riparian areas counts. It is important to make sure you include information about the location being in a riparian area.

Improvements to aquatic habitats also qualifies. This might include pulling invasive species from ponds or creeks. Just remember that when you enter your service in VMS you will need descirbe the work fully, include information about how the service is related to water and scroll down and check the block for Texas Waters Specialist and Submit

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