TEMPLE - The Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Texas Wildlife Association, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, and Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board are joining other state agencies and organizations in a statewide campaign to highlight the importance of voluntary land stewardship in Texas. Soil and Water Stewardship Week is April 24, 2016 through May 1, 2016 and the focus this year is "Land Stewardship Produces a Healthy Texas."
"Land management in rural areas directly affects the water quality and quantity for the 20 million Texans living in urban areas," said Rickey James, president of the Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts. "When we ably manage our resources on private lands, we enhance the water availability for everyone in the state. Essentially, private lands provide a great deal of benefit to the public."
Voluntary land stewardship is the careful and responsible management of land and its resources, which is the keystone for preserving the natural resources of Texas. With the land in Texas being approximately 95% privately owned, voluntary land stewardship is vital to keeping these resources healthy.
It all starts with a conservation plan and the foundation to any plan is to focus on soil health. Farmers, ranchers, timber and other agricultural producers have been working with their local soil and water conservation districts for over 75 years to receive technical assistance to develop and implement conservation plans for their operations.
"Soil health is defined as the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans," James said. "It is important to remember that soil contains living organisms that perform functions required to produce our food and fiber."
Soil and water conservation in urban areas can also help supplement land stewardship efforts in rural areas. "Some cities have brought the land stewardship concept into their own backyards, as urban agriculture, urban farming, native landscaping, and community forests are becoming more popular," James said. "This trend has positively impacted urban communities socially and economically, as well as educated the public and reconnected them to the land."
Partnering organizations in the public awareness campaign includes the Earthmoving Contractors Association of Texas, Independent Cattlemen's Association of Texas, Plains Cotton Growers, South Texans' Property Rights Association, Texas Agricultural Land Trust, Texas Association of Dairymen, Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Grazing Land Coalition, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Poultry Federation, Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association, Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas Wheat Producers Board and Association, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
For more information on "Land Stewardship Produces a Healthy Texas," please visit http://www.tsswcb.texas.gov.