Highlights Video - Tier I 4-H2O Leadership Academy Now Posted

Many thanks to Marlys Baldwin (4-H Water Ambassador - Comal County) for putting together this montage of the Tier I 4-H2O Leadership Academy!

The video is available to all water ambassadors for use at promotional and educational events. Audiences may enjoy viewing the video (with the music turned down) on a screen while you talk through and share more about the experience. 

The video is available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/5Nt7Xk6ISlw or you can download the file to your computer and play it on an external monitor. A link to the YouTube video and stand-alone file are listed under "Important Links". The downloadable file is 1.2 GB.

Annika Stevens Teaches Water Cycle at Leon County 4-H Kick-off

Water Ambassador Annika Stevens teaches youth about the water cycle at the Leon County 4-H Kick-off event.

The activity she chose uses colored waterwheels and small craft beads which kids can build bracelets as they learn about different components of the water cycle including lakes, aquifers, and various forms of precipitation. Great low-cost activity that kids really enjoy! Way to go Annika!

TCEQ - Take Care of Texas Video Contest

All 4-H Water Ambassadors are encouraged to submit a 30-second video as part of Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's Take Care of Texas Contest. We first heard about this during our visit to TCEQ headquarters in Austin during the Tier I 4-H2O Leadership Academy.

Three winners in grades 9-12 will be awarded scholarships, and you could be one of them!

TCEQ does a great job at promoting these videos statewide through social media and live events. This is a good way to earn 4-H Water Ambassador service hours as well!

You can find all contest details at http://takecareoftexas.org/teens/video-contest.

The San Patricio Water District - Guest Contribution by Carson Manning (4-H Water Ambassador - Bexar County)

One of Carson's favorite activities is fishing along the Texas Gulf Coast, especially around the Aransas Pass and Rockport area. Because water supply and water quality is so vital in sustaining recreation and tourism in the region, Carson decided to share information about the San Patricio Water District who is the water provider for surrounding coastal counties.

The San Patricio Water District
by Carson Manning

The San Patricio Water District is the wholesale water provider of the coastal counties Aransas, San Patricio and eastern Nueces counties. The San Patricio Water District serves water to its customers along the Port Of Corpus Christi La Quinta Ship Channel, businesses and homes. The Water Districts mission states “our mission is to reliably meet the water needs of each of our municipal and industrial customers”. The San Patricio Water District was formed in 1951 by the Texas Legislature and is governed by eight board member directors. Seven members are elected from Odem, Taft, Gregory, Portland, Aransas Pass, Ingleside and Rockport. The eight member is typically an member who is familiar with the Districts industrial customers.

As Portland, Ingleside, Aransas Pass, Rockport, Odem, Taft and Gregory are located very close to saltwater they are dependent mostly on the nearby lakes as their fresh water supply. They only use surface water from Lake Corpus Christi and the Choke Canyon Reservoir. Just recently on August 11, the South Texas coastline got a heavy downpour of rain, however, this rain fall missed Lake Corpus Christi and the Choke Lake Reservoir. Most of the rain landed in Lake Texana and the Navidad River. Unfortunately there was very little inflow into the Choke Canyon Reservoir. Lake Corpus Christi water level rose by a foot. As you can see in this graph, Lake Corpus Christi and the Choke Canyon Reservoir combined had a lower water capacity than lake Texana.

As the result of these record low water heights, a stage 1 drought has been put in place in the Water District. Therefore, residents may only water their lawn once a week typically on their trash days. The District has three different water treatment facilities to meet the needs of all the industrial customers in the District. The three water treatment facilities mainly serve the industrial companies on the La Quinta Ship Channel. There are other facilities in which provide raw water that comes from the river and municipal wastewater for reuse in dust control and irrigation.

References:

San Patricio Water District Staff. “San Patricio Municipal Water District.” San Patricio Municipal Water District, 2018, www.sanpatwater.com/home.php.

Calk and Downs Share their Tier I 4-H2O Leadership Academy with Local Groundwater Districts & Town Talk Radio

With the help of Michelle Cooper (Southern Ogallala Conservation and Outreach Program Education Coordinator) Riley Calk and Macy Downs have been very busing sharing their Tier I 4-H2O Leadership Academy Experience. In the last few weeks, Riley and Macy have presented to Boards of South Plains Underground Water Conservation District, Llano-Estacado Underground Water Conservation District, and Sandy Land Underground Water Conservation District.

They also had the opportunity to share what it means to be a 4-H Water Ambassador on Town Talk Radio. Fantastic start to your service as 4-H Water Ambassadors! Listen here to their interview.

And a huge thank you to Michelle Cooper and sponsor SOCOP for making this opportunity possible!

Interested in Attending 4-H Water Ambassador Retreat?

On October 26-28, 2018 the District Council is meeting in Brownwood at the Texas 4-H Conference Center. I would like to see how many of you are interested and available to participate in a 4-H Water Ambassador Retreat at the Center on those dates. I have created a online poll where you can respond if you would attend the retreat. https://doodle.com/poll/besc3pc7aazgwdta The Center's fee is $140 per person, however I can cover 50% of the cost leaving your obligation at $70. This fee is needed to cover 2 days dormitory lodging, meals, and materials.

You would arrive Friday night by 8:00 pm and leave Sunday morning by 10:30 am. The primary goal for the retreat is to practice with many different water education activities that you can do locally. Tier I water ambassadors would also get a chance to meet and hear from Tier II ambassadors about what activities they did during their first year of service, as well as plan and collaborate on future service opportunities. Our group is invited to participate in all social and fun activities organized for District Council members.

The Center needs to know very soon if we plan to gather. At your earliest convenience please complete the poll so that I can let them know the verdict. Poll link: https://doodle.com/poll/besc3pc7aazgwdta 

Logan West Presented with Water Testing Kit

Congratulations Logan West (Wilson Co.) for being presented with a water testing kit by the Wilson Co Soil and Water Conservation District #301! This is the same kit we used by the Texas Stream Team at the Meadow Center for Water and the Environment, and the one you used during the Academy training in San Marcos.

Welcome 4-H Water Ambassadors!

First, I would like to welcome back (13) members of our 2017 inaugural class of 4-H Water Ambassadors! It was a pleasure working with you in year 1 and I am very excited to that you have committed to a second year of service.

Tier II 4-H2O Leadership Academy visit with Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District

Tier II 4-H Water Ambassadors: John Phillip Jones (Waller Co.), Logan West (Wilson Co.), Kolby Dague (Bell Co.), James Schoenfeldt (Brewster Co.), Molly McKinney (Bexar Co.), Amanda Lochte (Bexar Co.), Jonah McGinty (Walker Co.), Grant Miller (Nueces Co.), Jovana Pena (Nolan Co.), Hale Ingram (Montgomery Co.), Maggie Garcia (Nolan Co.), Gerardo Garcia (Nolan Co.), and Kaleb Herfurth (Guadalupe Co.).

In 2018, 29 new water ambassadors were selected. I am looking forward to the great things you have in store!

Tier I 4-H2O Leadership Academy visit with Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District

Tier I 4-H Water Ambassadors: Marlys Baldwin (Comal Co.), Bailey Halbert (Brazos Co.), Rowdy Kunz (Colorado Co.), Andrew Crank (Kendall Co.), Sophia Hurtado (Eastland Co.), Katie Carlson (Midland Co.), Sehrsha Glover (Erath Co.), Tyann Phillips (Floyd Co.), Annika Stevens (Leon Co.), Brentton Jenkins (Harrison Co.), Gabriel Ramthun (Milam Co.), Mia Cruz (Val Verde Co.), Elyssa Rodriguez (Hidalgo Co.), Luke Unterkircher (Swisher Co.), Alfonso Islas (Nolan Co.), Braden DeBorde (Ellis Co.), Reagan Fox (Nueces Co.), Myla Childers (Erath Co.), Macy Downs (Yoakum Co.), Isaiah Losoya (McCullough Co.), Luke Read (Bell Co.), Riley Calk (Gaines Co.), Ty Cornelius (Crosby Co.), Paul Pittman (Jeff Davis Co.), Hayden Holder (Burnet Co.), Carson Manning (Guadalupe Co.), Natalie Anderson (Starr Co.), Hunter Lawrence (Nueces Co.), and Noah Huffman (McCullough Co.)