Water Resources, Aquatic Ecology, Fish
CAMN 2016
CLASS COMPLETE – Saturday, February 27, 2016

The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
Spring Lake Hall Conference Room 107
201 San Marcos Springs Drive
San Marcos, TX 78666

Email Class Coordinator: Virginia Palacios

Presentations and Notes:

Notes

Sharlene Leurig – Water Availability, Use, and Management in Texas

Tamara Sevier – Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality

Dr. Timothy Bonner – Ichthyology

Speaker bios:

Sharlene Leurig

Topic: Water Availability, Use, and Management in Texas
Project Director, Texas Environmental Flows Project
Producer and Writer, Our Desired Future

A writer and advocate, Sharlene Leurig is the new Project Director for the Texas Environmental Flows Project. Sharlene works with the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, The Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited and the Harte Research Institute to find and purchase water for the environment in the state of Texas. In 2012, Leurig returned to her home state of Texas, and began writing about Texas springs on her blog, Hell’s Oasis. In 2014 she began producing stories for Our Desired Future, a multimedia project to educate Texans on the interconnections between water above and below ground and what Texans can do to keep water flowing for future generations.

Timothy H. Bonner, Ph.D.

Topic: Ichthyology
Professor, Department of Biology, Texas State University

Dr. Bonner holds a PhD in Fisheries Science from Texas Tech University. He teaches Zoology, Ichthyology, Fish Ecology and Conservation, and Multivariate Statistics at Texas State University in San Marcos. His presentation will focus on fishes of the San Marcos River, providing a history of the San Marcos River origin and fish community changes in the last 100 years, including the influence of urbanization on a karst terrain stream and fish community. Dr. Bonner has a score of 4.7 out of 5 on Rate My Professor.

Tamara Sevier

Topic: Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality
Program Coordinator, Austin Youth River Watch

Tamara first joined River Watch as a student participant from 2002 – 2006. With a penchant for the environment, she earned a Bachelor of Science with emphasis on Environmental Science from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. During several summers, she returned to serve as an intern for River Watch’s Summer Leadership Program. After college, Tamara developed a passion for science education while working with the Dove Springs neighborhood of Austin as an elementary math tutor and middle school science teach for 3 1/2 years. Tamara thoroughly enjoys her “dream job” role as Program Coordinator with Austin Youth River Watch and looks forward to the outdoor adventures she experiences with students every afternoon.

Afternoon Outdoor Activities:

• Glass-bottomed boat tour of Spring Lake
• Wetlands boardwalk tour (flat, ~ 1 mi.)
• Conductivity and dissolved oxygen lab
• Bug picking lab
• Aquarium tour (indoors)

Optional reading/viewing:

1. Curriculum chapters:
   • Wetland Ecology and Management
   • Aquatic Systems Ecology and Management
   • Ichthyology
2. Influence of urbanization on a karst terrain stream and fish community.
3. Promotional video from The Meadows Center
4. Mini-documentary about Aquarena Springs