NewsDrop-April-2024

JUNIOR LANDSCAPING CHALLENGE RECAP

By: Isabel Martinez EAA Senior Permit & Conservation Coordinator

EDUCATING YOUTH THE EDWARDS AQUIFER AUTHORITY (EAA) WAS THE PROUD SPONSOR OF THE JUNIOR LANDSCAPE CHALLENGE AT THIS YEAR’S SAN ANTONIO STOCK SHOW & RODEO.

Educating youth on the importance of water efficiency and proper land scaping on residential and commercial properties instills awareness about socio-environmental issues and how they can make a difference. It is esti mated that over 45% of water used within Texas urban areas is used for outdoor landscaping. Large cities in Texas promote the incorporation of drought-tolerant native plants due to their low maintenance and water requirements. The EAA promotes landscape management practices that incorporate water saving methods in landscape irrigation and landscape design among munici pal and industrial permit holders. Industrial users who landscape irrigate are

encouraged to develop landscape surveys to familiarize themselves with the types of plants that are on their property and develop irrigation schedules for these zones. It is recommended that the irrigation schedules should be devel oped to meet the plant’s reference evapotranspiration rate, also known as ETo, which is the amount of water needed by the plant to continue to thrive. Another useful strategy for industrial users is to ensure that landscape irriga tion systems are functioning properly. Municipal water providers are encouraged to provide customer support, incentives, and education opportunities that help homeowners and commercial property owners to water efficiently and maintain in-ground irrigation systems.

The Junior Landscape Challenge is a contest where students from all over the state compete by showcasing their knowledge about landscape practices and then create an actual landscape plot. The goal of the contest is to promote landscape design, simulate vendor-customer interactions, and promote the value of landscape on one’s property. Teams develop a project plan based on a hypothetical customer and their landscaping desires. This year’s project plan required teams to incorporate water-saving plants and

outdoor water restrictions while meeting the customer’s expectations. The winning team earns scholarship monies for their post-secondary educa tion. Supporting the Junior Landscape Challenge allows the EAA to support agriculture (Ag), Career and Technical Education (CTE), and Science, Tech nology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students and help them gain awareness about the importance of water efficiency and the role water has in various careers, in this case the landscape industry.

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