The Pedernales Soil and Water Conservation District and the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) invite the public, and any organization or agencies with an interest in agriculture or conservation to attend a Local Work Group Meeting/Listening Session to be held at First United Methodist Church in Johnson City. This meeting will be on September 8 at 9:30 a.m.

The purpose of this meeting is to receive input from a broad range of local agencies, organizations, businesses, and individuals that have an interest in natural resource conditions and needs in Blanco County.

Attendees can also learn about federal and state programs that provide technical and financial assistance for conservation planning, learn the difference between conservation plans and Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) contracts, and about the programs that were implemented in 2010 in Blanco County.

The Pedernales SWCD encourages everyone to attend, especially those who farm or ranch, professionals representing agricultural and natural resource interests, and individuals representing a variety of disciplines in the soil, water, plant, and wildlife sciences who are familiar with agricultural and natural resource issues in the local community.

For more information, call the USDA-NRCS office in Johnson City at 830-868-7237 ext. 3. NRCS office locations and program information can be found on the Texas NRCS Web site at www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.