Arkansas Watershed Advisory Group (AWAG) 2010 Watershed Conference
David Casaletto
I was the recipient last week of the hospitality of the wonderful folks at Mountain View, Arkansas while attenting the Arkansas Watershed Advisory Group (AWAG) 2010 Watershed Conference at the Ozark Folk Center. If you have not visited Mountain View, AR it would be worth the trip. Mountain View is famous for the preservation of folkways and traditional music. 
The fantastic Ozark scenery and great things to do, such as visiting the shops on the quaint town square, trout fishing and exploring Blanchard Springs Caverns, make it a great place for a weekend getaway.
And be sure to visit the Ozark Folk Center State Park (I stayed in one of the very nice cabins which are newly remodeled and have wireless internet and cable TV.) The folk Center features blacksmithing, pottery-making and over 18 other pioneer skills and crafts.
During the field trip on Thursday we had lunch at JoJo's Catfish Wharf on the banks of the White River, and of course, I had the fried catfish.
White River at Mountain View, AR
While looking at the White River rolling by I was sure I recognized the drops of water that not long ago were making their way past my house on Table Rock Lake. Everyone is really downstream of someone and I hope we are sending them some clear, clean water.
The meeting I was attending was hosted by the Arkansas Watershed Advisor Group (AWAG). AWAG was formed to assist interested citizens and organizations by promoting local voluntary approaches to watershed management and conservation. Participating agencies and citizens came together pooling their resources to address the needs concerning our water resources. Ozarks Water Watch is an AWAG partner. The success of the 2010 Conference was through the efforts of Sarah DeVries, Environmental Program Coordinator the the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ).
Over 50 on field trip, North Sylamore Creek
Tammy Yelden, Education Outreach Director with Table Rock Lake Water Quality
In furture Ozark Waters Newsletters, I will focus on some of the topics of this years's conference in more detail but I would like to tell you about what a fantastic group of agencies, water quality nonprofit groups, organizations and private citizens were assembled in our collective efforts to protect our environment and preserve our water quality. The following are some of who I interacted with at this conference and please forgive me in advance for leaving anyone out. It is a long list!
- Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ)
- Arkansas Department of Health (ADH)
- Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
- Arkansas Game & Fish Commission
- Arkansas Natural Resources Commission (ANRC)
- Arkansas Stream Team
- Arkansas Forestry Commission
- Arkansas Attorney General's Office
- Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- U.S. Forest Service
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Region 6 (EPA)
- Arkansas Water Resources Center, U of A
- U of A Cooperative Extension Service
- Audubon Arkansas
- Beaver Water District
- The Nature Conservancy
- Watershed Conservation Resource Center
- Friends of the North Fork & White Rivers
- The North American Lake Management Society
- Beaver Lake Watershed Alliance
- Illinois River Watershed Partnership
- Living Lands & Water
I have attended many conferences on dealing with water quality issues and will say this one ranks high on my list for quality presentations, timely topics and a great chance to network with others in the water quality arena. As I said, I will cover in depth in future newsletters some of the topics presented during the conference.
Quote of the Week
Don't blow it - good planets are hard to find.
~Quoted in Time
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