Watershed Groups Plan Water Watch Week June 11 - 21 

"Celebrating Ozark Waters - Guarding the Treasure"

John Moore

A common mission characterizes the several watershed organizations based in the Missouri Ozarks. Together they are committed to keeping the water in the region's remarkable rivers, lakes, springs and streams clean and water quality high.

The volunteers and staff who makup Ozarks Water Watch, The James River Basin Partnership, The Watershed Committee of the Ozarks and Table Rock Lake Water Quality share a love of the resource, a strong conservation ethic and a healthy recognition of the fundamental importance of clean water to the economy and lifestyle of the region.

These watershed organizations pursue their mission to promote clean water through research to monitor water quality over time. They engage in education and outreach to reinforce public awareness of how important clean water is to the region. They also organize action projects like river and lake clean ups which involve hundreds of volunteers.

All these efforts are continuous in the ongoing challenge to keep Ozark waters safe, inviting and clean, a cornerstone in the region's economic vitality and an essential part of the outdoor lifestyle so many enjoy.

A part of this challenge is how to do all this to reach more people, to tell the story of clean water, to promote more enjoyment of the resource and to obtain broad support for public policy measures aimed at water quality. That is what Water Watch Week is all about. It is a concerted effort by the region's watershed organizations (which have always worked together closely) to "celebrate Ozark Waters", and at the same time promote awareness that we need to "guard the treasure" we have in our rivers, lakes and streams.

Water Watch Week includes a variety of events to engage a wide range of participants in enjoyable, water-oriented activities. All events are open and the public invited and encouraged to participate, although registration for some events is required. Following is a summary of Water Watch Week events:

• Sat. June 11: River Rescue & Dam Jam sponsored by James River Basin Partnership
• Sat. June 11: Family Fishing Fair Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery sponsored by Missouri Department of Conservation
• Sun. June 12: Water Watch Week Bass/Trout Fishing Tournament sponsored by Lilley's Landing and Bass Pro
• Tues. June 14: Onsite Wastewater Systems in the Ozarks sponsored by Watershed Committee of the Ozarks
• June 14 - 16: Stream Environments: A Professional Development Opportunity sponsored by JRBP, MSU and MDNR
• Wed. June 15: Geology Field Trip for Public Officials sponsored by WCO
• Fri. June 17: Water Quality Summit sponsored by Table Rock Lake Water Quality. Keynote by Sara Parker Pauley, Dir. DNR
• Sat. June 18: Lower James River Cleanup sponsored by the City of Galena
• The Sat. June 18 Table Rock Lake Shoreline Cleanup Volunteer Appreciation Picnic got cancelled due to high water at Joe Bald Park. See www.trlwq.org for the solution!
• Tues. June 21: Water Watch Week Golf Classic sponsored by Ozarks Water Watch and Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

Click HERE for detailed information on these events and links.

I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright.

- Henry David

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