Beaver Watershed Alliance Recognizes Watershed Champions at 2024 Friendraiser Celebration
Each year, the Beaver Watershed Alliance (Alliance) hosts a Friendraiser to celebrate another year of successful watershed protection. The annual event is hosted along the White River, at Bunch Park in Elkins, AR. It features educational opportunities, music, food, local brews, and more, to bring together landowners, partners, organizations, and community members working together to protect water resources in Northwest Arkansas.
“It is the relationships and partnerships among agencies, organizations, and landowners that help the Alliance meet the mission to restore, protect, and enhance the Beaver Lake watershed,” notes Anna Gwaltney, Outreach Coordinator for the Alliance. “Beaver Lake supplies drinking water to 1 in 5 Arkansans, provides industries with the water needed to produce products and services, and contributes over $101 million in visitor spending to the regional economy of Northwest Arkansas. Managing the watershed area, or lands that drain into Beaver Lake, including portions of Benton, Carroll, Washington, and Madison counties, takes a lot of collaboration and resources. The Friendraiser is meant to celebrate these efforts, but also bring together landowners and conservation partners to learn more about the local programs and funding available for conservation work.”
Part of the Friendraiser event is an awards ceremony to recognize outstanding landowners, volunteers, and partners working towards this successful watershed management. Six awards were distributed this year under the following categories: “Watershed Guardian – Professional Partner,” “Watershed Steward – Volunteer Partner,” and “Watershed Champion” awards for Streamside, Urban, Agriculture, and Forest/Grassland landowners. The following recipients received the awards this year:
Watershed Guardian – Professional Partner: Ken Stout, City of Winslow. The Alliance is pleased to recognize Ken Stout, who has championed the stewardship of land and waterways in Winslow, Arkansas for many years. Ken’s incredible commitment to healthy and diverse ecosystems in Winslow’s public spaces like Squirrel Creek and Tunnel Park has been demonstrated through partnering on stream restorations, building rain gardens, organizing Winslow’s annual Arbor Day celebration, giving away hundreds of free native tree seedlings to local landowners, educating the community on how to remove invasive plant species from Winslow’s parks, and much more. The Alliance thanks Ken for his commitment to being a guardian of the Beaver Lake watershed!
Watershed Steward – Volunteer Partner: Mollie Vaughn. Mollie Vaughn has demonstrated exceptional care and initiative in stewarding the Beaver Lake watershed. Since 2022, Mollie has organized an annual clean-up event in West Fork, Arkansas, mobilizing the community to clean up this major tributary to Beaver Lake. This year’s clean-up efforts removed 3,200 pounds of trash from the West Fork area – helping to keep pollutants and debris from important waterways! The Alliance sincerely appreciates Mollie’s dedication to this stewardship through her outstanding volunteerism.
Watershed Champion – Streamside Landowner: Cory and Jenny Burbidge of Ozark Adventure & Recreation (O.A.R). Cory and Jenny Burbidge are incredibly passionate about War Eagle Creek and the watershed area, where they have created and built their business – Ozark Adventure and Recreation, located on a section of the War Eagle River near Withrow Springs with a campground and river access. Cory and Jenny, through O.A.R., have assisted the Alliance with key watershed events including War Eagle Appreciation Day and youth camps with Ozark Natural Science Center. They have donated their time, boats, and shuttles for cleanup and float efforts, and have even donated a kayak raffle prize to an event. They have been wonderful partners of the Alliance for several years. They are also stewarding property along the War Eagle and inviting others to camp, float, and experience this special waterway firsthand. To learn more about O.A.R., visit https://www.oaroutdoor.com/.
Watershed Champion – Urban Landowner: City of Elkins. The City of Elkins has demonstrated exceptional stewardship of the Beaver Lake watershed through creating ecological learning labs along the East Fork-White River as well as their dedication of time, staff, and property towards conservation and restoration activities along the White River. The Alliance is proud to partner with Elkins, Parks and Planning departments, maintenance staff, and the school district. Some recent examples of stewardship include a riparian rejuvenation and designated no-mow zone along the East Fork-White River, established in early 2024 with student volunteers from the Elkins school district and master gardeners, and a prairie restoration happening by the Elkins Community Center. The award was accepted by City of Elkins Mayor, Troy Reed.
Watershed Champion – Agriculture/Producer Landowner: Emily Jost of Mashie Farm. Emily Jost and her family have been local producers in Northwest Arkansas since the 80s, working hard to steward the lands they work on. The Mashie Farms utilizes rotational grazing, with a focus on “farming soil, not livestock.” These efforts have also been especially important for protecting the water resources on and around the farm. Emily credits learning “from the local community” as the jumpstart in her stewardship and has paid it forward by contributing to the education of other local farmers and producers through groups like the Grasslands Grazing Group, the Soil for Water network, and assisting the Alliance with agriculture-focused workshops, videos, and field days. The Alliance greatly appreciates our local farmers and thanks Emily and the Mashie Farm for their efforts to make conservation a part of their everyday practice. To learn more about the Mashie Farm, visit https://www.mashiefarm.com/
Watershed Champion – Forest/Grassland Landowner: Hobbs State Park. Hobbs State Park has been a strong partner with the Alliance for many years and exemplifies exceptional forest management. The State Park stewards over 12,000 acres of forested land through management planning, prescribed fires, and invasive species removal efforts to help keep these forested lands healthy and resilient. When tornados hit Rogers and other Northwest Arkansas areas in May of 2024, it was total devastation to homes and communities, but also our forested areas. Many volunteers came to Hobbs State Park to help. Staff, along with volunteers, continue the efforts to clear the 2,200+ trees down and 54 miles of trails that the public uses daily. The Alliance thanks Hobbs State Park for their efforts to manage the forest, but also to keep the forest healthy and accessible.
The Alliance congratulates these awardees and thanks them for their dedication and hard work to restore, protect, and enhance the Beaver Lake watershed.
