Projects
2009 Clean Up Video
The IRWP Make a Difference Day on October 17th was a great success. Volunteers and sponsors participated in the clean-up and water quality monitoring of Lake Wedington, City Lake and Lake Elmdale. Thanks to the 86 volunteers and families that made a difference and to our Make a Difference Day Partners: USGS, UA Ecological Engineering Club, UA Law School Environmental Society, Prairie Grove and Lincoln EAST Labs, Boys and Girls Club, Haas Hall High School, Arkansas Watershed Advisory Group, Keep Arkansas Beautiful and Arkansas 59 Outfitters.
Thank you to the IRWP membership committee for a successful Appreciation Day event held June 6 at Lake Fayetteville's Veteran's Memorial Park. Over 100 people came out throughout a beautiful day to participate and enjoy.
Very Special Thanks:
To over 400 IRWP VOLUNTEERS for StreamTeam monitoring, The Riparian Project, Mud Creek and Osage Creek cleanups and support of the IRWP mission.
Special Thanks also to:
Gene Pharr, Jennifer Michaels, Susan Bolyard, Katie Teague, Dirk Philipp, Trish Oeui, Sophie Morrison, Jennifer Asbill, Melinda Haak, Colene Gaston, Mike Faupel and Marshall Mitchell
Many thanks to the Board, members and friends for supporting this year's IRWP Appreciation Day event. The 2009 Illinois River Watershed Appreciation Day was for the purpose of recognizing the work and contributions of our volunteers and taking time to enjoy our watershed together.
2009 May Online Challenge Winners
1st Place: Hector Elementary School, Hector, AR.
Teacher Kathy Brunetti, Watershed Model Enviroscape - $800 value
2nd Place: R.E. Baker Elementary School, Bentonville, AR.
Teacher Phyllis Abraham, Magellan Triton 300 GPS unit - $150 value
3rd Place: Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville, AR.
Teacher Robin Buff, "Make Your Own Watershed" Model - $50 value
4th Place: Greenland High School, Greenland, AR.
Teacher John Diesel, Watershed Eco-Puzzle - $30 value
CONGRATULATIONS and Thank You to all who participated!
2009 Riparian Project
On a snowy and cold Saturday morning we are proud to say the 2009 Riparian Project was a success with the help of volunteers and volunteer organizations. We planted 10,000 seedlings along streambanks to create riparian buffers to help preserve and protect water quality.
We created riparian buffers along Scull Creek in Fayetteville; Spring Creek in Springdale; Turtle Creek in Rogers; Sager Creek in Siloam Springs and at Town Brach in Tahlequah.
The IRWP would like to thank ALL the volunteers:
Rogers: Troop 122, Pack 12, Girl Scout Troop 5064, Bentonville High School Sierra Club, Pack 77, Troop 2144, Rogers High School, Veterans Association, Wal-Mart ISD and more.
Fayetteville: Holcombe Hall/UA, IRWP, YOU Youth, Holt Elementary, Cub Pack 46, Fayetteville City Council Ward 4, Maloney Marketing Group, UA Environmental Law Society, Beta Alpha Psi, Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club, USGS, Urban Forestry Commission, Youth of Unity Church, and more
Tahlequah: Oklahoma Scenic River Commission, Save The Illinois River (STIR), OK Blue Thumb Volunteers, City of Tahlequah and more
Siloam Springs: Troop 84, City of Siloam Springs Water and more
Springdale: Tree City Commission, City Council, Public Works, IRWP, Haas Hall, Springdale Trails, Community Resource Group, Lake Fayetteville Watershed Partnership, First United Methodist EcoTeam, Garver Engineers, Wal-Mart, Mayor Sprouse and more
And thank you to the many individuals for braving the cold and snow for the good of our Watershed.
September, 2008
IRWP Watershed StreamTeam Challenge
The month of September was devoted to educating the public with the IRWP StreamTeam Watershed Challenge. The IRWP StreamTeam Watershed Challenge is a weekly series of questions on the web site geared toward recruiting StreamTeam Volunteers and learning more about our watershed.
Adults and kids were encouraged to participate in this fun, rewarding, learning experience to increase their awareness and to help protect the Illinois River Watershed.
An IRWP StreamTeam member is an individual, family, school, organization or business that is a dedicated volunteer interested in improving our watershed. The IRWP StreamTeams adopted 37 sites in the upper Illinois River Watershed to collect four water samples from September 2008 through May 2009 and deliver the samples to the University of Arkansas Water Resources lab for analysis.
All people who entered the IRWP StreamTeam Watershed Challenge were placed into a drawing to win the Grand Prize, a Heritage FeatherLight 9.5 Angler Kayak from Lewis & Clark Outfitters in Springdale as well as prizes for each week.
KHOG 40/29 TV’s Meteorologist Drew Michaels' also held Watershed Wednesdays each Wednesday in September. Each week in September, Drew gave the audience important information in a fun question and answer format about the watershed. He also announced each weekly winner and the grand prize winner on TV each Wednesday.
During September, over 1,200 took the online challenge with 845 new visitors clicking onto the IRWP web site.
Winners in the IRWP StreamTeam Challenge were:
Week 1 Winner - Beth Turner, Tulsa, Oklahoma
IRWP StreamTeam T-shirt and IRWP Cap
Week 2 Winner - Joe Hall, Prairie Grove, Arkansas
"Bug Kicking" Net and "Tackle Box"
Week 3 Winner - Courtney McNair, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Magellan Triton 300 GPS Unit
Grand Prize Winner - Jack Kinney, Rogers, Arkansas
9.5 ft Heritage Featherlite Angler Kayak from Lewis & Clark in Springdale
March 29, 2008
The Riparian Project
With the help of volunteer organizations and volunteers, the Illinois River Watershed Partnership planted thousands of seedlings along streambanks to create riparian buffers to help preserve and protect water quality. Four streambanks in four Northwest Arkansas cities were the site of this event on March 29th: Fayetteville Hamestring Creek, Springdale Spring Creek, Rogers Blossom Way Creek and Siloam Springs Sager Creek.
The Riparian (rye-pair-E-uhn) Zone is the land next to a stream or lake. The Riparian Buffer is the plant life that grows along that zone.
Riparian buffers trap and filter sediments, nutrients and chemicals from surface runoff and shallow groundwater. Tree roots within riparian buffers help stabilize streambanks, help prevent erosion, slow water velocity and reduce flooding potential.
Download the Riparian brochure (570kb)
May 5, 2007
In an effort to make it more convenient for residents of Washington County to recycle household hazardous waste (HHW) and to have soil tested, the Washington County Cooperative Extension Service and the Environmental Affairs Office will conduct "Clean out, Clean up, Green Up!" from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 5. Residents are invited to bring HHW for recycling and soil samples for testing to the county's household hazardous waste collection facility, located at 2615 Brink Drive in Fayetteville.
 In addition to the collection of HHW and soil samples, there will be free food, drawings for prizes such as concert tickets and gift certificates, as well as education booths and activities for children to
teach them about recycling and water quality. Activities will include a bean bag toss, worm composting, water quality jeopardy and fish matching. Organizations providing exhibits and educational activities
include the Illinois River Watershed Partnership, Washington County Environmental Affairs, Washington County Cooperative Extension Service, Audubon Arkansas, Washington County Conservation District, Arkansas Stream Team, Lake Fayetteville Watershed Partnership, Beaver Water District, and Dr. Steven Beaupre, a professor of Biological Sciences at the U of A, and an expert on snakes. He will bring some of his snakes to discuss their ecology as it relates to watershed ecosystems.
The focus of "Clean out, Clean up, Green Up!" is to inform residents about the adverse effects on water quality when hazardous wastes are disposed of improperly or fertilizers are applied to lawns improperly.
Household hazardous waste includes thousands of commonly used products such as paint, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, and automotive fluids.
 "The soil sample analyses measure the nutrients in the soil," said Katie Teague, of the University of Arkansas Extension Office in Fayetteville. "The analyses show levels of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and pH in the soil. Once we get tests done, we provide a recommendation on how to
fertilize the soil or lawn to optimize it for whatever the resident wants. The goal is to teach people the appropriate way to fertilize soil while also protecting the watershed from excess nutrients that can cause problems with the watershed. Too many nutrients usually results in too much phosphorous and that promotes excessive plant and algae growth in lakes and rivers."
To prepare a good soil sample, dig about a dozen 4-inch deep soil samples from various spots in the lawn and mix in a bucket. Then, bring two cups or a pint of soil to the event on May 5 and it will be
collected for testing.
If you haven't been to the county's household hazardous waste collection facility, then these directions should help: From I-540, take exit #61. At the stop light, turn left onto Hwy. 71B. Turn left (west) onto Clydesdale Road and make a sharp right at the end onto Brink and you'll see the building with signage stating Hazardous Waste Collection. For information, directions, or list of items that can be brought to the HHW Collection Facility contact the Washington County Environmental Affair office at 444-1725 or www.co.washington.ar.us/EnvironmentalAffairs.
April 14, 2007 Farmers Market in Fayetteville
Despite the cold, the wind, the rain and the occasional snow flake, the stalwart’s of the IRWP proudly handed out and took soil tests during the second weekend of the Farmers Market on the downtown square in Fayetteville.
“A little chilly” was the comment by one of the IRWP board members, but smiles and hot coffee and chocolate kept our river crew going while people brought soil samples in throughout the morning and early afternoon.
April 14, 2007 Rain Gardens Make A Difference
While the weather on the Fayetteville Square was a little wet on Saturday, April 14, it was the perfect venue for installing one of the first educational rain gardens. Volunteers gathered on the east side of Leverette Elementary School in Fayetteville to install the first-ever demonstration rain garden. A rain garden is a cultivated area created to harvest rain so that it receive runoff from a nearby impervious area such as a rooftop or driveway.
Thanks to a special $12,000 grant from the Arkansas Forestry Commission’s Urban Forestry Program, this is one of four rain gardens that will be installed during the upcoming weeks.
Partners in the project include the IRWP, the City of Fayetteville, the Washington County office of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Beaver Water District, the University of Arkansas Landscape Architecture Program, the Washington County Master Gardeners, the Northwest Arkansas Stormwater Education Program, Happy Hollow Elementary School, Leverett Elementary School, and the Urban Forestry Program of the Arkansas Forestry Commission. Two of the rain gardens will be installed in the Illinois River Watershed—Leverett Elementary and Gulley Park.
Rain garden benefits include increased filtration of stormwater, recharge of groundwater, reduction of nonpoint source pollutants, increase wildlife habitat, enhanced aesthetic values, protection from flooding, reduction of peak flows in local streams and reduction of municipal stormwater treatment costs.
Urban Non-Point Source Pollution Outreach Campaign
The IRWP will plan and execute an urban non-point source pollution outreach campaign. The intent of the campaign is to develop stakeholder ownership and incite action among the residents in the watershed to better manage non-point source pollution. The IRWP will partner with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service to develop and distribute educational materials. A partnership will also be developed with the University of Arkansas Survey Research Center to conduct pre and post surveys to measure the impact of the public awareness campaign. The education campaign will be conducted through October 2007 in Arkansas’ portion of the Illinois River Watershed to include residents in 30 cities over 7 counties in Northwest Arkansas. (correct figures coming and deleted info here) Approximately 50% of the Partnership’s time will be allocated to this activity. The campaign will be partially funded by an EPA 319 NPS grant. The match will be provided by sponsorship funds.
Watershed Management Plan
A second activity will be to help develop a comprehensive Watershed management plan in collaboration with Arkansas and Oklahoma agencies, governments, organizations and stakeholders. The Planning and Technical Committees will coordinate their efforts on behalf of the Partnership. The activity began in April 2006 with a goal to complete a working document by September 2007. Implementation of the work plan is an ongoing process. The activity involves stakeholders within and outside the watershed.
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