Help Clean Up West Fork of the White River on morning of Saturday, May 19, 2012

News Release

For information call Nicole Hardiman at 422-1014

Volunteers needed for West Fork Watershed Cleanup on May 19^th

For immediate release – April 24, 2012

The 7th annual West Fork Watershed Cleanup will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 19, at Riverside Park, located off state Hwy. 170 in quaint downtown West Fork. Volunteers will check in from 8-9:30 a.m. at the park, then fan out to stations along the river and clean up targeted areas. Volunteers are then invited to enjoy a burrito buffet beginning at 11 a.m.

Volunteers are needed and may pre-register by calling 479-422-1014 or 479-225-1611. Volunteers also may show up that day and register on-site.  Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Cleanup participants will be supplied with trash bags, maps to cleanup locations, gloves, and reusable water bottles filled with chilled tap water. All volunteers will be required to sign up and complete liability forms. Sites on the cleanup list include Riverside Park, Baptist Ford, Dye Creek Road, Woolsey Bridge, Brentwood Mountain Road, and the Winslow Ballpark.

“The West Fork of the White River flows into Beaver Lake,” said Nicole Hardiman, who works for the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust, one of the event sponsors. “Beaver Lake is our drinking water, so we gather annually to clean up the West Fork and build awareness about our precious water resources.”

Mayor Frances Hime has been volunteering for the cleanup for several years, and she’s proud to be there once again.

“When we clean up the West Fork River and its watershed, we are protecting our source of safe drinking water and caretaking wildlife habitat,” Hime said. “We love rallying the troops to help with this task. We want everyone to come out and enjoy beautiful Riverside Park in West Fork and help us with the cleanup.”

As in years past, the event is being coordinated by the West Fork Watershed Alliance. Sponsors and partners also include Arkansas Stream Team, Arkansas Canoe Club, Arvest Bank, Beaver Water District, City of West Fork, Keep Arkansas Beautiful, Pack Rat Outdoor Center, Tyson Foods, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Washington County Environmental Affairs, the Watershed Conservation Resource Center, Audubon Arkansas, Beaver Watershed Alliance, Ozark Natural Foods, Sam’s Club, and West Fork Cafe. A flyer about the event may be downloaded from the Beaver Water District’s website at www.bwdh2o.org.