Ozarks Water Watch Has New Executive Director!

One week ago, on February 3rd, Ozarks Water Watch welcomed Cathy Stepp as our new Executive Director. Now, don't get all excited, you can't get rid of me that easily. I will still be around as President of Ozarks Water Watch, but will spend a majority of my time with our drinking water and wastewater companies, Ozarks Environmental Services and Ozarks Clean Water Company.

So let me tell you a little about Cathy and her work history. In a few weeks, Cathy will write a newsletter providing greater insight into her life, but for now, I'd like to provide you with an shortened introduction to our newest member of the team. Cathy has around 20 years of experience dealing with environmental issues. Most recently she served as the Regional Administrator for USEPA Region 5 headquartered in Chicago working in the Great Lakes states. Previously she held the position as the Principal Deputy Regional Administrator for EPA Region 7 in Kansas City.

Cathy was appointed as the State Cabinet Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (in Missouri that title would be Director) from 2011 to 2017. Wisconsin DNR is the third largest state agency with 4,000 employees and is responsible for state enforcement and protection of wildlife, fisheries, state parks, trails, forests and environmental permitting. Think of Missouri DNR and MDC all rolled into one agency.

From 2003 to 2007, Cathy was elected as a Wisconsin State Senator and served on the Environmental and Natural Resources committee. Prior to her Senate term, Cathy served as a citizen appointee on the Wisconsin's Natural Resources Board that directed the policy of Wisconsin DNR.

Given my background in our family's hardware and lumber business, I can relate to Cathy and her husband Paul's private sector home building company before she entered public service.

One of the biggest reasons that Ozarks Water Watch was fortunate enough to have Cathy join our water quality organization, is the fact that Cathy and Paul fell in love with our beautiful Ozarks and decided to make the Branson area their home. I ask you to join me in welcoming Cathy to the Ozarks and please help her as she continues our work to protect the water quality of our Ozarks streams, rivers and lakes!

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Quote of the Week

"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise."

~ Aldo Leopold

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Researchers Confirm Accuracy of Method for Estimating Phosphorus Dynamics in Stream Sediments

Water Currents

January 22, 2020

University of Arkansas researchers Eleanor Henson, Abbie Lasater, and Dr. Brian Haggard evaluated whether current methods of calculating phosphorus fluxes in streambed sediments could be improved to yield higher quality data. This study can help refine water quality models used by water resource managers. Stream sediments can be powerful indicators of water quality, and have the potential to improve or worsen water quality downstream.

Sediments have the ability to store excess phosphorus (P) that may enter a stream, but under the right conditions, sediments also have the potential to release P back into the water. One way to find out if stream sediments will be a "source" of P or a "sink" for P is to determine the equilibrium phosphorus concentration (EPC) of the sediments. This is the concentration of P in the water at equilibrium with the P in sediments, such that there is no P moving from one to the other.

To read more, click: HERE

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Table Rock Lake Facebook group featured in Super Bowl commercial

KY3

January 24, 2020

A Facebook group here in the Ozarks will be featured in a Super Bowl commercial. Frank Long and Natalie Modglin are the admins of the Table Rock Lake Group on Facebook. "At the beginning we thought it was a scam of course like anybody would if somebody contacts you out of the blue," Long said.

Facebook Groups: Ready to Rock? I Super Bowl 2020

Click above to watch ad.

Facebook Groups: Table Rock Lake Super Bowl 2020

They said being selected to be in the site's Super Bowl Commercial came as a total surprise. "I'm honored that we were chosen, too," Modglin said. "For the Facebook commercial, I mean...this is going to put the Ozarks on the map." They said they never imagined the group would become as popular as it has with more than 18,000 members. (Note: Over 20,000 members after the commercial ran!)

To read more, click: HERE

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Silted In: The Devastating Effects of Deforestation on Our Fisheries

WiredtoFish.com

January 28, 2020

There's a lot going on in the world today. Social injustices, wars, genocides. So what I'm going to talk about today is small potatoes in the grand scheme. I get that. But it's still something that is unnecessary and detrimental to the playing field of the sport we all love so much. And honestly, in this thin-skinned, victim-filled society we live in, I'm actually shocked that something hasn't already been done to stop it. The only reason I can gather is the age-old culprit that the Good Book itself lays out as the root of all evil.

So what am I talking about exactly? The detrimental effects of clear cutting and land development in our watersheds. Now, I'm no expert. I don't have a law degree. I'm not an ecologist. I admittedly haven't done a lot of research on the topic. I'm just a good ole boy from Alabama who has seen the world change around him.

To read more, Click: HERE

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Contact Info
OZARKS WATER WATCH MISSOURI OFFICE ARKANSAS OFFICE

David Casaletto, President PO Box 636, 11 Oak Drive 1200 W. Walnut, Ste. 3405
(417) 739-4100 Kimberling City, MO 65686 Rogers, AR 72756

[email protected]