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...to protect the health, purity, and economic viability of the

Kings River watershed, now and for future generations.

KRWP Annual Meeting

KRWP held it's annual meeting March 26th in the Pioneer Room of the Carroll Electric building. The first order of business was the election of board members. Elaine Floyd and Jennifer Northrup were elected to a first term and Glenda Allison is returning for a sixth term. Thank you ladies for your commitment!

The family of Butch Hanby was awarded as Land Steward of the Year. This is an important award to us because a land steward cares for their land by use of best management practices with conservation as their goal regardless of what the misfortune or losses are. Their work benefits many and often transcends generations. Pictures are Butch Hanby and wife Beverly, Laura and Hal Hudgens and their son Jack.

Jacobs Engineering received our Volunteer of the Year Award for their long time help with our river cleanups. Thank you to Josh Alleman, Mike Maynard and Brad Karnes for their many hours of service over the many years.

Dr. Ginny Adams was our keynote speaker. Ginny is a Professor of Biology and Director of the Environmental Science Program at UCA. Ginny shared her 10 years of work on Kings River that included a very extensive survey of fish populations on the Mason Bottom portion of the Kings.

Ray Warren spoke about being a Nutrient Surplus Area and the need to take action to reduce non-point source pollution.

The evening was closed with memories of Gray Squires who passed January 8th.

To learn more about future cleanups, contact

rayandkarenwarren@gmail.com or call (870) 654-4134.

2024 River Cleanup Schedule

Madison County Cleanup: Because of inclement weather the Kings River Watershed Partnership has postponed the Madison County cleanup to April 27th. Please join us at 8am sharp at Marble Access, one mile west of Marble AR. Bring your boat and a sack lunch and dress for the weather.
Carroll County Cleanup: meet at 1750cr306 June 1 at 8am sharp. You may also know this location as the Life is Good Bridge. Rain date June 8.
Kings River Arm of Table Rock Lake: to be announced in late summer.
Berryville Urban Watershed Cleanup: to be announced in late summer.

Please join us June 1 at 5pm following our river cleanup for a potluck dinner and kayak raffle. There will also be a Celebration of Life for our beloved Gray Squires. This year tent camping is available on the gravel bar if the river permits.

At all of our cleanups you will need to bring your boat, a sack lunch and dress for the weather. Please expect to be out for an eight- hour day. We will have trash bags and shuttles.

For more info contact Ray Warren at rayandkarenwarren@gmail.com or call (870) 654-4134 or Kyle Hunnicutt at kyle.hunnicutt@gmail.com or call (870) 480-7198

A big thank you to the folks at Ozark Mountain Trading Co. in Garfield, Arkansas, for helping us with this year's kayak raffle. This year we have a Pescador 12.0 by Perception. This is a fine full size sit-on-top kayak with plenty of room. Tickets will be available at thebAnnual Meeting, river cleanups and at Kings River Outfitters.

Smiles Live Forever

We would like to note the passing of our dear friend and our longtime board member, Gray Squires. Anyone that knew Gray will tell you that his most outstanding feature was his smile and he wore it every day, everywhere and everytime. It was truly infectious. If a friend told you "I saw Gray the other day" they would be smiling when they told you. You would instantly smile too.

Gray was more than just a happy smile, he was a hard worker, deeply rooted in our community, with a heart as big as his smile. As an optician he often served the needy free of charge. He helped many local not-for-profits. As a musician he was a string bass player versed in every genre and was known across the four state region. He played many fundraisers for locals in need.

Gray was involved with our group from its beginning, attending some of the early public meetings and helping Sam Davis with the Berryville High School Science Club. In 2007 Gray was the first person to receive our Volunteer of the Year Award for his work in our first public river cleanup and was instrumental in how our cleanup took shape. In 2009 he was elected to the board of directors and served the small business sector. From his shop, Eye-Q-Optical, he was the public face of KRWP, sold raffle tickets and distributed our "Guide to Stream Side Living" booklets.

Gray was proud to be a member of the Osage Nation, "People of Many Waters," and in a very real sense, he was a community elder. To see a more complete list of the works Gray left us or to make a donation in his memory go to nelsonfuneral.com.

A celebration of life for Gray is planned for the evening of June 1st after river cleanup at 1750cr306. This will be a potluck dinner and the public is welcome. Bring your instruments and a lawn chair and your biggest smile.

Respectfully,

Ray Warren.