Volunteers needed for Coleman Creek Cleanup on April 22

By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — The Cooperative Extension Service and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Sustainability Committee are recruiting volunteers for the Coleman Creek Cleanup, which will take place April 22 from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Past cleanups have removed nearly 6,000 pounds of trash from the creek.  

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY — Over the past 12 years, volunteers have removed nearly three metric tons of trash from Coleman Creek, which runs through the Cooperative Extension Service and UA Little Rock campuses and eventually into Fourche Creek. Extension and UA Little Rock are recruiting volunteers for the next cleanup event on April 22. (Division of Agriculture photo.) 

Volunteers should check in at the Cooperative Extension Service’s annex building and rain garden, where they can pick up cleanup supplies, at 2301 S. University Avenue. There will also be a check-in station on the University of Arkansas at Little Rock campus at 5721 W. 32nd Street. Register for the event at bit.ly/coleman-cleanup-register.

John Pennington, extension water quality educator for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, has led the Cooperative Extension Service arm of the cleanup for the last seven years. Pennington said the cleanup began as an annual event but has since become semi-annual due to “the need and opportunity for collaboration and stewardship of the creek.

“This creek flows down to Fourche Creek, and Fourche Creek flows to the Arkansas River, down to the Mississippi and ultimately to the Gulf,” Pennington said. “I have found that working together with UA Little Rock on this project has strengthened my understanding and awareness about other shared goals and opportunities we can work on together — projects that would be mutually beneficial for our shared campus and the community. Plus, they are great partners to work with.”

In the past, the cleanup event averaged 50 volunteers from extension, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the community. Pennington said he would like to see even more new volunteers at this spring cleanup.

“More hands on deck are always helpful in the case of a community litter cleanup,” he said. “There is something fun and feel-good about immediately making a positive impact on the environment, especially working collaboratively with other people from the community.”

Keeping Arkansas’ waters clean

Pennington said keeping Arkansas’ streams, creeks and other waters clean is imperative to the health and success of the state.

“The waters of Arkansas are the real powerhouses of the state that make everything else possible,” Pennington said. “They provide drinking water for communities, irrigation of food crops, habitat for wildlife, recreation, community and economic development opportunities and so much more.”

Pennington said the Coleman Creek Cleanup was originally started in 2013 by an extension employee with the Arkansas Public Policy Center. They suggested the idea to leaders from University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the Cooperative Extension Service who were looking for ways to work together. Former extension senior associate vice president and director of the Cooperative Extension Service, Rick Cartwright, got behind the idea.

“We have a water quality education program in the state that serves several communities, and we are always encouraging and informing the public about ways they can be stewards of water quality, such as through the Arkansas Watershed Steward Program,” Pennington said. “It is important that we also do what we can, where we can, to practice this same stewardship.”

For more information about the Coleman Creek Cleanup, visit bit.ly/coleman-cleanup-register or contact Pennington at jhpennington@uada.edu.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk. 

Restoration volunteers remove 526 pounds of trash from Buffalo National River watershed site

By the U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Even the country’s first National River can find itself the unfortunate victim of illegal dumping, especially as it winds its way through some of the most scenic areas of Arkansas.

On Feb. 22, members of the Cooperative Extension Service and the Nature Conservancy, along with local landowners and volunteers, removed 526 pounds of illegally dumped trash in the upper reaches of the Buffalo National River watershed. The site was located along Highway 21, near Smith Creek Nature Preserve. 

TAKING OUT THE TRASH — On Feb. 22, members of the Cooperative Extension Service and the Nature Conservancy, along with local landowners and volunteers, removed 526 pounds of illegally dumped trash in the upper reaches of the Buffalo National River watershed. The site was located along Highway 21, near Smith Creek Nature Preserve. (Image courtesy John Pennington.) 

The dumpsite was found as part of a litter audit — part of the Buffalo River Watershed Enhancement Project — conducted by the Cooperative Extension Service. Part of the project’s mission is to conduct outreach throughout the watershed area and foster support for the Buffalo River Watershed Management Plan, which will in turn improve water quality in the watershed.

John Pennington, extension water quality educator for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said the dumpsite audit showed that the largest percentage of trash by weight was metal, followed by tires, hazardous paper waste and plastic. E-waste, textiles and furniture, glass and wood were also found. Approximately 70 percent of the waste removed from the cleanup was recycled. Cash for the recycled metal totaled $15, which will be put into local 4-H litter removal and recycling efforts.

“The dumpsite we cleaned up was not old or historic like some dumpsites,” Pennington said. “This dumpsite, like many other dumping sites around the state was newer. It will be interesting to see if the dumpsite continues to be used now that it has been cleaned up. The ongoing litter audit throughout the watershed will be able to monitor the littering and dumping rate in the areas.”

The 2023 Buffalo River litter index audit examined eight publicly accessible locations, spanning from the headwaters along Highway 21 down to the Rush access point. It revealed that tires and textiles were the largest items of trash found by weight, with hazardous waste paper, glass, metal and plastic being commonly found. 

“The good news is that all but one of the locations surveyed had less than a pound of trash found at each of them,” Pennington said. “The low amount of trash found at most litter audit sites is likely due to the efforts of local landowners, the National Park Service and visitors doing their part to keep the watershed healthy and clean.”

To participate in future litter audit or voluntary water quality improvement activities as part of the Buffalo River Watershed Enhancement Project, visit https://www.uaex.uada.edu/environment-nature/water/buffalo-river-project.aspx.

The Cooperative Extension Service has partnered with multiple agencies and organizations, including lead partner The Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Arkansas Forestry Division, Buffalo River Conservation District, Searcy County Agricultural Conservation Cooperative, Searcy County and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The partnership project makes hundreds of thousands of dollars in conservation practice funding available to landowners participating in the project each year. To learn more, and if you are a landowner in need of conservation assistance funding, contact your local NRCS service provider and sign up for the Buffalo River Watershed Enhancement Project.

For more information on water quality, watersheds, Arkansas Watershed Stewards Program or the Buffalo River Watershed Regional Conservation Program, check in with your local county extension office.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

Pasture management key to profit and water quality

By the U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — Well-managed pastures can have a positive effect both on water quality and farm budgets. The Cooperative Extension Service, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, is working with partners and landowners throughout the state to make this potential a reality.

PROTECT AND ENHANCE — John Pennington, extension water quality educator for the Division of Agriculture, is part of a five-year Regional Conservation Partnership Project focused on pasture landowners within the Buffalo National River watershed. (Division of Agriculture photo.)

By re-establishing or invigorating existing pasture forages, farm production and profitability can increase while also protecting water quality.

John Pennington, extension water quality educator for the Division of Agriculture, said that nowhere is this more true than in the Buffalo National River Watershed, where a five-year Regional Conservation Partnership Project is focusing efforts on pasture landowners within the watershed.

The project provides as much as $400,000 in additional conservation practice funding annually for qualifying landowners, in addition to the usual funding allocation to Natural Resources Conservation Service county offices serving the Buffalo River Watershed.  

“The current price of inputs such as fertilizers and fuel make retaining and utilizing existing on-farm nutrients even more important,” Pennington said.

“Controlling and rotating grazing is a critical step to maintaining healthy forage stands and soil health,” he said, adding that “sometimes pastures need fertility improvements, such as lime or simply reseeding, as a result of periods of drought or disease. Keeping the pasture covered with forage is critical to both production and water quality.”

Rotational grazing and other conservation practices can increase farm production and profit while reducing nitrogen, bacteria, phosphorus and sediment in runoff from agricultural lands within the watershed. The practices are also recommended in the voluntary Buffalo River Watershed Management plan.

Rotational grazing has many benefits, including:

• Allowing periods of recovery for the forage and soil

• Distribution of animal nutrients more evenly throughout the fields

• Increased grazing efficiency and

• Increased water and fertilizer retention in the soil

The Cooperative Extension Service works with multiple agencies and organizations, including the Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and others to form the Buffalo River Watershed Enhancement Project, which seeks to help watershed residents and landowners reduce erosion on their land and enhance water quality in the Buffalo National River. The partnership makes hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding available to landowners participating in the project each year. To learn more, visit https://www.uaex.uada.edu/environment-nature/water/buffalo-river-project.aspx.

For more information on pasture forage establishment, rotational grazing, or water quality check in with your local county extension office, conservation district, or Natural Resource Conservation Service office. To potentially receive funding for pasture management activities visit your local Natural Resource Conservation Service office.