Barrier Blog

04/30/24 - After our meeting with the ASHP, the team decided to switch gears and prioritize surveying efforts in Northwest Arkansas. Last week, Whitney and Brady headed up to Siloam Springs to kick off surveying with Sager Creek. They conducted around 40 surveys of road crossings of Sager Creek and its tributaries.

Sager Creek is one of the main attractions in Siloam Springs, with its downtown area centered along the heavily modified banks of the stream. There are numerous bridges, walking trails, and pedestrian accesses to the creek, all within walking distance of restaurants, shopping, and entertainment. The picturesque state of the creek can be attributed to several dams and the artificial decorative rock banks, which draw in tourists.

There has been an issue with pollution in Sager Creek since the 1970s, which was apparent to the team as soon as they got close to the water. “The stream was heavily polluted, each time the stadia rod touched the water, a film of algae would coat it. It made for easy measuring, but we will have to remember to bring hand sanitizer next time we come,” Whitney remarked, “The stream could be characterized by the extreme amounts of snails and algae. And the smell of the stream was not pleasant. My boots reeked by the end of the day.”

On one of the tributaries to the north of Sager Creek, in a subdivision, the team encountered what Brady described as “a monstrosity.” This culvert had a combined 11 circle-shaped culverts and was connected to a box culvert that led underground. “It was the gift that kept giving,” Whitney laughed, “When we saw it, we were both surprised, but the closer we got, the stranger it got. It was very interesting!”

So far, the team has focused on crossings in rural areas, and this was their first trip surveying in a larger town. Urban surveying has its challenges—concerned homeowners, pollution, and reduced access, to name a few. But it also has its perks, like a variety of dining and lodging options. The team will likely go back to the area soon, as there are many crossings left to survey on Sager Creek.

Pictured below: left - the monstrosity, right - Brady Bowers surveying a culvert on a tributary of Sager Creek.

04/18/24 – The Arkansas Stream Heritage Partnership (ASHP) met on April 17-18th to discuss various barrier inventory, assessment, and removal projects from across the state. The meeting was sponsored by The Nature Conservancy, Central Arkansas Water, Crafton Tull, and the AR Dept of Agriculture – Natural Resources Division. 

The meeting was led by ASHP member Tate Wentz (Arkansas Dept of Agriculture – Natural Resources Division Water Quality Section Manager) and featured several presentations by ASHP members from various agencies across the state. Members shared ongoing and completed projects, research, and funding resources. Some exciting projects currently underway in the state include 

The generous donors provided the attendees with a social (TNC), dinner (Crafton Tull), and breakfast (Central Arkansas Water). 

To wrap up the meeting, members broke into groups to discuss major next steps and plans for the year.