Throughout the month of July, we are celebrating Lakes Appreciation Month. Today we speak with Alan Bland about all things Beaver Lake. Alan recently retired from the US Army Corps of Engineers where he spent 36 years as a park ranger and natural resource specialist. Whether you’re interested in history, recreation, or wildlife, this podcast has something for you!

Sara Wittenberg, Project Wingspan Arkansas State Coordinator, joins the podcast this month to celebrate Pollinator Week. She starts us off with why we should care about pollinators and shared a variety of ways you can get involved.

On the podcast this month, we welcome Kent Laughlin, Project Manager with the Department of Community Development for the City of Rogers, along with Becky Roark, Executive Director for the Alliance. Low-impact Development mimics nature by allowing rainwater to slow down and soak into ground, reducing flooding. Listen in to learn how the City of Rogers is incorporating permeable pavers into several low-impact development projects in the downtown area.

This month we welcome Marson Nance, Director of Land Protection and Stewardship with the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust. Land conservation plays an integral role in protecting our regional drinking water source, wildlife habitat, cultural resources, and our region’s identity. Listen in to hear Marson answer all of your questions about conservation easements.

This month we welcome Kurtis Cecil, an Associate Professor in the Life Sciences Department at Northwest Arkansas Community College. Kurtis is also the Chair of the habitat committee with the Ozark Prairie Quail Forever Chapter and has been instrumental in getting the Ozark Prairie Prescribed Burn Association off the ground this winter. We talk about how to choose the appropriate season for prescribed burning based on your conservation goals and the hurdles landowners face when wanting to burn their property. Listen in to find out how you can join the recently formed prescribed burn association and learn more at an upcoming training opportunity.

This month we welcome Jane Maginot, Washington County Extension Agent for Stormwater Education. We talk about a cool eco-art project she spearheaded, as well as ways you can help in your community. Jane also runs a cattle and poultry farm with her husband, and she shared ways they are working to improve water quality on their farm alongside increasing the farm’s profitability.

This month we welcome Sarah Geurtz, a landscape architect with Earthplan Design Alternatives, and Juliet Richey, a member of the Alliance Board of Directors and an urban planner with Garver. These two ladies have been working together to change city codes to incorporate the use of native plants in urban landscaping. Sarah discusses the role native plants play in the ecosystem and how landscaping is evolving to include more deciduous trees and shrubs, and even perennials. Juliet explains that with our current, exponential regional growth, the time to plan is now. Native plants create a sense of place, and the work we do now for urban planning will serve us well into the future.

Eric Fuselier of Crafton Tull shares how communities benefit from wetlands and the ecosystem services they provide.

Founding Alliance Board member Barbara Taylor shares how her passion for water began and the important role the community plays in watershed conservation.