First Public Showing at New Frontiers Natural Marketplace March 22

Sedona AZ (March 18, 2013) – The Oak Creek Watershed Council (OCWC) volunteer group ‘Friends of Oak Creek’ (FOC) will be celebrating World Water Day on Friday, March 22nd and exhibiting the Oak Creek Watershed Terrain Model outside the entrance of Sedona’s New Frontiers Natural Marketplace on SR 89A from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Master Watershed Stewards will be available to answer questions.

The 3’ x 4’ fiberglass model shows topographic details of 50 mile long Oak Creek and the entire 300,000 acre watershed from Kachina Village to the north down to Cornville and from the headwaters of Spring Creek on its west side over to Munds Park and Highway 17.

“The model is being used for watershed education purposes as well as a reference for geological and hydrological planning studies” said Barry Allan, Executive Director. “It was designed to be transportable so our presenters can easily set it up in a classroom or meeting space. The fiberglass is a durable material and the functional design of the model allows us to simulate rain events as well as soil erosion into Oak Creek. The “rain water runoff” actually flows into Oak Creek and down to the confluence with the Verde River.”

World Water Day is a United Nations event held annually on March 22 as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. In designating 2013 as the UN International Year of Water Cooperation, the UNGA recognizes that cooperation is essential to strike a balance between the different needs and priorities and share this precious resource equitably.

“Our objective is to educate residents and visitors to our area on the importance of water quality, quantity and conservation” said Allan. “Demand for water now exceeds supply in the Colorado River Basin, and our own Oak Creek is perpetually on the “non-attaining” list due to the persistence of the indicator fecal coliform bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) suggesting fecal contamination. These water issues are only going to get worse if we all do not become more aware of them and do something about it. We appreciate the support of New Frontiers Natural Marketplace and the opportunity to display the Terrain Model.”

Water is a shared resource and its management needs to take into account a wide variety of conflicting For information about how residents and visitors can learn more about the stewardship of Oak Creek, visit http://www.oakcreekwatershed.org

The Oak Creek Watershed Council also sponsors a second website which focuses on Oak Creek Canyon at

The Oak Creek Watershed Council is a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) corporation and was named Nonprofit of 2012 by the Sedona Community Foundation. It is dedicated to maintaining a standard of excellence for watershed stewardship, as well as preserving the integrity of Oak Creek, and its tributaries.