Sedona News

    Oak Creek Watershed Council Volunteers become “Friends of Oak Creek”

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    Community Residents Invited to Join and Help Keep Oak Creek Beautiful

    logo_oakcreekwatershedcouncilSedona AZ (February 15, 2013) – The Oak Creek Watershed Council (OCWC) has registered its volunteer group with the state as ‘Friends of Oak Creek (FOC)’ and has openings for community residents who wish to volunteer their time towards improving the water quality of Oak Creek, as well as tackling other watershed issues.

    OCWC Chairwoman, Gail Clement, recently announced the formalizing of FOC under the guidance of Managing Director, Kathy Dunham who is being assisted by fellow Master Watershed Stewards Gwynne Reese and Shelley Holiday. Friends of Oak Creek already have some activities planned and its membership is growing.

    20120215_Volunteers-at-Chavez-Crossing-cleanup“The time is long overdue for us all to learn more about the environmental impact of hundreds of thousands of visitors every year and do something positive about it” said Barry Allan, Executive Director. “We need a lot of help from residents who have some time on their hands and love our beautiful Oak Creek. People will learn how to become better stewards of the environment, and we will be setting up training programs in partnership with the University of Arizona.”

    Friends of Oak Creek have a listing of volunteer opportunities as well as a new member interests survey including contact information on the main menu of the OCWC website http://www.oakcreekwatershed.org. Kathy Dunham can be reached at kathy@oakcreekwatershed.org

    “Volunteers have a wide choice of opportunities” said Allan. “We make watershed presentations to students, adults and other community groups. We have teams that pick up litter and trash at Oak Creek recreational sites, many who take water samples for our grant projects, and others who delve into issues regarding water conservation and quantity as well as habitat degradation. Even if you only have an hour or two, Friends of Oak Creek want to hear from you.”

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    The OCWC recently completed the Oak Creek Watershed Improvement Plan (OCWIP). Funded by a grant from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the OCWIP identifies problems associated with the impairment of Oak Creek by the fecal coliform Escherichia coli (E. coli), as well as solutions to those problems.

    The development of the Oak Creek Community Outreach Program was also included in the grant and is designed to educate residents and visitors to Oak Creek in protecting this precious resource.

    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.

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    1 Comment

    1. Carol Rizzi on

      I can only hope the Friends of Oak Creek will help to make sure the City of Sedona never puts up a Creek Walk along Oak Creek. If you truly stand by your belief in preserving and protecting the Creek you could never allow that to happen. The construction alone would cause so much damage, then the subsequent tourist, local and animal traffic with their filth would destroy it. How could the City even think of such a thing since Oak Creek is a protected water source? Tourist dollars are not worth the loss and destruction of Oak Creek. Please help to make sure Oak Creek maintains its designation. Thank you.