Tyson Foods, Nature Conservancy Team Up for Area Waterways
by July 15, 2015 11:53 am 234 views
The Nature Conservancy and Tyson Foods Inc. on Wednesday announced a partnership to protect waterways in southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas.
Tyson donated $500,000 that the conservancy will put to use funding stream restoration, reforestation, erosion prevention, unpaved road improvements, watershed research and community engagement in projects along the Kings, Elk and Buffalo rivers.
“Our footprint in this area is significant and along with that comes an important responsibility to conserve our precious natural resources,” said Mike Roetzel, Tyson’s group vice president of operation services. “This is just one way we hope to protect the quality of life we experience in this beautiful part of the country.”
The announcement followed a community cleanup, led by Springdale mayor Doug Sprouse, along the banks of Spring Creek in Springdale.
A big driver behind the partnership will be research and science, and saving species like the Ozark bass and the Neosho mullet could come into play, said Adam McLane, the Nature Conservancy’s Missouri state director.
Scott Simon, the Arkansas state director for the conservancy, said the Tyson donation will be for the benefit of everyone.
“We all own a piece of it,” he said of the rivers. “They are a shared resource.”