Greetings from Your Stones River Watershed Association.  February, 2006.


Upcoming events:

This Saturday, Feb. 11: Planning retreat for the SRWA Board and members.  10 am to 2 pm., Carriage Lane Reception House, 337 E. Burton St., Murfreesboro.  This is a working session to plan our activities for the coming year.  All members are invited and encouraged to participate.  We'll break for a potluck lunch so let us know you're coming by emailing mayo@stoneswatershed.org.

Saturday March 18 and March 25.  Visual stream assessment training.  Details TBA. This free training will prepare participants to evaluate the health and condition of natural streams by observing critical features such as canopy, bank stability, etc.  The session will be a combination of classroom and field work led by John McFadden of the Harpeth River Watershed Association .  Several SRWA members were part of a similar training last May and found it to be educational and fun. One goal of the program is to prepare a group of volunteers to do a comprehensive assessment of the Lytle Creek stream corridor as part of our ongoing grant project.

If you would like a reminder and details for these sessions email Beth Chesson: president@stoneswatershed.org.

Saturday, April 8: A Stones Throw Away.  We will again participate in this third annual Stones River cleanup sponsored by Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation. This is really a satisfying event because of the mounds of junk that are taken out of our most visible stream.  Watch for details.

May 13 to 20. National River Cleanup Week. SRWA will work on Saturday, May 13 to cleanup around the Discovery Center and will participate in other public awareness activities with the Cumberland River Compact.

Coming soon: our 2006 schedule of canoe and kayak outings, including our second annual Boat Day on July 2.

The Citizens' Role in Pollution Control.

On the evening of Jan. 23 SRWA sponsored an excellent educational program with support from the Stormwater Program of the City of Murfreesboro.  Our main presenter was Eric Hill, an engineer with the Rutherford County Planning and Engineering Department who spends much of his time in the field managing public works projects and reviewing new subdivisions.  His real world expertise was helpful in explaining how erosion controls should be installed, how to recognize problems, and when to report.  Robert Haley, Stormwater Manager for Murfreesboro, presented information about techniques for decreasing the intensity of the stormwater charge that comes from major rain events, and generally discussed the City's program.  The question and answer session afterward included comments from Richard Graham of the Corps of Engineers, the federal agency that responds when significant problems are reported in or immediately adjacent to natural streams.

The program was broadcast on Cable Channel 3 and videotaped for future use. It will run again at 9:30 am on Friday, Feb. 24.  SRWA appreciates the support of the City of Murfreesboro in providing that opportunity.