John Bame and Fayetteville High School students look at old rail trestle and discarded rail ties blocking construction of city trail through old tunnel under existing Arkansas & Missouri Railroad

I might not have discovered this for some time had not John Bame brought some FHS students to World Peace Wetland Prairie and then taken them on a walk of the Pinnacle Prairie Trail and the part of Tsa-La-Gi Trail as yet uncompleted from the Hill Place Apartments through the old rail tunnel to the west to Razorback Road and beyond. Thanks to the environmentally aware students for caring and wanting to learn more about the delicate geography and geology of our city. Please click on image to enlarge view of railroad ties over mouth of tunnel and then watch video below the photo to learn reaction of workers when they learned that the ties should not be dumped there.

Rail ties being dumped in mouth of tunnel in Fayetteville AR Aubrey james | MySpace Video The Fayetteville city trail administrator telephoned the railroad manager in Springdale an hour later and the railroad official confirmed that the ties were not to be dumped there but were to be dumped at Cato Springs Road. Rail ties are creosoted and very dangerous to human beings and other living things when the chemicals leach into the watershed.

Restore clean-water act to original strength Now!

Please double-click "view as webpage" link near top right to see full post.

March 22, 2010  View as Webpage | Forward | Subscribe   Dear Aubrey, If you think the Clean Water Act protects your drinking water from pollution, think again. Please take action today to ensure fundamental safeguards for clean water in our streams, rivers, and lakes. A confusing 2006 Supreme Court decision on the Clean Water Act has left the fate of 60 percent of the nation’s stream miles -– that provide drinking water for 117 million Americans –- in legal limbo. As a result, as reported in The New York Times, polluters are now claiming complete exemptions from reporting what they dump into local streams. Congress can resolve this problem by passing legislation to restore full federal protection for all our waters. Help us ensure that all of our nation’s waters are protected under the Clean Water Act. Urge your representative to support introducing and passing the Clean Water Restoration Act today. Thank you for your support. Sincerely, Katherine Baer Senior Director, Clean Water Program

To contact American Rivers, email us at outreach@AmericanRivers.org. To update your profile or change your preferences click here. To unsubscribe click here.  American Rivers ©2010

I would like to express grave concern over the loss of protection for many of our small streams that provide clean drinking water for 117 million Americans in communities across the country. Supreme Court decisions in the Rapanos and Carabell cases have made it confusing and burdensome for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to protect small streams and wetlands under the Clean Water Act. As a result, enforcement actions against polluters have declined sharply the EPA estimates that over 1,000 cases have been shelved or dropped altogether. More recently it has become clear that some polluters are using the decisions as a justification to avoid any permitting and reporting requirements for discharging pollutants into our waters. For the Clean Water Act to fulfill its goal of restoring the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters, all waters must receive protection corresponding with Congress' original intent when passing this landmark law. Upstream waters must be protected from pollution and destruction if we expect downstream waters to be fit for swimming, drinking, and fish and wildlife, and downstream communities to be safe from flooding. I urge you to act in the interest of preserving clean water for healthy communities and wildlife. Please support introduction and passage of the Clean Water Restoration Act, which would clarify the definition of waters to eliminate uncertainty and ensure clean water in accordance with the goals of the Clean Water Act. Thank you for your consideration.

A few faces from Washington County Democratic Central Committee on MARCH 15, 2010

Please click on individual images to ENLARGE.

World Peace Wetland Prairie spider milkweed, false indigo bush, dogbane, blue-eyed grass and cottontail rabbit photographed on May 21, 2009

Please click on individual images to ENLARGE view of a sample of what you won't see on Earthday at World Peace Wetland Prairie but may see again if you visit in May. Native wildflowers and tall grass emerge later than the typical nonnative species found in many gardens in Arkansas.

Photo above reveals view northwest with Amorpha fructicosa bush in bloom. Also known as false indigo or indigo bush on May 21, 2009, at World Peace Wetland Prairie. Cottontail rabbit reluctant to leave his grazing area and hoping photographer will back away on May 21, 2009, at World Peace Wetland Prairie.

In photo above, the tiny blue-eyed grass is seen growing near a tall dogbane or Indian Hemp plant.

Above, Asclepias viridis, also known as spider milkweed or antelope horns, is nearing full bloom. Viridis is the earliest of the milkweeds to bloom in Northwest Arkansas. Above is an instance of a tall dogbane or Indian hemp plant with a shorter spider milkweed at right. Dogbane seems always to pop out of the ground before the milkweed and the leaves of the two are similar. Both are plentiful at World Peace Wetland Prairie. For more photos of wildflowers at WPWP, please see WPWP wildflowers

Thanks to Jeff Erf for forwarding agenda for next week's Quorum Court meeting

REGULAR MEETING OF THE WASHINGTON COUNTY QUORUM COURT

Thursday, March 11, 2010
6:00 p.m.
Washington County Quorum Court Room

A G E N D A

1. CALL TO ORDER. JUDGE EDWARDS

2. PRAYER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

3. ROLL CALL.

4. ADOPTION OF AGENDA. At the beginning of each
meeting, the agenda shall be approved. Any JP may
request an item be added to the agenda subject to
approval of the Quorum Court.

5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES. Approval of the minutes of
the February 4 special meeting and the February 11 regular
meeting of the Quorum Court. (5.1, 5.2)

6. FINANCE REPORT. STEVE ZEGA

7. COUNTY JUDGE’S REPORT. (7.1, 7.2) JUDGE EDWARDS

8. COMMITTEE REPORTS.

A. Pre-Paid Legal. Last year, the Personnel Committee
recommended the removal of this benefit from the list of
voluntary benefits offered to County employees. At the
December meeting, the Quorum Court tabled action for
90-days. (8.1) MICAH NEAL

B. Consideration of Proposed Amendment to the Employee
Handbook. The Personnel Committee is recommending
amendments to the Workers Compensation Policy. Changes
to the Employee Handbook must be approved by a majority
vote of the full Quorum Court. (8.2) MICAH NEAL

9. AN EMERGENCY ORDINANCE AMENDING WASHINGTON
COUNTY CODE 2-64 PERTAINING TO WORKERS
COMPENSATION. This ordinance is being recommended
by the Personnel Committee. This ordinance contains an
emergency clause requiring only one reading and will go
into effect immediately upon passage. (9.1) MICAH NEAL

10. AN EMERGENCY ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY
TO DO BUSINESS WITH ROBERT COONS D/B/A OZARK COP
SHOP. This ordinance is being recommended by the Personnel
Committee. This ordinance contains an emergency clause
requiring only one reading and will go into effect immediately
upon passage. (10.1) MICAH NEAL

11. OTHER BUSINESS.

12. CITIZEN’S COMMENTS. Fifteen-minute comment period
with a three-minute limit for each individual to comment on
items on the agenda or other items.

13. ADJOURNMENT.

/kb

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Whitaker for Congress campaign headquarters to open formally on Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Please join us for the

Grand Opening

of the

Whitaker for Congress

Campaign Headquarters

Wednesday, March 10,  4-7pm

101 West Mountain, Fayetteville, AR

On the Historic Fayetteville Square

Gold Hosts

Dr. Malcolm Hayward,  Rep. Jim House, Rep. Uvalde Lindsey,

Pulaski County Clerk Pat O’Brien,

Sebastian County Clerk Doris Tate,

& House Candidates Earl Hunton, Greg Leding, Bill Ramsey

Young Democrat Leadership Hosts

Max Deitchler, Jeremiah Wax, Caleb Rose, Kathleen Gonzalez, Sarah Sparkman, Chris Burks, Britton Burnett, John Davis,

Robbie Jones

 Paid for by the Whitaker for Congress Committee. 

Please join us, we'd love to see you.

David Whitaker
Democratic Candidate
U. S. House of Representatives
Arkansas' 3rd District