Fast Facts:
• Beaver Watershed Alliance is launching a campaign to highlight farmer stewardship
• Gulf Hypoxia Grant awarded to Beaver Watershed Alliance
New Gulf Hypoxia Grant Supports Outreach Highlighting Farmers’ Role in Protecting Water Resources
October, 2025 — The Beaver Watershed Alliance (BWA) has been awarded a Gulf Hypoxia Program grant to launch the “Thank a Farmer” Campaign for Water Quality Conservation, a new public awareness initiative designed to celebrate farmers who adopt conservation practices that protect water quality and sustain local agriculture.
The project aims to create a campaign model that promotes land stewardship and community engagement through a combination of outreach media. By spotlighting local farmers and their conservation efforts, the campaign encourages the public to recognize the connection between healthy farms and clean water in Northwest Arkansas.
Pasture aeration can increase infiltration by 70% or more.
“As land use shifts and our region continues to grow, balancing productive agriculture with clean, reliable water resources has never been more important,” said Becky Roark, Executive Director of the Beaver Watershed Alliance. “This campaign is about gratitude and awareness—thanking the farmers who are leading the way in conservation and helping our communities understand how local actions protect the water we all depend on.”
Working in collaboration with partners, BWA will implement and evaluate the campaign’s effectiveness across multiple outreach platforms. The campaign’s design will serve as a model for other watersheds in Arkansas and throughout the Mississippi River Basin, where nutrient and sediment loss contribute to downstream water quality issues like hypoxia in the Gulf of America.
Current Gulf Hypoxic Zone spans 6,334 square miles.
The Gulf Hypoxia Program is part of a coordinated, multi-state effort led by the Mississippi River/Gulf of America Hypoxia Task Force (HTF)—a partnership between EPA, USDA, and 12 Mississippi River Basin states (including Arkansas). Its goal is to reduce nutrient loading (nitrogen and phosphorus) from the Mississippi River Basin, which contributes to the seasonal “dead zone” (hypoxia) in the Gulf of America. This grant was received by the Alliance through the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Division.
“We’re proud to lead this initiative in partnership with our agricultural community and with support from the Gulf Hypoxia Program,” Roark added. “Farmers are the front line of water quality protection, and this campaign honors their work while inspiring others to take part.”
The Beaver Watershed Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining high-quality drinking water in Beaver Lake and improving water quality throughout its watershed. The Alliance brings together agricultural, conservation, recreation, business, and community stakeholders to promote voluntary, science-based solutions for watershed health. To learn more about Beaver Watershed Alliance programs, best management practices, or how to get involved in protecting your watershed, visit www.beaverwatershedalliance.org or call 479-750-8007.
