BENTONVILLE, Ark., Nov. 16, 2016 – The Walton Family Foundation today announced three new projects for the Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program, which seeks to elevate the architectural quality of future public buildings and spaces in Benton and Washington counties.
As director of the water and wetlands program at Pronatura Noroeste, Osvel Hinojosa has helped lead cross-border efforts to fund the Delta’s restoration and ensure water from the Colorado is allotted specifically for environmental use.
As president of Friends of the Verde River, Chip Norton helps lead a coalition of river enthusiasts working on conservation solutions to improve flows and habitat while protecting communities whose economic prosperity depends on a healthy river.
Freddie Botur uses his water rights, acquired when his family bought Cottonwood Ranches three decades ago, to irrigate 8,000 acres of rangeland and raise 6,000 head of Black Angus cattle.
As director of Trout Unlimited’s western water and habitat program, Scott Yates builds partnerships with private landowners to find creative ways to reduce demand for water in the arid Colorado River basin.
The Escalante is threatened by an unwanted invader – Russian olive, a woody invasive that crowds the riverbank, competing with and squeezing out native habitat.
