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As the nation is focusing on more sustainable forms of energy and preserving our environmental resources, many organizations in the Ozarks are taking up the challenge to educate the community on the environment and sustainable practices. The Watershed Committee of the Ozarks is one of these organizations. It’s expanding its efforts with the groundbreaking of a new Watershed Center at Valley Water Mill Park. KSMU’s Adam Murphy

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Watershed Center Groundbreaking

A set of fishing piers at the Valley Water Mill Park provide a shaded area to fish for all members of the community. (Photo by: Kenrick Nobles)

Watershed Center Groundbreaking

Leslie Carrier, Chair of the Board, leads the ceremony for the groundbreaking. (Photo by: Kenrick Nobles)

Watershed Center Groundbreaking

Tim Smith Greene, County Administrator, speaks about the benefits the Education Center will provide. (Photo by: Kenrick Nobles)

Watershed Center Groundbreaking

A group gathers to witness the groundbreaking of the Watershed Center Education Building at Valley Water Mill Park. (Photo by: Kenrick Nobles)

Watershed Center Groundbreaking

The Watershed at the Valley Water Mill Park preserves the swampy essence of Missouri's natural environment. (Photo by: Kenrick Nobles)

Watershed Center Groundbreaking

The Committee members break first ground at the site for the Valley Water Mill Education Center. (Photo by: Kenrick Nobles)

Watershed Center Groundbreaking

The Watershed Center Committee Board gathers for the groundbreaking ceremony. (Photo by: Kenrick Nobles)

Watershed Center Groundbreaking

The Group walks down to the building site of the Educational Center for the groundbreaking. (Photo by: Kenrick Nobles)

Watershed Center Groundbreaking

This footbridge allows visitors to travel over the spillway at the Valley Water Mill Park. (Photo by: Kenrick Nobles)

Valley Water Mill Park is much like a 100-acre outdoor classroom, equipped with trails, wetland areas, caves, sinkholes and many more ecological features where groups like the Watershed Committee educate students and community members about clean water and preserving local waterways.

The Watershed Committee’s new Watershed Center is the latest addition to the park, and they say it will be the first watershed education center in the Midwest. This facility will provide office and educational space to allow the committee and other groups to continue educating the community and expanding their programs. Loring Bullard is the executive director of the Watershed Committee.

“It’s really hard to get people to protect something that they don’t care about, and the way to get them to care about it is getting them out in and enjoying it and experiencing it. So that is really the essence of what this is about, place based education, hands-on, getting kids and adults out in the environment where they can see what there is here to protect and why we need to protect it,” said Bullard.

The other purpose for this building is to showcase sustainable construction. Bullard says the goal is to achieve Gold LEED certification to verify that that the building was constructed with the environment in mind.

The center includes a well field for geothermal heating and cooling. Water will be collected off the roof in a cistern and used in the plumbing system and for watering the landscaping. Bullard hopes that visitors will take ideas from the sustainable construction, and apply them in their own homes and businesses.

“The important thing is the take home. People will come out here and see these things demonstrated rain gardens, pervious concrete, wetland filters, and they will see that those are things they can apply at their own homes or at their place of business,” Bullard said.

The $870,000 building will be financed from a combination of public and private donations. The largest gift of over a quarter of a million dollars is coming from the C.W. Titus Foundation. The building is supposed to be finished by next summer.

For KSMU News, I’m Adam Murphy.
 

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