ARS | Publication request: My life in the watershed: then, now, and beyond

Submitted to: National Watershed Conference National Watershed Coalition
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: May 17, 2011
Publication Date: May 18, 2011
Citation: Hunt, S.L. 2011. My life in the watershed: then, now, and beyond. In: Proceedings of the 12th National Watershed Conference, National Watershed Coalition, May 15-18, 2011, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. CDROM.

Technical Abstract: "My Life in the Watershed" tells the first-hand account of a young girl growing up in southwestern Oklahoma, the impact growing up in a watershed had on her life, and the vision she sees for her children and her children's children, so they will continue to benefit from the USDA Small Watershed Program as she has. This story begins three generations ago discussing the Oklahoma floods of the 1940s and 1950s in the Sugar Creek Watershed in Caddo County, Oklahoma. These floods emphasized a need for the implementation of the USDA Small Watershed Program, a program that provides benefits including flood protection, water supplies for livestock and irrigation, increased wildlife, and recreation. The USDA Small Watershed Program would go on to play a role in the girl's education and career choices as an adult. Having a career with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service as well as the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, this girl has had a role in the design and research of small earthen dams. In closing, this presentation presents a vision for the future, so that future generations can benefit from the USDA Small Watershed Program as she has.