Arkansas Ozarks Waterkeeper, Inc. Board Members
Founding Directors Lin Wellford, Carol Bitting, Terri Bitting, Glenda Allison and Teresa Turk
Strong activist roots and a commitment to preserving and protecting water quality were the primary motivations behind establishing a Waterkeeper organization for the waterways of Northwest Arkansas. Our members recognize the need for a dedicated effort by concerned citizens to ensure that our precious and beloved waterways remain healthy enough to support a robust fish population, a safe place to swim and recreate and an asset to the communities that enjoy them.
ABOUT US
Arkansas Ozarks Waterkeeper's mission is to protect the public health and natural resources through advocacy, education, collaboration and research, and to see that existing regulations are enforced
Jarrod Phillips
AOW Boardmember
President
Kevin Otterman
AOW Boardmember
Vice President
Kevin is an avid outdoors person – canoe, kayak, and hiking. He first floated the Buffalo River in 1984. He has a long history in trail maintenance, trail building, trail design – have given many outdoor education sessions over the years, especially for maintenance outings. He is a regular presenter at summits/events on outdoor issues, trails, and technology used in conjunction with them. Kevin has been an active Trailwatcher at Perry Lake for most of the last 30 years in addition to Oologah Lake for a couple years on the Will Rogers Trail. He also served as Committee Member/Chair, Leavenworth County Development Corp – Trails Committee. He also created a county-wide benchmark of existing and planned recreational facilities to use in coordination/planning sessions with Mid-America Regional Council (KC MSA) and to create a printed map for distribution to county residents. He served two multi-term stints on Board Member/Treasurer/Secretary – Kansas Trails Council (501c3) over the last two decades. He is a past member of Friends of the Kaw, the Kansas RiverKeeper where he helped with cleanups and education events (youth). He has extensive experience working with agencies and outdoor organizations, including KS State Parks, MO State Parks, USFS, AR State Parks, Corps of Engineers, Kansas State University, KU Geological Survey, Backcountry Horsemen, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, IMBA, WYCO, MARC and various counties in NE Kansas and NW Missouri. He is a GPS and mapping expert having spent 11 years at Garmin and 5 years at Lowrance, developing new GPS equipment and mapping products in addition to activities with other organizations. Among his educational background, Kevin has an MBA from Baker University.
Jarrod is an environmental scientist with a passion for socio-ecological systems sustainability, whole-ecosystem conservation, and exploring the potential of geospatial technologies in addressing today's most pressing challenges.
Teresa Turk
AOW Boardmember
Treasurer
Teresa grew up in Arkansas (Little Rock and Texarkana) exploring the Southern pine forests, hiking the Ouachita Trail and floating the Buffalo National River. She received her BS in Zoology and MA in Anthropology at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. Upon completion of her Master’s degree, she headed west to Alaska and started working in the Bering Sea on board Soviet factory trawlers. She returned to school and received her MS in Fisheries Science from the University of Washington. Eventually this turned into a 25 year career as a fisheries scientist with NOAA Fisheries where she developed domestic and international natural resource monitoring and stock assessment survey programs.
Upon returning to Fayetteville in 2012, Teresa started her own environmental consulting company focused on marine science and policy. Teresa was also part of a research team investigating the C&H hog operation in Mt. Judea and continues to spearhead the collection of monthly water quality samples. She is a founding member of the Ozark River Stewards and works with a suite of other environmental organizations throughout the state. In 2018, Teresa was elected to the Fayetteville City Council where she was instrumental in blocking the proposed Arkansas Nutrient Trading Regulation No. 37 and sponsored the resolution to ban expanded polystyrene (EPS) from being used in Fayetteville. In her spare time, she likes to bike, hike, kayak and make documentary films about local Arkansans.
Glenda Allison
AOW Boardmember
Secretary
Glenda is a devoted protector of Ozark Waterways. She’s participated in many river cleanups, serves on the board of the Kings River Watershed Partnership, and was an active member of the Ozark River Stewards. She is also involved in the current effort to build a new public library building in Berryville
Glenda moved to the Ozarks over four decades ago, and fell in love with the hills and clean water. A long time swimming and lifeguard instructor, recreation in the waters of this area has been a big part of her life. She raised her three children in the area and now has grandchildren growing up here as well, a motivating factor as she wants to insure that they, too, will be able to enjoy swimming, paddling, and fishing in local rivers and creeks.
Dr. David E. Bowles is the former Aquatic Program Leader, Heartland Inventory & Monitoring Network, U.S. National Park Service. He is now retired. As program leader he oversaw long term monitoring programs addressing water quality, aquatic vegetation, invertebrates, salamanders, fish, and other resources in 15 National Park properties. He has served as a member of several endangered species recovery teams, including the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow, Barton Springs Salamander, and the Southern Edwards Aquifer Ecosystem. He also served as Adjunct Professor of Biology at Texas State University and Missouri State University. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Lovett Pinetum where he is currently Vice-Chairman. Dr. Bowles has published extensively on a variety of subjects, including taxonomy and ecology of aquatic insects and Crustacea, aquatic botany, fisheries biology, and medical entomology. Dr. Bowles is a retired U.S. Air Force Reserve Colonel and he worked in a broad variety of assignments as a medical entomologist and intelligence officer. He holds a B.S. in Biology and Natural Resources from Ball State University, and an M.S. in Aquatic Biology from Southwest Texas State University, and a Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
Dr. David Bowles
AOW Boardmember
Communications
